Is it too cliché to call a book about baseball a home run? Is it too pretentious to call a book featuring 1950s Americana a Great American Novel? Even if they are, can I do it anyway? Susie Finkbeiner’s latest novel, The All American, is the story of the Harding family. Just your classic, all-American family. Betha loves baseball and dreams of playing for the Workington Sweet Peas, part of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Flossie is the younger sister who wishes she was just a bit older. And William Harding, their father, is a writer who just might be the next big thing in American literary fiction. Until, that is, he’s accused of being part of the Communist Party.

While the term is used as an inflammatory pejorative for lots of things that are not Communist today, in the 1950s the word held a more substantial and real threat. The United States was in the middle of a Cold War with the USSR and being associated with the prevailing political party in the USSR was just about as un-American as one could get. And despite it being a more substantial and real threat—or perhaps because of it—accusations of association faced many prominent figures.

Told in the voices of Betha and Flossie, The All-American is able to give readers two different viewpoints into the realities of a time often idealized as America’s heyday. It’s a meandering journey focused on its characters. Finkbeiner isn’t out to write a political novel or explore McCarthyism in the 1950s, even though that’s a theme of the book. And even though Bertha plays baseball—and I shan’t tell you exactly what happens because you should read it for yourself—this isn’t a sports novel, either. Instead, Finkbeiner focuses on where she excels: stories of families just trying to live regular American lives.

All of Finkbeiner’s novels have explored the extraordinary ordinariness of American life in some fashion. My first Susie Finkbeiner book was Stories That Bind Us. In my review of that book, I wrote that “There’s something comforting in the type of novel that simply presents life as it is, full of its own type of loves, losses, and surprises, and reminds us that these stories—so often the stories of our lives—are also worth telling.” I didn’t know it at the time, but having now read her entire oeuvre, I think I nailed it. Life is story. Regular, ordinary life is bursting with the potential for story.

Because this is a book about being accused of being a Communist, but it’s really about how fear can affect the lives of ordinary, innocent people. It’s a book about baseball, but it’s really a book about growing up and becoming independent. Also stuffed in here are the stories of the relationship between two sisters, between each sister and their parents—Flossie and her dad’s connection being particularly poignant, and between each member of the family and their reclusive uncle. It’s a story about regular, ordinary love. And that’s extraordinary.

Baseball is the all-American game because it’s a game without a clock.* There’s no rush. There’s no hurry. The pace ebbs and flows—there are strikeouts and rallies, shoestring catches and stolen bases. The game has been going on for over a century and new things that have never happened are still happening. That’s a great descriptor for The All American. It’s a slower-paced relational narrative that has twists, turns, thrills, and surprises. You’ll laugh, you’ll learn, you’ll cry (especially at the end, my gosh). And when it’s all over, you’ll realize that while what you just experienced was something very familiar, something that has happened many times before, it’s also something completely unique and new.

Susie Finkbeiner never fails to astound. The way she captures people is absolutely incredible. Reading any of her books is an absolute treasure and The All American is no exception. It’s a home run. It’s a Great American Novel (except not so pretentious). It’s a love letter to both literature and baseball. And very subtly it is a reminder to consider what it means to be an American.

*recent MLB pitch clock rules notwithstanding

I’m still wiping away tears from The All American. It was everything I expected, nothing I expected, and more than I expected all at once. Bertha & Flossie became my friends for a short while…girls in the 1950s with big dreams and bigger realities. What a beautiful commentary on life in that era—baseball, communism, finding your own way and your own voice, learning who your true friends are. And every page of it was exceptional. I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a positive review.

What a FABULOUS historical novel!! I absolutely adored this story with my whole heart❤️ It had women’s baseball, quirky characters, feminism, & faith🤩

“The All American” was a story set during the 1950s and revolved around two sisters. The younger sister, Florence (aka “Flossie”) absolutely captured my heart🥰 Flossie’s love of literature and obsession with books captivated me!! And her personality and temperament reminded me a lot of a childhood FAVORITE character of mine: Junie B. Jones😍

Bertha, the older sister, was also a fantastic character to get to know!! I loved her tenacity, determination, & grit when it came to training for a spot on the Sweet Peas team🥳 I also really enjoyed the light romance threads woven between her and Levi throughout the story😍

My favorite aspect of the story had to be the many literary references!! It really made for a rich and engaging reading experience!!❤️

