John Grisham: Calico Joe (UK 2013)

From the Publisher:
An unforgettable novel about childhood, family, conflict and guilt, and how a lifetime of tragedy might finally be forgiven.
Thirty years have passed since eleven-year-old Paul Tracy watched his troubled father, Warren, a pitcher for the New York Mets, clash with his childhood hero, the Cubs' golden-boy Joe Castle, in a contest from which no winners emerged.

Now the news that his father is dying brings the memory of that day flooding back. Deciding that it's time to face up to what really happened on that baseball field in 1973, father and son make their way to Calico Rock, Arkansas, where either redemption or rejection awaits them.

John Grisham: Calico Joe. A father's guilt. A son's redemption. Hodder & Stoughton, ISBN: 9781444744668 (January, 2013), 288 p., £7.99.

John Grisham: Calico Joe (USA 2013)

From the Publisher:
It's the summer of 1973, and Joe Castle is the boy wonder of baseball, the greatest rookie anyone has ever seen. The kid from Calico Rock, Arkansas, dazzles Cubs fans as he hits home run after home run, politely tipping his hat to the crowd as he shatters all rookie records. Calico Joe quickly becomes the idol of every baseball fan in America, including Paul Tracey, the young son of a hard-partying and hard-throwing Mets pitcher. On the day that Warren Tracey finally faces Calico Joe, Paul is in the stands, rooting for his idol but also for his dad. Then Warren throws a fastball that will change their lives forever.

John Grisham: Calico Joe. A Novel. Dell, ISBN: 9780553841275 (January, 2013), 240 p., $7.99.

John Grisham: Calico Joe (UK 2012)

From the Publisher:
Thirty years have passed since eleven-year-old Paul Tracy watched his troubled father, Warren, a pitcher for the New York Mets, clash with his childhood hero, the Cubs' golden-boy Joe Castle, in a contest from which no winners emerged. Now the news that his father is dying brings the memory of that day flooding back. Deciding that it's time to face up to what really happened on that baseball field in 1973, father and son make their way to Calico Rock, Arkansas, where either redemption or rejection awaits them.

John Grisham: Calico Joe. A father's guilt. A son's redemption. Hodder & Stoughton, ISBN: 9781444744644 (April, 2012), 224 p., £14.99.

John Grisham: Calico Joe (USA 2012)

From the Publisher:
A surprising and moving novel of fathers and sons, forgiveness and redemption, set in the world of Major League Baseball...

Whatever happened to Calico Joe?

It began quietly enough with a pulled hamstring. The first baseman for the Cubs AAA affiliate in Wichita went down as he rounded third and headed for home. The next day, Jim Hickman, the first baseman for the Cubs, injured his back. The team suddenly needed someone to play first, so they reached down to their AA club in Midland, Texas, and called up a twenty-one-year-old named Joe Castle. He was the hottest player in AA and creating a buzz.

In the summer of 1973 Joe Castle was the boy wonder of baseball, the greatest rookie anyone had ever seen. The kid from Calico Rock, Arkansas dazzled Cub fans as he hit home run after home run, politely tipping his hat to the crowd as he shattered all rookie records.

Calico Joe quickly became the idol of every baseball fan in America, including Paul Tracey, the young son of a hard-partying and hard-throwing Mets pitcher. On the day that Warren Tracey finally faced Calico Joe, Paul was in the stands, rooting for his idol but also for his Dad. Then Warren threw a fastball that would change their lives forever...

In John Grisham's new novel the baseball is thrilling, but it's what happens off the field that makes CALICO JOE a classic.

John Grisham: Calico Joe. A Novel. Doubleday, ISBN: 9780385536073 (April, 2012), 198 p., $24.95.