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Hello,<br>
<br>
I’m traveling and will be checking e-mail sporadically. For urgent matters relating to AMCS, please contact Karen Skinner at k.skinner@wustl.edu.<br>
<br>
With thanks for your patience and understanding,<br>
<br>
-Noah<br>
<br>
On Jul 5, 2021, at 8:22 AM, Duncan Jamieson via Sport_literature_association <sport_literature_association@lists.ku.edu> wrote:<br>
<br>
<div class="EmailQuote"><font color="black">All,<br>
Please find below and attached Lisa Timpf's review of Morganstein's </font><font color="black"><i>Fastball for freedom.</i></font><font color="black"><br>
Duncan<br>
</font><font face="Calibri" size="+1" color="black">Lisa Timpf<br>
</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black">72 Oak St.</font><font face="Calibri" size="+1" color="black"><br>
</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black">Simcoe, Ontario</font><font face="Calibri" size="+1" color="black"><br>
</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black">N3Y 3J8</font><font face="Calibri" size="+1" color="black"><br>
</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black"> </font><font face="Calibri" size="+1" color="black"><br>
</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black">email: </font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="#3486FF"><u>lisa.timpf@gmail.com</u></font><font face="Calibri" size="+1" color="black"><br>
</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black"> </font><font face="Calibri" size="+1" color="black"><br>
</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black">Word count (body): approx. 830</font><font face="Calibri" size="+1" color="black"><br>
</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black"><b> </b></font><font face="Calibri" size="+1" color="black"><br>
</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black"><b> </b></font><font face="Calibri" size="+1" color="black"><br>
</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black"><b>Morgenstein, Gary. A Fastball for Freedom (Book 2 of the Dark Depths series). (Digital edition reviewed)</b></font><font face="Calibri" size="+1" color="black"><br>
</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black"><b> </b></font><font face="Calibri" size="+1" color="black"><br>
</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black">As a long-time science fiction fan and sports enthusiast, I found the premise of Gary Morgenstein’s dystopian novel
</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black"><i>A Fastball for Freedom</i></font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black"> intriguing. It’s not all that often I find a book that meets two of my interests at the same time. Morgenstein’s
novel delivered, providing imaginative world-building while at the same time weaving in the sport of baseball as a central pillar of the story.</font><font face="Calibri" size="+1" color="black"><br>
</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black">At the outset of the novel, former Major League Baseball pitcher Puppy Nedick and his ex-wife Annette Ramos find themselves in London, England. But London in the late 21</font><font face="Times New Roman" color="black">st</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black">
century isn’t the city we’re familiar with. In a world where the Muslim forces won World War III and Britain has become part of the Caliphate farm animals roam the Christian churches, the Palace of Westminster has become the Mufti’s Throne, and Big Ben lies
in ruins. These cues tell us we’re in a very different world. </font><font face="Calibri" size="+1" color="black"><br>
</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black">Crawling with hostile forces, London is not particularly safe for Americans like Puppy and Annette. But it’s not safety the duo is after. Puppy, who is wanted for treason and murder back in America,
is on a mission “to find Pope John and stop World War Four”—a tall order. </font>
<font face="Calibri" size="+1" color="black"><br>
</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black">It's not just London that has changed. Back in America, things are different too. Electoral parties and elections have been replaced by a “family” system. During the time frame covered by
</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black"><i>A Fastball for Freedom</i></font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black">, former Chicago Cubs shortstop Albert Cheng is at the helm of the country, having assumed the role of Grandpa.
Top-ranking officials are known as “Cousins,” with the degree (First, Second, and so on) designating how high up they are in the hierarchy. Ordinary citizens are brothers and sisters, siblings if you will.