Overall, I highly enjoyed this historical fiction novel and would definitely recommend it to others🥳👏🏼

This is my first Susie Finkbeiner book, & having read so many glowing reviews of her earlier work I had high expectations. After the first chapter or two, I was really wondering if it was going to be ‘my kind of book’...but it kind of grew on me, gradually drawing me in until I was totally involved & caring about the characters. Although I knew the facts of the period, I had not read an ‘insider’s view’ before & it really made me think.
Recently I received an email from a Christian writer, asking what was the last book which had made me cry. I couldn’t come up with one – but I could now. I’m not going to spoil the story by telling you why, all I can say is : Read. This. Book. (You won’t be sorry...)
Now I’m off to explore her other writing : )

Loved this book. I really enjoyed the characters, the plot, the setting, and the story-line. I wish the book had continued a little further to tell more about Bertha’s career as a Sweet Pea or marrying Leo. But I liked that Flossie finished her father’s book.

The All American was a book where, more than once, I wanted to jump inside its pages and shake some sense into some of the lesser characters. This was especially true when it came to the accusation that Bertha and Flossie’s father, Will, was a member of the Communist Party.

I hate to say the old adage, “History repeats itself,” but how true it is, and how true it was for this story. Because of one person’s words, neighbors who never had a squabble with the Harding family now shunned them all because of what one person said. Rocks were thrown and words painted. People all too easily believed what they heard. The search for truth, sadly, was neglected between these pages just as it is today, and it frustrated me to no end.

But drawing out the reader’s emotions in this way is what makes for a powerful story, and there’s no doubt that Susie Finkbeiner has this gift.

I appreciated how Finkbeiner chose to “attack” the situation. Despite all they’d lost, the family left their home and sought refuge and a fresh start with Will’s brother, Matthew. The move may have shaken their already rocky foundation, but the opportunities that came from it were a godsend, especially for Bertha and Flossie.

And speaking of God, He was definitely present throughout the story, though not the main focus. One of my favorite lines was when Mom told Flossie that everyone at some point has a difficulty to bear, no matter how heavy or light, and though we may not understand God’s ways, all we really need to do is trust that we’re not carrying it alone.

The Harding family was easy to like, and I enjoyed being a fly on the wall during their interactions with each other and with others. Each chapter was in the perspective of either Bertha or Flossie, and we were able to get a deeper look into their thoughts and feelings, a look into a part of their lives that may have otherwise remained hidden.

This is a story I would recommend to anyone who enjoys meeting new families and cheering them on as they overcome challenges together. And how could anyone pass up a book that also involves the AAGPBL?

This is likely the best book that I will read all year! Another masterpiece done by Finkbeiner.

The two things that Bertha Harding loves most are her family and baseball. In 1952, most sixteen-year-old girls are thinking about who they are going to marry and how to be a proper wife, but all Bertha can think about is getting to play baseball. Ever since her first game to the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, she fell in love with the Workington Sweet Peas. She knows she would probably never make it to the league, but she can dream. But when her author father is accused of being a communist, everything she knows comes crashing down around her. Family friends now shun them and refuse to do business with them. People send her father threats. After more than her mother can take, they move out to a small town in northern Michigan where her uncles lives to get a fresh start. Little does Bertha know that not only did her uncle play baseball at Michigan State, but he also played with the manager of the Sweet Peas. Before she knows it, Bertha has a tryout with the team that will lead to adventures she never expected.

Every time I pick up a new Susie Finkbeiner book, I always think that this can’t be better than the last book she wrote. And every time she pretty much proves me wrong. This is quite possibly her best book (and I’ve read them all multiple times). It is also likely the best book that I have read all year. It is so easy to picture her books in my mind almost like I’m in a movie, but at the same time make me fully relate to her main character. On top of that, she pulled in memories from watching A League of Their Own with references to the movie characters to boot. She manages to write stories that have real meaning that readers will want to read over and over again. No specific genre, no specific formula, just great writing that connects people.

I highly recommend this book to all readers!

