Book Rec: Curveball (Toni Stone) by Martha Ackmann (Kindle version for $3.99)

Curveball has a well-deserved list of glowing reviews including from Kirkus, Library Journal, and several sports writers. Marcenia (nicknamed Tomboy then Toni) Stone played professional baseball at a time when both women and African-Americans was limited on what teams they could play on. In 1990 she was included in two exhibits in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Toni Stone is a determined woman who was determined to play baseball despite the challenges caused by those who opposed a woman playing baseball and the racism against African-Americans. The book focuses not only on Toni Stone, but gives extensive background about the teams. It is quite frank in its description of the racism of the time and does so in a way that shows the seeming contradictions in some of the people’s attitudes.

It appears to be well-researched with extensive quotes from people who knew Toni Stone and/or were familiar with the teams she played on. At the end of chapters are detailed footnotes. The hardback version is listed on Amazon as having 288 pages and it is not a quick read, but it is a good one.

Curveball is on-sale for December for $3.99

Toni Stone’s page on NLBPA