</font><font face="Calibri" size="+1" color="black"><br>
</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black">Unlike Britain and Europe, America has not fallen under the sway of the Caliphate—not yet, at least. However, people within the country have historically been divided about whether to opt for war,
or to seek peace. </font><font face="Calibri" size="+1" color="black"><br>
</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black">The novel follows a number of characters, including Puppy and Annette, a woman named Zelda and her baby Diego Junior; Fifth (formerly Third) Cousin Elias Kenuda; a young orphan girl named Clary Santiago;
and a member of the Muslim rebel forces. </font><font face="Calibri" size="+1" color="black"><br>
</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black">On the futuristic note,
</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black"><i>A Fastball for Freedom</i></font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black"> features androids with varying degrees of sophistication, including some that are difficult to tell from their
human counterparts. Holograms are commonplace. As for the central sport of interest, Major League Baseball was suspended after homegrown terrorist attacks sparked by a group calling themselves the Blue Wigs. The Blue Wigs themselves have baseball connections
as exemplified by their logo: a blue wig over crossed baseball bats. </font><font face="Calibri" size="+1" color="black"><br>
</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black">With the world so vastly changed, it’s no wonder many Americans feel a sense of nostalgia for a happier past. Included in that is a yearning to see the sport of baseball revived. Individuals like Ernie
Paicopolos hoard baseball mementos as reminders of better times. Others are so ardent to see baseball’s return that they volunteer to help out in rebuilding stadiums like New Fenway Park. The sport’s deep connection to American values is exemplified by displays
put up by fans along the route to the Boston ballpark:</font><font face="Calibri" size="+1" color="black"><br>
</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black">On the corner, a scarecrow oozing stuffing dangled from a hook above a shuttered haberdashery, a red B cap stuck atop its clown-like face. On its chest was a sign, “Give Me Baseball Or Give Me Death.”</font><font face="Calibri" size="+1" color="black"><br>
</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black">Another scarecrow bears a sign with the slogan, “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of a Fastball.”
</font><font face="Calibri" size="+1" color="black"><br>
</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black">Albert Cheng grasps the value of baseball as a morale booster. In discussing plans to restore Major League Baseball, he states:
</font><font face="Calibri" size="+1" color="black"><br>
</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black">From this day forward, we won’t look back . . . America will only look forward to the future. We’ll rebuild the glory of our past greatness as we rebuild the glory of baseball. Because as baseball
will return on January 1, so someday soon will the greatness of our nation.</font><font face="Calibri" size="+1" color="black"><br>
</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black"> </font><font face="Calibri" size="+1" color="black"><br>
</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black"><i>A Fastball for Freedom</i></font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black"> contains some dark references, including mention of child sex slaves and wartime atrocities. Counterbalancing
the sometimes grim sections are moments of pure levity, found, for example, in dialogue between characters (particularly Puppy and Annette), in Clary Santiago’s antics, or in Puppy’s efforts to introduce baseball to Brits. The novel offers a generous dose
of satire as well. </font><font face="Calibri" size="+1" color="black"><br>
</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black"><i>A Fastball for Freedom</i></font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black"> is the second book in the Morgenstein’s Dark Depths series. I jumped right into
</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black"><i>A Fastball for Freedom</i></font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black"> without the benefit of having read
</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black"><i>A Mound Over Hell</i></font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black">, the first of the Dark Depths books. While Morgenstein provides enough information for the uninitiated to deduce
what’s going on even if they haven’t read the prequel, I had the sense that I might have gained a deeper resonance from certain events if I’d read
</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black"><i>A Mound Over Hell</i></font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black"> first.</font><font face="Calibri" size="+1" color="black"><br>
</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black">That being said, I found
</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black"><i>A Fastball for Freedom</i></font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black"> original and entertaining, with a strong undercurrent of humor. At the same time, the novel provided food for
thought on the staying power of the passion for sport.</font><font face="Calibri" size="+1" color="black"><br>
</font></div>
<div style="text-align:center;">
<div class="EmailQuote"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black">-END-</font><font face="Calibri" size="+1" color="black"><br>
</font></div>
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<div class="EmailQuote"><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black">Morgenstein, Gary. A Fastball for Freedom (Book 2 of the Dark Depths series). Plymouth, MI: BHC Press, 2021. pp. 480.
</font><font face="Calibri" size="+1" color="black"><br>
</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black"> </font><font face="Calibri" size="+1" color="black"><br>
</font><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="black"> </font><font face="Calibri" size="+1" color="black"><br>
</font></div>
<div class="EmailQuote"><font color="black"><br>
Remember to smell the roses as you recumber past<br>
<br>
Duncan R. Jamieson, Ph. D.<br>
Professor of History<br>
Book Review Editor<br>
</font><font color="black"><i>AETHLON: The Journal of Sport Literature</i></font><font color="black"><br>
Ashland University<br>
Ashland, OH 44805<br>
USA<br>
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