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

I loved living the lives of Bertha and Flossie and their parents. I loved learning about the All American Girls Professional Baseball Team and the House Un American Activities Committee. I laughed and cried. I received a copy of this book from the publisher for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

The All-American by Susie Finkbeiner is a richly woven tale of a family pursuing big dreams and fighting against the realities of life. Set during the Red Scare in the 1950s, The All-American gives us an in-depth look at the culture and politics of the time and how it affected regular citizens and shaped their futures.
I absolutely fell in love with this story from chapter one. The characters are so vivid (especially Flossie) and quirky and just darn loveable. I counted it a blessing to sit in on conversations in their home and hear the wisdom and love of the Harding parents. Their lives were ordinary in so many ways, and yet because of their love for one another and their courage to pursue big dreams, they were also extraordinary.
I could NOT put this book down. I read it while traveling and devoured it whole. If you enjoy women’s fiction or historical fiction, I would highly recommend this story. You will laugh at Bertha’s pie or Flossie's antics. You will cry when life’s not fair. But you will be left a heart brimming with hope.
I was given a copy of this book by the publisher with no expectations of a positive review. All opinions are my own.

The All-American
A Novel
by Susie Finkbeiner
Pub Date 11 Jul 2023
Revell
Christian| Historical Fiction


Revell and Netgalley have provided me with a copy of The All-American A Novel for review:



It is 1952 and nearly all the girls 16-year-old Bertha Harding knows dream of getting married, keeping house, and having children. Baseball is Bertha's dream. She reads every sports story in the paper, plays ball with the neighborhood boys, and even writes letters to the pitcher of the Workington Sweet Peas.


Life comes crashing down when Bertha's father is accused of being a Communist Party member by the House Un-American Activities Committee. Having been shunned and disgraced, the Hardings move into a small town where they only know their shy Uncle Matthew. When Bertha gets the chance to audition for the Workington Sweet Peas, she packs her bags for an unforgettable adventure.



I give The All American five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

Slip into the early 1950s and join an American family living a typical life for the time. The father is a best-selling author, but the novel focuses on his two daughters. Teenaged Bertha, the older girl, finds her sweet spot playing baseball, while her younger sister, precocious Flossie, usually has her nose stuck in a book—even ones beyond her maturity. The chapters alternate between the two points of view, and each girl has her own unique voice and personality. They give the tale life and plenty of action. We connect with their ups and downs, their hopes and horrors, their dreams and everyday life. The compelling story has doses of sadness, but also offers hope. The author presented an accurate depiction of people in that time period. I would have preferred skipping the smoking and the curse-like words and euphemisms—these didn’t add to the plot. Since I’m a child of the fifties, I found the drama interesting and it felt authentic. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own. #TheAllAmerican #NetGalley

The All-American featured two sisters in what else, an all-American family. Flossie loves books and Bert loves baseball. The story starts with their lives going typically with difficulties with friends and things that they would change.

The story takes a dramatic turn with the introduction of the red lists and accusations of communism against their writer father that changes their lives.

This story shows the before, the during, and some of the after.

It shows two girls, their dreams, and their disappointments. The characters are interesting, especially those viewed from the point of view of the girls. There are things they see and there are things that the reader will see with the insight of history.

This story was well written and had my emotions everywhere they should be and there were things I didn't see coming. I loved the inclusion of the All-American girls baseball league especially in it's later years.

I received an earc from the publisher and NetGalley and this is my honest review.

In 1952, Bertha Harding and her younger sister Flossie live in the suburbs of Detroit with their father, a famous author, and British mother. Bertha dreams of playing on the Sweet Peas, an all-girl baseball team. Flossie loves books. But when their father is accused of communism, they abruptly leave their home for their uncle’s house in rural Michigan - and a new life. The All-American tells their story.

I wanted to read this novel because so much about it intrigued me - the all-girl baseball team, the 1950's "red scare," and the time period.

This is such a lovely novel - a coming of age book with two protagonists! Bertha and Flossie are both such likable, unique characters, and I loved reading their story. The author does a wonderful job at capturing the 1950's and the world of two young girls during that time period. This is a truly moving book and one that I know will stay with me. I cannot recommend it highly enough for other fans of historical fiction, and especially for anyone interested in 1950's American life.

