Breaking Into Baseball: Women and the National Pastime

I'm objective about this book, and I declare it a real winner. Although it's about women "breaking into" the great national pastime, men will find the historic aspects of interest, as well. The fact that the author quotes a "Washington Post" article of mine on the subject of the first Ladies Day Game played in the nation's capital does not influence my favorable opinion. It is a well researched and well credited book. I would hasten to recommend it.

Just when you think anything and everything has been written about baseball, along comes this book. Ms. Ardell approaches the subject from all angles, including some I never thought of, and I've been around the game as a journalist for several years. Her research is particularly impressive, with details such as the first female umpire to sign a game scorecard. Professional baseball is one of the last bastions of male chauvinism, and Ms. Ardell reminds us that the national pastime isn't quite as national as we'd like to believe. Definitely worth a five-star rating; I'll be sending out this book as gifts to people in the business with the hope that it opens not just eyes but minds and hearts too.

Jean Hastings Ardell has captured the essence of the connection between baseball and women in her well-written and thoroughly-researched chapters. Whether they are men or women, fans or players, readers will enjoy her fast-paced writing, her sense of perspective, her conscientious scholarship, and her sense of humor. Ms. Ardell's love for the game is evident on every page, and she taps into that connection for readers, enabling them to celebrate their own love for the game of baseball.