Review of "Heat," by Mike Lupica

 Review of

Heat, by Mike Lupica, ISBN 9780142407578

Five out of five stars

More about life than sports

 Satchel Paige is arguably the all-time best baseball pitcher. One of his teammates once said, “The good lord didn’t give Satchel an arm, he gave him a whip.” Michael Arroyo was also born with what his father said was, “the arm.” Even though he is still young enough to play Little League baseball, Michael can throw an 80-mph fastball and he has excellent control. His goal is to help his team move on to the Little League World Series.

 While baseball is his joy, his life is complicated. His father brought Michael and his seventeen-year-old bother Carlos with him in an escape from Cuba and they now live in New York City. Their father died suddenly of a heart attack and the boys are terrified that social services will learn of their plight and either separate them into foster care or send them back to Cuba.

 With the help of some kindly neighbors, the boys manage to stay in their residence, although it means that Carlos must work at two low paying jobs. However, they live in constant fear that they will eventually be exposed. The problem comes to a head when an opposing coach raises the issue of Michael’s age, which requires a birth certificate, a document that they do not possess.

 Things get dicey for a while until an unlikely hero emerges that manages to use their contacts in Cuba to produce the proper document. Now that Michael is cleared to pitch and he no longer has to be concerned about social services, he becomes a demon on the mound.

 This is a book that is about life more than it is about baseball. There is the challenge of being a refugee immigrant, the dirty trick of an opposing coach raising the issue of age and some old-fashioned adolescent boy suddenly becoming interested in a girl action. The story is very well done and there are some great supporting characters, especially Michael’s best friend Manny. The dialog is very catchy, with snappy comebacks when needed and deadpan when that approach is better. It is a great novel for people at or above the young adult.

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