Samurai Shortstop, by Alan Gratz

Since I know almost nothing about most sports, I was pleased to find myself enjoying this book overall, though I did end up skimming through a few particularly game-focused passages; most of the training sequences were still interesting for the personal interplay and development of the characters involved. The predominant theme is the gradual fusion of bushido into baseball at an elite Japanese high school during the Meiji era, though it's nicely presented through the tight narration of a first-year student trying to adjust to this new world.( Read more... )