Reviewed by Terri Schlichenmeyer, The Bookworm Sez

Much to your spouse’s chagrin, you can’t remember your anniversary.

When asked, you can rattle off your phone number if you think about it first. Your birthdate is an easy one, but your kids’?  Not so much.

Now, your favorite baseball player’s batting average, you know that. And your team’s league standing? Piece o’ cake.

If you’re a die-hard baseball fan, you probably barely notice what your player looks like, focusing instead on what he can do with a bat, ball, or glove. In “Satch, Dizzy & Rapid Robert” by Timothy M. Gay, you’ll read about men whose careers proved that stats speak louder than skin.

Although Jackie Robinson is usually credited for breaking baseball’s color barrier, the fact is that black ballplayers and white ballplayers shared the field for years before Robinson’s time. Traveling around the country to various communities, all-black “barnstormers” challenged all-white teams and drew crowds that were often bigger than Series attendance. And three headliners drew the biggest crowds of all.

Leroy “Satchel” Paige, one of the best (and perhaps best-known) pitchers of the Negro Leagues, was born into poverty. Because his family needed the income, Satch didn’t go far in school; instead, he took a job that exposed him to baseball. Intrigued, and too poor to afford a ball, Satch practiced by lobbing rocks.

When he was 12 years old, Satch was nabbed for petty theft and sent to the Industrial School for Negro Children at Mount Miegs, Alabama. The discipline he learned there changed his life. The coaching he got there made his career.

Satch’s foe and friend Jay Hanna “Dizzy” Dean also came from lean roots.

Born of sharecroppers, Diz was too poor to afford shoes as a boy, and learned to perch on the pitcher’s mound, barefoot. But once his talent was discovered, he never had to worry about shoes again. Dizzy Dean became a star, although not a humble one: he was known for driving his car around town, offering autographs.

But as Dizzy and Satch aged, there was a newcomer on the horizon.

Bobby Feller was apple-cheeked and perfect, every mother’s dream. He was a baseball manager’s dream, too, because Feller could pitch a ball so fast it almost sizzled. A life of baseball was what Feller had wanted since he was young. Signed to play while he was still in high school, “Rapid Robert” couldn’t wait to start barnstorming.

Does summer = baseball in your mind? Then “Satch, Dizzy & Rapid Robert” will be a big home run for you.

With a fans-eye view, fast-play excitement, and a casual 1930s feel, author Timothy M. Gay puts readers in the bleachers with this well-researched book. What I particularly liked is that Gay told the story of his three subjects, but he didn’t ignore those of other key people of the era. That information sometimes goes missing in books of this genre, but not here.

If you’re root-root-rooting for something good to read, catch “Satch, Dizzy & Rapid Robert.” For baseball fans, this is a book to remember.

A PURSE OF YOUR OWN by Deborah Owens
c.2010, Fireside Books • $15.00 • 290 pages

Reviewed by Terri Schlichenmeyer, The Bookworm Sez

Nobody has to tell you that the economy is uncertain. You live it. The job (if you have one) is shaky. The savings account (if you have one) is emptying. Debt (you have that!) is growing. You’d like to make your money go in a different direction but as far as you’re concerned, financial information might as well be written in Greek. But there’s help: if you just don’t get it, get A Purse of Your Own by Deborah Owens.

You’ve never invested in stocks because it’s scary, right? It’s hard to understand, and besides – you don’t have the money in the first place. Wrong, says Owens. Take baby steps. Begin by looking at your assets, liabilities, and overall budget. When everything’s written down, you might be surprised to see that you can shave a little money here or there to invest. Even $5 a week can turn into thousands of dollars in profits if you have the patience.

So how to get started? You can buy stocks online or you can use a broker; there are advantages and disadvantages to both. In either case, Owens says, a financial advisor may be your portfolio’s BFF.

Using analogies that are easy-to-understand, author Deborah Owens starts from the beginning with a family that was shocked to see the small size of their net worth. From there, she moves through the various ways to invest and save, how to start and utilize an investing club for support, and how to think like a wealthy woman. Owens’ advice is solid, real, and a little outside-the-box and the quizzes she includes (what is your Purseonality?) are eye-opening, all of which makes the entire finance industry seem seriously fun.

Even if you’ve only got a few dollars to spare but you want to see it grow, “A Purse of Your Own” is a book to bag. Invest a few dollars in it, and you’ll soon be investing like a pro.