I met Susie Finkbeiner in 2018 at the very first Fiction Readers Summit. I don’t know why it’s taken me this long to read one of her novels. The All-American was my very first Finkbeiner book, and it will not be my last. About half-way through, I honestly wanted to go out and buy all of Susie’s novels.
The All-American is a beautiful story of an American family in the 1950’s. I laughed. I cried. I cheered. I booed. At first, I wasn’t sure what I would think. I’m not a big fan of books in first person, and especially stories with multiple first-person points of view. But I quickly adjusted to the cadence of back and forth between Bertha and her little sister Flossie. Each character was unique, so it was easy to know whose head I was in. Flossie is a hoot! And I absolutely loved the way she grew as a person throughout the story. In a way, these sisters reminded me of Ramona and Beezus, though with far less squabbling.
I could have done without the minced oaths—darn, doggone, and heck—also the mentions of smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol. The father formerly had a drinking problem, and there was mention of the fear of bad news luring him back to it.
The ending seemed abrupt. I would have loved for it to go on for another chapter or two. And I would have especially loved for there to be a resolution or continuance of a particular element of the story. But for sake of spoilers, I won’t say what part that was.
The Spiritual elements of the story were subtle. I would have liked for a relationship with God to have been more forefront in all the characters lives, but especially Bertha’s. The little mentions of God were refreshing; however, it is written in a way that anyone could pick up this book and enjoy it, I think.

I played baseball/softball when I was a kid, so I enjoyed the memories that this book brought back, I also loved the history and learning more about the Cold War and female baseball.

The year is 1952 and the Harding family is living in a suburb of Detroit. Sixteen-year-old Bertha is admittedly a failure at all domestic chores. She excels at playing baseball. Her eleven-year-old sister, Flossie, is considered odd by her classmates. She has tried to make friends, but all attempts have failed. Books play a very important part in her life. The Harding's are a close-knit family, just trying to live a good life. A vicious lie, in the form of an accusation that the father is a Communist, upends their life. Fearing for their lives, the family moves to a remote town where they are not known. It is there that their lives change in ways they never expected.
The story is alternately told in the voices of Bertha and Flossie. They are so well depicted that readers will come to know them quite well. The entire family is basically shunned once the accusation is made, and each member has to find their own way to cope, and this is when the strength of this family becomes evident. It is in their new surroundings that Bertha is given the opportunity to try out for a woman's baseball team and where Flossie finds a friend. There are new possibilities and a hope for a better future.

This is a beautifully told story that is ultimately about the power of family. All the characters are three dimensional, but it is Flossie who makes the biggest impact. Bright, outspoken and perhaps precocious-she steals the show. Engrossing and packed with emotion, this book is well worth reading. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I just finished reading The All American by Susie Finkbeiner. I will say that I was not anxious to start this novel because I just didn’t think the synopsis showed that it would be a book that I would enjoy. I was SO wrong on all counts.

This is a terrific novel, easy to read and so interesting. Taking place in the McCarthy Era of seeing a Communist around every corner, this novel brought the real politics of the era to the forefront for me.

The characters in the Harding family were so realistic that I could see myself in that family. Each character brought different qualities to the novel and each one kept me reading long into the night.

Because A League of Their Own was partially filmed in my hometown in Indiana, I enjoyed the idea of a girls’ baseball team. These teams were very in vogue during the Second World War and people came from miles around to watch their games. While the Girls’ Baseball Clubs weren’t around for very long, their games provided much needed entertainment to the public during a very trying time.

I was also glad to see that the House Un-American Activities Committee were not very successful in hunting out suspected Communists in our towns, but dix make ordinary citizens suspicious of their neighbors, sometimes to dire consequences.

Ms. Finkbeiner is a fantastic writer and I will definitely be reading her other books. I was so excited about this book that I can’t wait to open the covers of her other books.

Oh my goodness! This should be a must read for this year. I love the way Susie Finkbeiner transports us back in time to when life was simpler and families loved each other and stayed together through thick and thin. I loved the way the story went back and forth between the two sisters and how different they were. But, through it all, they were family first and that was my favorite part of this book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This was my first Susie Finkbeiner novel, and the story hooked me right away. I felt invested in the Harding family, cheering them on and sympathizing with them in their hard times. I would definitely recommend this book if you enjoy small towns, baseball, and a look at what it means to be family.

(My only critique is that the ending felt abrupt. I was hoping for a bit more, but it was still an excellent novel!)

I’m a big fan of this author. This is a good book, but not one of my favorites by her. The subject matter was refreshing. But some of the dialog, especially in the first half, that was meant to reflect the language of the 1950’s came off a little childish at times. Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book.