Baseball in April and Other Stories - Gary Soto

 

Baseball in April and Other Stories - Gary Soto

Bibliography: 

Soto, G. (2000). Baseball in April and other stories. Harcourt, Inc.

Plot Summary: 

A collection of eleven short stories focusing on the everyday adventures of Hispanic young people growing up in Fresno, California.

Critical Analysis:

This collection of short stories captures a slice of life. I don't have any other words to describe how charming this book is. I feel like Soto writes about childhood and captures all of our childhood quirks, our childhood growth spurts, our unrealistic expectations, our childhood hopes, dreams, shortcomings, silliness, innocence, and our beauty. There wasn't a single story that didn't resonate from my own childhood experiences. And I simply love these stories.

As a reader, I feel like the short story I need to tease apart a bit more is "Barbie." In this short story, Veronica gets a doll that is more of a reflection of who she is as a Mexican girl - a dark haired doll. She is disgusted with this "ugly" doll and longs for a "good" doll - a blonde, blue-eyed Barbie. Soto never hits the reader over the head with a moralistic lesson cautioning readers to not fall into the trap of self-loathing. He simply puts forward the ways in which we did so as children. Brown kids all over the world want blonde haired, blue-eyed Barbies.

At the school, my student population is predominantly of minorities. Little African girls want to be princesses as well, but when I pull out the Black Rapunzel, or the Black princess, they balk. When I offer Munch's Paper Bag Princess, they scrunch their noses. When I put Princess Justina Albertina in front of them, she's too fat. As soon I pull the picture books that have pink covers with blonde haired princesses, they frantically grab for the "real" princesses. Pinkalicious, Fancy Nancy, blonde Cinderellas and blonde Sleeping Beauties are the real deal. As a reader of Soto's work, I can see what he's teasing out, and sadly, this same frantic stretch for the "good" princess or the "good" doll compels my African students to behave like Veronica from "Barbie."

I continue to offer alternative princesses though. The self-sufficient princess. The can-do princess. The princess who can save herself. It crushes my heart when my students reach for the Disney princess instead.

Review Excerpt: 

Los Angeles Times Book Review

Sensitivity to young people's concerns and his ability to portray the world as it is perceived by children is nothing less than remarkable.

The Boston Globe

A fine collection of stories that offers a different cultural perspective about feelings common to all teenagers. Soto writes well and with tremendous insight into the process of growing up.

The Horn Book

Will strike chords of recognition in readers of all ages.

Connections:

Story Collections / Short Stories

Gary Soto's Personal Website to find out more information about him as well as more books he has written

Lesson to use with Short Stories