The Golem's Mighty Swing by James Sturm
A Classic Look at What it Means to Belong to a New Country and to Old Traditions; Into these troubled times, when people around the world are questioning concepts of religion, nationality and identity, comes this thought-provoking and sensitive exploration of the lives of a team of Jewish immigrants. Set in the 1920s, this compelling picture novella opens as the Stars of David, a Jewish baseball team, travel from town to town earning a living by playing local squads, sporting beards as a gimmick to attract patrons. When financial difficulties threaten to end their season, they cast their lot with a Chicago promoter, Victor Paige, who proceeds to transform every baseball game into a mythical pageant, filling the stadium but also stoking the flames of anti-Semitism. Suddenly, winning the game for the Stars of David becomes less important then surviving it.