Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    Samurai Shortstop
    Unavailable
    Samurai Shortstop
    Unavailable
    Samurai Shortstop
    Audiobook7 hours

    Samurai Shortstop

    Written by Alan Gratz

    Narrated by Arthur Morey

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Tokyo, 1890. High school can be brutal, even in turn-of-the-century Japan.

    From his first day at boarding school, Toyo Shimada sees how upperclassmen make a sport out of terrorizing the first-years. Still, he's taken aback when the seniors keep him from trying out for the baseball team-especially after he sees their current shortstop. Toyo isn't afraid to prove himself; He's more troubled by his uncle's recent suicide. Although Uncle Koji's defiant death was supposedly heroic, it has made Toyo question many things about his family's samurai background. And worse, Toyo fears that his father may be next.

    It all has something to do with -the way of the warrior-but Toyo doesn't understand even after his father agrees to teach it to him. As the gulf between them grows wider, Toyo searches desperately for a way to prove there is a place for his family's samurai values in modern Japan. Baseball might just be the answer, but will his father ever accept a "Western" game that stands for everything he despises?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateNov 14, 2006
    ISBN9780739336403
    Unavailable
    Samurai Shortstop
    Author

    Alan Gratz

    Alan Michael Gratz is the author of 17 novels for young adults.

    More audiobooks from Alan Gratz

    Related to Samurai Shortstop

    Related audiobooks

    YA Sports & Recreation For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Like a Dragon: Ishin

      Mar 17, 2023

      Like a Dragon: Ishin
      2 min read

    • Article

      Simon Cuerdon - A Unique Soul

      Jul 23, 2019

      The world is a much poorer place after the sudden passing of Simon Cuerdon on June 30. The leading light of the Armed Forces Scooter Club for several decades, Simon was a massive presence in both scootering and Northern Soul communities. His impish s

      1 min read

    • Article

      Games

      Feb 6, 2023

      Games
      2 min read

    • Article

      Running Man

      Jul 3, 2022

      Running Man
      12 min read

    • Article

      SUMMER SPECIAL: 3 Gift Packs To Be Won!

      Dec 30, 2019

      With most of the country still on a rugby high, few people will be able to resist England coach Eddie Jones’s autobiography, 13. MY LIFE AND RUGBY (Macmillan, R330). It contains interesting insights in early chapters about his Japanese heritage and t

      1 min read

    • Article

      Father And Son Collectors Enjoying Their Hobby Journey Together

      Nov 19, 2022

      Many of us were introduced to the hobby through someone else, be it a parent, grandparent, another relative or even a friend. No matter when or how long ago you got your hobby start, we always remember how it all began and love reminiscing about that

      2 min read

    • Article

      Like A Dragon: Ishin

      Dec 1, 2022

      Developer/publisher Format Origin Release Sega (Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio) PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series Japan February 21 G iven it has developed eight major games in the Yakuza series, you could be forgiven for assuming that Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio

      5 min read

    • Article

      Ryu Ga Gotoku Kenzan!

      Jan 10, 2023

      Ryu Ga Gotoku Kenzan!
      3 min read

    • Article

      Shenmue I & II

      Oct 16, 2018

      Shenmue I & II
      4 min read

    • Article

      Shenmue III

      Oct 17, 2019

      Shenmue III
      2 min read

    • Article

      Fight Fiend

      Dec 23, 2021

      Fight Fiend
      4 min read

    • Article

      Lost In Translation

      Oct 3, 2019

      Lost In Translation
      3 min read

    • Article

      Dawn Neesom Mind Of My Own

      Oct 4, 2022

      All summer we’ve had bad cases of FOMO but now it’s time for JOMO. No, not suddenly talking fluent gobbledygook – the latest hip and happening acronym stands for Joy Of Missing Out (as opposed to Fear.) Because now the long, cold dark autumn nights

      3 min read

    • Article

      BEFORE the BELL

      Mar 7, 2019

      Long before the age of Wikipedia-styled websites and online echo chambers, writers of every stripe recognized thorough research as the cornerstone of any worthwhile literary undertaking. Even today, when the allure of visiting a bygone era is such th

      8 min read

    • Article

      Way Of The Samurai 4

      Nov 24, 2022

      Way Of The Samurai 4
      1 min read

    • Article

      Yakuza

      Oct 1, 2021

      Yakuza
      6 min read

    • Article

      THE TOYS That Made Him

      May 1, 2021

      THE TOYS That Made Him
      4 min read

    • Article

      Yakuza 0

      Oct 1, 2020

      Yakuza 0
      3 min read

    Reviews for Samurai Shortstop

    4/5

    50 ratings4 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      Enjoyed this encounter with turn-of-the-last-century Japanese high school baseball--the novel provides a look at the evolution of Japanese school culture (complete with hazing) as well as the transition from samurai ideals into Western-influenced modernism.

      I didn't find the family relationships entirely convincing and I would have liked more focus on the classroom experience, but I was fascinated with the boys' struggles between yearning for life beyond the "Wall" and dedication to building their own society within it.
    • 3/5
      “Samurai Shortstop” by Alan Grats was an interesting book for me. The story revolves around a boy named Toyo Shimada. He is part of the generation which is between the “Old Japan” and the “New Japan” where there are no samurais allowed. The story is about how he tries to become the link between the both worlds. I think that the story is interesting because of the amount of detail in the book. The author uses many Japanese words to explain certain parts of the story but they are used in such a way that people like me who know nothing about Japanese can understand important words in their culture. The author’s attention to detail makes it feel like a movie is being played in front of you. From this book you can also learn the culture of Japan in the 1890s. I would recommend this book to people of all ages who are either interested in the transition between the “Old Japan” and the “New Japan”, Baseball or Baseball in Japan.
    • 5/5
      A BBYA top ten book, Samurai Shortstop is a stunning work of fiction. It is a book about baseball, it is historical fiction about the Japanese samurai, it is the archetypal generation clash, and it is a beautifully written book for the ages. This book is one of a very small number of books that sailed through our BBYA straw poll votes without a single no vote, time after time. The discipline that allows a warrior to engage in the seppuku ritual is the benchmark for evaluating a samurai warrior. When the Emperor institutes reforms that require the samurai to hang up their swords, Toyo watches his beloved uncle Koji perform seppuku, with the help of his father, Sotaro. Sotaro schools Toyo in the law of bushido, the warrior code so that, once schooled, he will assist Sotaro in his own seppuku. Toyo is sent to a school that will prepare Toyo mentally. This Japanese version of an American prep school, however, is a place, like prep schools or fraternities, which allows hazing and bullying. The bushido that this school and Sotaro instill in Toyo, however, manifests itself in a devotion to baseball. American students will relate to the clash between a father’s wishes and a son’s desires. The way Toyo and Sotaro learn to really talk and listen is shown beautifully. The historical details are described in the end matter. This well-researched, magnificent book is sure to be around for many, many years. Highly recommended for both middle school and high school students.
    • 5/5
      1890 Japan- 16 year old Toyo Shimada must find his place in an elite boarding school while coming to terms with his uncle's Seppuku (ritual suicide). Toyo's father is teaching him Bushido, the way of the warrior, so that Toyo can assist him with his own Seppuku. Toyo, who earns a place on the school baseball team, seeks a way to meld the traditional Samurai values with this new Western game and thereby find an honorable way for the Samurai to continue to exist with honor. This is a wonderful book, well researched for historical detail and entertaining. A great choice for boys, especially sports enthusiasts or history buffs.