Review on Calico Joe Sports Memorabilia by Shawn Reiff

I loved this novel, like all John Grisham stories, because the characters have such heart. I feel like now that I know Paul Tracy, I know what it's like to love baseball and want your parents to be your hero and your admiration to be always turned off. Thanks to Grisham's story, I feel like I can now watch baseball and know enough to enjoy it, so I read. Plunge so deeply into another world that it seems to me that I have actually visited this world. Calico Joe is the story of little boy Paul and his love for his father and baseball. Unfortunately for Paul, his father, a pitcher for the New York Mets, is not worthy of his son's admiration. Warren Tracy, a narcissist bordering on sociopath, is the guy who offloads his responsibilities onto everyone else to falsely inflate his ego. The story takes us from 1973 to 2003 as a flashback to the moment in baseball history that changed the lives of Paul, his father, and a promising freshman named Joe Castle. John Grisham entertains us with an important life lesson wrapped in his love of baseball. it gives the story a special dimension. The lesson is that in order to be a good person we must take responsibility for what we do, and while forgiveness is possible, it cannot change the mess we create in our lives. Forgiving doesn't mean forgetting, it means moving forward and living as best you can in new circumstances. Joe shows mercy in the face of dire, avoidable circumstances, and Warren shows how blaming others can leave a trail of regret. This story will stay with me for a long time. Sure, the good guys and bad guys were very black and white, but that doesn't mean there aren't people who show that contrast of light and dark. Grisham is a writer of the highest caliber and is always a pleasure to read. He's one of my favorite authors of all time and I hope he doesn't stop writing in my lifetime.