James Sturm
The Golem’s Mighty Swing (2001)
Author: James Sturm
Genre: Graphic Novel (Fantasy/Sports)
Plot Summary:
Noah Strauss, known as “The Zion Lion” during his brief stint with the Boston Red Sox, is now the hobbled manager and number three hitter for The Stars of David, an independent “Jewish” traveling baseball team. Baseball was truly America’s pastime in the days of Prohibition, and a good team with an intriguing gimmick, skilled players, and some marketing
savvy, could make a good living by busing through small towns and taking on the local teams. The Stars have plenty of talented players, but they are missing that extra element of spectacle that can draw the really big crowds. They are barely scraping by and suffering
from low morale. Their bus is in a sad state, they are forced to sleep in cheap flophouses, and they must endure the racial bigotry that follows them everywhere they go. Just when things seem to be at their worst, Noah is paid a visit by the fast-talking baseball
promoter, Victor Paige. After taking in one of their games, Paige has decided that The Stars could pack the stands if only they had a Golem in their lineup. Paige goes on to explain that a film featuring a Golem (an enormous mythical being of Jewish legend) is
captivating audiences in New York City, and his agency has obtained the original costume used in the film. If the Stars’ hulking African American clean-up hitter, Henry Bell, would don the costume he would be sight to see. Noah reluctantly agrees to go along with the scheme after initially rejecting the offer. Paige immediately begins to hype up the arrival of the Golem in the town of Putnam, where The Stars will battle the local “All Americans.” In his fervor to create interest in the game, Paige fans the flames of anti-Semitism within
the community by playing on their fears and misconceptions. At game time, the stands are filled with a tense, angry and vocal crowd. SPOILER: The much-anticipated first at-bat of the Golem results in an anti-climactic dribbler back to the pitcher’s mound. The crowd is displeased with this showing and becomes more raucous. The enmity of the crowd escalates when Mo, The Stars’ second baseman, reaches into the stands in an attempt
to catch a popup. He takes a few blows and his glove is stolen, but the game continues, now with the crowd chanting epithets at The Stars. In retaliation for the treatment of Mo, the Golem who is now on the pitcher’s mound, beans one of the All Americans. A riot ensues,
with the crowd pouring onto the field. The Stars retreat into their dugout and are protected by the Golem, who’s feared swing repels the mob. The Stars make it out of town in one piece and go on to finish out the season together. Noah then decides to retire from baseball,
and moves back to New York City. Henry Bell continues to play pro ball into his fifties, and even reunites with Victor Paige for another barnstorming baseball spectacle.
Geographical Setting: Michigan; New York City; Greenville, NC
Time Period: 1920s
Series: Part of the “American Trilogy” (non-sequential)
Appeal Characteristics:
This story takes the reader back to the days before steroids and million-dollar contracts, when ballplayers struggled to make a living playing the game that they loved. There is a mood of stoicism that runs throughout the story, as the hard-nosed players struggle with a
hardscrabble existence on the road. Baseball fans that long for the purity of old-time baseball will love this book. The prose and the illustrations are clean and spare, reflecting the tone of the story. The action unfolds quickly and compels the reader to turn the page. Though this is a short book, the author does a good job of creating characters that have a depth of personality. Anyone with even a passing interest in the history of
baseball will enjoy the terrible and fascinating anecdotes that these characters relate to one another.
Read-alikes: Fans of the writing style and artwork of The Golem should check out Above and Below: Two Stories of the American Frontier (2004), by James Sturm. These two stories complete his “American Trilogy,” and showcase more of his stark and understated illustrations. God’s Man: A Novel in Woodcuts (1929) by Lynd Ward, will offer similarly dark, colorless, and striking images. For more on traveling teams of the 1920s, see Alan J. Pollock’s nonfiction book: Barnstorming to Heaven: Syd Pollock and His Great Black Teams (2005). This will convey the racial bigotry encountered by minority ballplayers and share some great old-time baseball anecdotes. The Celebrant (1983, novel) by Eric Rolfe Greenberg, gives a realistic portrayal of early 20th century professional baseball. It also deals with the issue of Jewish assimilation. The Southpaw (1953, novel) by Mark Harris, concentrates on the gritty life of a pitcher who is trying to deal with the ups and downs that come with playing professional baseball. It is not as fast-paced as The Golem, but it is a gripping read and is narrated in a laconic tone.
Red Flags: Profanity; racial bigotry; racial slurs; some violence (off stage); alcohol consumption
|top|
|
