Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.

In a League of Her Own

A Novel

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

From the author of Sisters in Arms comes the incredible, untold story of Effa Manley, a black businesswoman in the male dominated baseball industry, and, currently, the only woman inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

1930s, New York City

An ambitious Harlem woman's husband upends her social climbing when he buys a Negro Leagues baseball team and appoints her as the team's business manager. Overnight, Effa Manley goes from 125th Street's civil rights champion to an interloper in the boys' club that is professional baseball.

Navigating her way through gentlemen's agreement contracts, the very public flirtatious antics of superstar Satchel Paige, and a sports world that would much rather see this woman back in her "place" at home, Effa ultimately whips her team, the Newark Eagles, into the Negro Leagues Champions of 1946. But how long will she get to enjoy the fruits of her success before Major League Baseball tears it all apart?

Based on the incredible life of Effa Manley, an unforgettable and inspiring story about a woman with a dream who wound up with a baseball team.


  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

  • Formats

  • Languages

  • Reviews

    • Booklist

      August 1, 2024
      As Effa Bush dreams of opening her own millinery shop in 1930s Harlem, she spends her evenings with neighbors watching the Yankees from an apartment building's rooftop. Despite wanting her independence, she marries businessman Abe Manley. With Abe's money backing her, she hopes to get that millinery shop up and running while also becoming acquainted with the high society that her new marriage affords her. Abe impulsively finds them another dream and asks her to run one of the first Negro League baseball teams. Managing a baseball team is hard enough, but being a woman and having her voice heard is quite another challenge. What Effa discovers is not that she wanted her own shop but that she wants power. She wants to be the boss, have her say, and become proud of her accomplishments. Baseball, it turns out, does that for her. A great read about the independence women have been striving for, a small lesson in Negro League baseball history, and a story about friendship and other relationships, perfect for fans of historical fiction featuring real-life heroines.

      COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • Library Journal

      August 23, 2024

      Alderson (Sisters in Arms) writes a fictionalized version of the real life of Effa Manley (1897-1981), the first and only woman inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. She's portrayed here as a Black woman whom white people think is white. In reality, her race remains uncertain, but she called herself white in a 1977 interview. In this novel, she first meets Abe Manley, her second husband, at a New York Yankees game. She never asks the source (illegal, she suspects) of his wealth, but in 1935 he buys the Brooklyn Eagles, a Negro League Baseball (NLB) team. Highly ambitious, Effa dreams of owning a millinery shop. But Abe says he'll handle the athletes; he wants her to do everything else. Grudgingly at first, she successfully manages their operation. A co-owner, she attends NLB meetings and tells the others--men--how to improve their business practices. No one listens. Abe purchases the Newark Dodgers in 1936, merging teams to form the Newark Eagles, who would become the 1946 NLB World Series champions. Effa establishes a precedent for player compensation, and they sell the team in 1948 after Major League Baseball starts stealing Black players. VERDICT Alderson's meticulously researched book is for fans of novels about driven women who leap over all obstacles.--Jill Cox-Cordova

      Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

Languages

  • English

Loading