This review was originally posted on Melissa's Midnight Musings. I'm hosting a giveaway for 2 amazing books by this author. Stop by and enter for your chance to win. http://midnight-orchids.blogspot.com/2012/07/double-review-and-giveaway-legend-o...


I also had the pleasure of being able to read Sophomore Campaign as I was lucky enough to be sent both books for review.

The Sophomore Campaign packs just as much of a punch as The Legend of Mickey Tussler did, in both similar and much different ways.

In the beginning of the novel we see Mickey still struggling with the aftermath of last years seasons and the events that happened to him in particular. In addition, Murph is struggling too, reeling from last seasons events and also trying to keep his job. But he always has ideas up his sleeve. The team is struggling internally, as Boxcar, their catcher is struggling to fight off illness. Murph has to do something, so he goes scouting and finds the perfect catcher. The only thing is, he doesn't get the best reception...

Mickey struggles a lot in this book because there are many things he doesn't understand, particularly the racial issues that come up when Lester Sledge comes onto the team. These racial issues are intense. There's a lot of graphic name calling and some disturbing scenes and events.

As intense as these scenes are I do have to commend Mr. Nappi for the way that he handled these. The scenes were powerful and well written. I also greatly appreciated the authors note at the beginning of the novel that explains the reasoning for the use of harsh language and the depiction of certain themes as necessary to the story and the warning that they may be offensive to some readers. Not many books dealing with the themes that are present in this story have such warnings and it was just refreshing to see.

In addition to the powerful exploration of racial issues in the 1940's there's also more romance between Murph and Molly, which I loved reading about. It's so straightforward, and easy. Murph and Molly fit together so well.

There's also exploration of the team coming together, as they struggle with their own beliefs and feelings, and ultimately decide whether or not they truly are a family. I don't want to give too much away in terms of the ending of the book or too many details because I think that it's just such an awesome book that you'll want to check it out, but I will say that I'm excited to see what will come next for all of these wonderful characters, and I'm thrilled that I got the opportunity to read these books.

*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review* ( )

I just couldn't get into this story. The author has a great writing style, but something about the story just bugged me. It seemed like the author was hiding something from the reader, something that was imperative to the story, but he didn't want you to know it yet. That bothered me, so I didn't finish the book. ( )

"Sophomore Campaign" by Frank Nappi was a pleasure to read on many many levels. A lot of fiction today is written so poorly that it leaves you plodding through - focusing on the plot elements in lieu of the writing. Nappi masterfully avoids this "standard fare" error in telling a powerful story with a resplendent prose - the best of both worlds.

"Sophomore Campaign" is a sequel to "The Legend of Mickey Tussler" - sequels often fall victim to being branded as a lesser imitation of the original - but this is not the case with this book. Nappi expands on his original story in a way that gives his characters more depth. The story is engaging and enjoyable from start to finish.

Nappi's main protagonist (Mickey Tussler) is a young pitching phenom with Autism who is trying to establish himself on a minor league baseball team in the late 1940s. This aspect alone makes the story unique. The first book in the series takes the reader through Mickey's incredible journey toward acceptance - he gets a lot of help from the affable manager of the team, Murph. In "Sophomore Campaign" Mickey's struggle continues, but Nappi adds a new character, Lester Sledge. Lester is an African American player who joins the team. Through Lester Nappi highlights the insidious effects of extreme racism at the time. Lester and Mickey become inextricably linked.

While Nappi's story uses baseball as a backdrop - and it is clear he is an ardent student of the sport - this book has mass appeal.
"Sophomore Campaign" really is a must read. If you have not read the first book in the series - start there. I can not wait to see where Nappi will take us in the third installment. Nappi is a skillfull artist whose writing is definitely worth reading and talking about. ( )