Shoeless Joe

After reading all the reviews of Shoeless Joe, I think the title I chose for this review is perfect. First, let me state the obvious: most of the people who panned this book outright had to read it for school, and write a report on it. I can honestly say that, in my opinion, this book is not for your average high school student. The ideas and themes in this novel, not to mention the ideals and dreams, are very difficult to comprehend if you're still in high school. Some of the life experiences, that are are required to understand what Mr. Kinsella is saying, are still years away. It's a shame that these students are forced to read something that, in my opinion, they are not yet ready for. If they waited until they were older, they would understand. And they would love the book. This is not Field of Dreams. That movie is the result of Hollywood taking this story, clipping here and editing there, and coming up with a screenplay that, while outstanding in its own way, is severely lacking in the substance of what this book is about. It's about life. It's about dreams and realities. It's about injustice and redemption. But most of all, it's about love and family. Ray Kinsella is an anomaly in today's society. He is a 1960s dreamer in a world full of pragmatic realists. He sees things that most people overlook. He remembers things that most people consider insignificant. But, most of all, he hears things that others cannot hear. "If you build it, he will come." A raspy, baseball announcer's voice in the middle of an Iowa cornfield says those seven words, and Ray Kinsella knows exactly what they mean. Build a baseball stadium, and Shoeless Joe Jackson, the falsely accused and disgraced 1919 Chicago White Sox star, will return to play again. If that sounds hokey, or corny, it's because, to most people, it is. But not to Ray. Shoeless Joe Jackson was the favorite player of his father, John Kinsella. Ray grew up hearing stories of the 1919 White Sox, and Shoeless Joe. As the story progresses, the pure love Ray feels for his father becomes more and more evident. While the movie makes it something different, in the book it is all about love and memory. The love between Ray and Annie is as close to a perfect love as humanity can get. And if some find that unreal, it's because it is so rare that it seems unreal. This is the love we all dream about. This is the love we feel we all have. But in reality, this love is the ideal love. And though in many ways it is hard to believe such a love could ever exist, in some very rare and special circumstances, it can, and it does. Why does Ray follow the voice he hears? Why does he plow under his cornfield, risking his farm, his home, and possibly even his family? Because Ray knows that sometimes you have to follow the voices you hear. He knows Annie will understand. Or if not understand, realize that he has to do what he has to do. From the first time Shoeless Joe appears in his

It was in the summer of 1987 that I wandered into a bookstore in Rockport, Mass. To this day, some 17 years later, I have no idea what drew me to the second floor of that bookstore. There, among the stacks, I found a fantastical book called the Iowa Baseball Confederacy by a W.P. Kinsella. It was summer outside and yet, I was drawn to this obscure book. I read it and fell in love. Two years later, Field of Dreams was released and it was based on Shoeless Joe by this Kinsella fellow. And I feel in love with that movie too. Life moved on and I never read the book, Shoeless Joe. I read a few Kinsella stories, but never had the chance to read his only other novel. THen, I was finally drawn to the book. Perhaps it was the 15th anniversary of "Field of Dreams." Nevertheless, I read Shoeless Joe in a single day (and what a pleasure it was). The book is indeed different from the movie. And that makes it a pleasure. The movie stays close to the spirit of the book, and works beautifully as a motion picture. The book is deeper, sweeter, and more magical. J.D. Salinger, Ray's twin brother, and others populate the cast. Annie is sweeter and more dreamy than in the Amy Madigan's protrayal. Enough about the film though. This is a story about life, love, dreams, and baseball (although baseball is indeed all of those things). It is, as Salinger says,the one constant in our lives. The books explores Ray's mania a bit more. The magic of Kinsella will touch anyone who reads the book. While I'm sorry I took so long to read it, I'm sure as heck glad I did. I read somewhere that Kinsella is no longer writing. I respect that of course, but we sure as hell miss him.

For those of us who love baseball, who love the history of baseball, this book explains ourselves to ourselves. You will have complete and total empathy with the majority of the characters populating this tale.If you don't "get" baseball, this book may provide some insight.Mr. Kinsella has written a highly original story, written so well some passages seem to sing, that addresses such human conditions as parental loss, unreserved trust, unquestioning love.And baseball.The line between reality and fiction is playfully drawn. The author and the protagonist have the same last name. J.D. Salinger and Shoeless Joe are real people.The action such that it is centers around a magical ballfield created in the midst of a small Iowa farm. The book is filled with so many wonderful moments that listing them would be insulting to the book.If you're familiar with the film, "Field of Dreams", then you know the story...but the book is so much fuller. Richer. They actually complement each other well.This is a perfect book to read during this time of year...

W.P Kinsella. Shoeless Joe. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1982. 265 pp. $22.95.When was the last time you tumbled onto cool, moist grass, looked up at the robin's-egg blue sky, and imagined that the clouds were forming shapes of various animals? Or the last time you felt total freedom while lifting yourself skyward on an old tree swing, back when summer never seemed to end? These and many more childhood memories will come alive while reading Shoeless Joe. W.P. Kinsella's fictional accounting centers on baseball legend Joe Jackson, one of the Chicago "Black" Sox 8, who was permanently banned from baseball. Joe's magical appearance in an Iowa cornfield initiates a journey for main character Ray Kinsella, to not only fulfill his dreams, but those of many extraordinary characters, too. At first glance, the book is about baseball and Ray's journey to fulfill the request of the voice, "If you build it, he will come." But as Ray ventures across the country the reader begins to sense that, as in The Wizard of Oz, anything is possible, simply by believing. As the plot develops, Ray's acceptance of the mystical, almost religious aspects of baseball, allows the reader to revisit dreams from his own past, too. Ray says, "Your secret dreams grow over the years like apple seeds sown in your belly...sprout through your skin, gentle and soft and wondrous, and they breathe and have a life on their own...."Though most of the characters are as refreshing as a Popsicle or as rich as a Fudgsicle on a summer's day, Ray's wife, Annie is far too loving and weak. Female readers, in particular, may have difficulty connecting to Annie's life, with her lack of protest when her husband plans to plow under their crops to construct a ball-field. But, many readers can relate to Ray's efforts directed toward repairing his relationship with his dad, and may realize how profoundly this book mirrors their own relationships, too. Upon deeper reflection, a reader realizes the importance of Moonlight Graham's statement that "hardly anybody recognizes the most significant moments of their life at the time they happen." While reading this book, a reader may experience a deep desire to turn back the hands of time for a chance to relive his childhood, or to take back words spoken in anger, or to reawaken in the arms of a love from long ago.The story rides on dialogue, rhythmically slow like baseball, as Ray tiptoes beyond the realm of this world. Threading the timelessness of baseball throughout the book suggests immortality to the reader, as Ray tries to answer the question "Is this Heaven." The reader is drawn in and realizes that looking at this world is not the same as seeing it. Miracles happen everyday and can be taken for granted when viewed only with the eyes, and not appreciated with the heart, as well. Sacred events of planting and harvesting fertile farmland, the changing seasons, and the glorious birth of children ar

There is a famous quote floating around out there that conveys the essence of baseball and this novel: "Many attend, but few understand." Put simply, this book is a work for true lovers of the game. If you heart doesn't skip a beat on opening day, or you don't appreciate the smell of old leather and fresh cut grass, then this book is not for you. If you look down upon people who are oversentimental and nostalgic, then this book is not for you. But if you do understand the game and how it is a symbol of America and of youth and memory and peace and beauty, then buy a copy of this book. There are passages in "Shoeless Joe" that continue to amaze me. Prose in the form of poetry. The best baseball novel ever written. No contest.