Hello, my name is Matt Jacobson. I have created this blog to keep you posted as I venture into a new book; Shadow Ball. I plan on keeping you guys fully informed on my experience with the book, and I'll add to it every week or so.
Shadow Ball is a novel written in 1942 by Peter M. Rutkoff. The story takes place during the summer of 1919 in the city of Chicago. It is a fictional story about the struggle of three men who decide that the Chicago White Sox will be the first major league team in the twentieth century to sign an African American player. The main characters in the novel are Rube Foster, the African American owner of the Chicago-American Giants; Charles Comiskey, the owner of the Chicago White Sox; and finally, Sam Weiss, the man who tries to help both owners accomplish their goals without each party's awareness of his involvement.
I predict that these three men will not be able to sign an African American to the Chicago White Sox because of the time and place that the story takes place. The color barrier in baseball was not broken until the year 1945 because until that point in time, most people were not ready to face their prejudice for African Americans. They did not want change, but the integration of baseball was forced upon them. In 1919, there was a much larger amount of prejudice and racism going on throughout America. This holds true for the setting, because Chicago especially hasn't accepted integration. In August of 1919, there was a "Race Riot". Dozens of men died and hundreds more were injured, all because of the color of their skin. Because of these critical factors and events at the time, I fail to believe that the men will be successful in signing the first African American to the major leagues.
Reading Schedule:
Entry Two, Due 3/4: Pages 1-57
Entry Three, Due 3/11: Pages 58-114
Entry Four, Due 3/18: Pages 115-171
Entry Five, Due 3/25: Pages 172-228
