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A review by eely225
Baseball Genius by Derek Jeter, Tim Green
2.0
I read this book because it was mentioned on a baseball podcast. The premise matched one of their recurring hypotheticals: what would happen if a player could predict every pitch?
Of course, this book is written for middle schoolers. As such, it's impossible for me to rate it according to how much it appeals to me; I am quite far removed from the target demographic. The best I can do, then, is evaluate whether I would want to have my hypothetical offspring read this. The answer? Probably not.
The pacing is fine. The characters are boilerplate and, ultimately, harmless. There are some themes, though, that I would not want my kids to internalize.
The main character, Jalen, is a math prodigy. Despite that, he refuses to develop his gift, saying that he doesn't want to waste time on something stuffy like math when he could play baseball. While I understand the desire to appeal to a kid's anti-school instincts, who needs this messaging? Time and again, the book reiterates the theme that the only really worthwhile goal is being a professional athlete.
It also disparages anyone who tries to take an analytical, rather than instinctual, approach to sports. This continues the "no nerds allowed" theme. But, like, you're reading a book. Isn't that kind of nerdy in itself? Are we overcompensating a bit?
This, combined with the unfortunate "wisened, old black man teaches MC a valuable lesson" and "all Italians talk like Mario" tropes, make the book something I'd have trouble recommending to young readers.
Of course, this book is written for middle schoolers. As such, it's impossible for me to rate it according to how much it appeals to me; I am quite far removed from the target demographic. The best I can do, then, is evaluate whether I would want to have my hypothetical offspring read this. The answer? Probably not.
The pacing is fine. The characters are boilerplate and, ultimately, harmless. There are some themes, though, that I would not want my kids to internalize.
The main character, Jalen, is a math prodigy. Despite that, he refuses to develop his gift, saying that he doesn't want to waste time on something stuffy like math when he could play baseball. While I understand the desire to appeal to a kid's anti-school instincts, who needs this messaging? Time and again, the book reiterates the theme that the only really worthwhile goal is being a professional athlete.
It also disparages anyone who tries to take an analytical, rather than instinctual, approach to sports. This continues the "no nerds allowed" theme. But, like, you're reading a book. Isn't that kind of nerdy in itself? Are we overcompensating a bit?
This, combined with the unfortunate "wisened, old black man teaches MC a valuable lesson" and "all Italians talk like Mario" tropes, make the book something I'd have trouble recommending to young readers.