Batter up! With the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series and Canadians across the country cheering them on, CBC Books has put together a reading list of baseball-themed books by Canadian authors.From stories about great teams to explorations of baseball history, these books celebrate the grand old game and its heroes. Field Work by Andrew ForbesField Work is a book by Andrew Forbes. (Assembly Press )Field Work is a nonfiction work that explores baseball’s history and sheds light on the people who make the game happen, from the people building ballparks to parents coaching Little League teams. Relayed poetically, Andrew Forbes examines the complex relationship between work, play and how we value labour in the world of baseball. Forbes’s first short story collection What You Need was a finalist for the Danuta Gleed Literary Award and Trillium Book Award. He is also the author of The Utility of Boredom, The Only Way is the Steady Way, McCurdle’s Arm and The Diapause. His stories have been published widely, appearing in publications like the Toronto Star, Canadian Notes and Queries and Maisonneuve Magazine. He is based in Peterborough, Ont. Makeshift Fields by Dale JacobsMakeshift Fields is a book by Dale Jacobs. (Invisible Publishing)Makeshift Fields provides a vivid glimpse into grassroots baseball across Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales, where the game remains fragile — requiring a tremendous collective effort to keep it alive. The book is about the passionate individuals who love the game and those who believe it can thrive anywhere. Play ball! Epic adventure helps Windsor couple rediscover their love of baseballDale Jacobs is a writer based in Windsor, Ont. His previous books include Graphic Encounters: Comics and the Sponsorship of Multimodal Literacy, On Comics and Grief and 100 Miles of Baseball: Fifty Games, One Summer, co-authored with Heidi L.M. Jacobs. He teaches at the University of Windsor. 1934: The Chatham Coloured All-Stars’ Barrier-Breaking Year by Heidi L.M. Jacobs1934 is a book by Heidi L.M. Jacobs. (Biblioasis, NeWest Press)1934: The Chatham Coloured All-Stars’ Barrier-Breaking Year tells the story of the first Black team to win the Ontario Baseball Amateur Association championship. Drawing on oral history, scrapbooks and newspapers, the book situates readers in the shoes of the Coloured All-Stars of Chatham, Ont., and shares how they broke the colour barrier in baseball years before Jackie Robinson brought home a championship.Heidi L.M. Jacobs is currently the English and History librarian at the University of Windsor. She is also the co-author of the nonfiction book 100 Miles of Baseball and the author of the novel Molly of the Mall, which won the 2020 Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour. Baseballissimo by Dave BidiniBaseballissimo is a book by Dave Bidini. (McClelland & Stewart, Carlos Osorio)In Baseballissimo, Dave Bidini makes the trip to Nettuno, Italy, known as the baseball capital of Italy, with his family. There, he followed the local team, Serie B Peones, learned about his own Italian heritage and gets to the heart of what makes the town so obsessed with the game.Dave Bidini: My life in booksBidini is an author and musician. His books include On a Cold Road, Tropic of Hockey, Around the World in 57 1/2 Gigs and Home and Away. He has been nominated for Juno and won three National Magazine Awards. Bidini was on Canada Reads as both an author and a panellist and publishes the West End Phoenix community newspaper in Toronto.Baseball Life Advice by Stacey May FowlesBaseball Life Advice is a book by Stacey May Fowles. (N. Maxwell Lander, McClelland & Stewart)Baseball Life Advice: Loving the Game That Saved Me is a series of essays that uses the sport as a springboard to talk about mental health, gender stereotypes and more within baseball culture. The essays are eye-opening, surprising and often very personal, showing you that loving something a lot can completely change who you are and how you see the world. The advice Stacey May Fowles would give to aspiring writersStacey May Fowles is a Toronto journalist, novelist and essayist. She’s written five books and has been published in the Globe and Mail, Toronto Life, The Walrus and The Athletic. Brady Brady and the Ballpark Bark by Mary Shaw, illustrated by Chuck TempleBrady Brady and the Ballpark Bark is a book by Mary Shaw, left, illustrated by Chuck Temple. (Scholastic Canada, bradybrady.com)Brady Brady and the Ballpark Bark is the latest in the Brady Brady series of children’s books. Brady Brady and the Ballpark Bark features the titular character and his dog, Hatrick, excited to play some baseball. But Hatrick keeps trying to catch all the balls during baseball practice, forcing Brady to take him back home. But Brady and his baseball team soon learn that Hatrick just might help them practice and win the upcoming season opener. Brady Brady and the Ballpark Bark is for ages 3 to 8.Mary Shaw is a Ohio-based children’s author who spends time in Ontario. The Brady Brady series of books include more than 16 titles.Chuck Temple is an artist and illustrator based in Kitchener, Ont. Walking and Stealing by Stephen CainWalking and Stealing is a book by Stephen Cain. (Book*Hug Press, Sharon Harris)Walking and Stealing is a collection of poems about baseball, Toronto and immersing oneself in deep thoughts. The first section of the book was written in the moments between innings of Stephen Cain’s son’s little league games. This is followed by 99 poems about walking through Toronto, and nine cantos that form a poetic puzzle. In this experimental collection, Cain reflects on culture and space.Cain is a Toronto-based author of six full-length collections of poetry and a dozen chapbooks, including False Friends, I Can Say Interpellation, Torontology, and dyslexicon. He also published a critical edition of bpNichol’s early long poems: bp: beginnings. Cain teaches Avant-garde and Canadian Literature at York University.On Sports by David MacfarlaneOn Sports is a book by David Macfarlane. (Biblioasis, Submitted by David Macfarlane )In On Sports, David Macfarlane expresses his love for sports and his discomfort with their commercialization in the digital age. Through a mix of personal reflection and sharp critique, he examines how sports have transformed into a spectacle driven by profit, corporate interests and gambling — exploring the consequences of this shift. Macfarlane is a writer and editor based in Toronto. His previous works include the nonfiction book The Danger Tree and the novels Likeness and Summer Gone which was a finalist for the 1999 Giller Prize. My Life as a Diamond by Jenny ManzerMy Life as a Diamond is a book by Jenny Manzer. (Orca Book Publishers)In My Life as a Diamond, Caspar loves baseball so much that the first thing he does when his family relocates to Seattle is try out for the baseball team the Redburn Ravens. Caz is excited to be their star baseball pitcher, but is concerned his teammates might find out something he isn’t ready to tell them — that he used to live as a girl named Cassandra.My Life as a Diamond is for ages 9 for 12.Jenny Manzer is a writer based in Victoria. She was a finalist for the 2013 CBC Nonfiction Prize and is also the author of the book Picture of a Girl and Save Me, Kurt Cobain. On Account of Darkness by Ian KennedyOn Account of Darkness is a book by Ian Kennedy. (Kelsey Vermeersch, Tidewater Press)In On Account of Darkness, Ian Kennedy collected over 100 years of stories about athletes who triumphed despite systemic racism. Focusing on Ontario’s Chatham-Kent region, the book explores how the history of sport in the region is a microcosm for the successes and challenges non-white athletes have faced for generations across Canada. Combining individual stories of athletes and social commentary, Kennedy examines systemic racism and Canadian multiculturalism against the backdrop of sports history. Exploring how sports, racial history intertwine in an Ontario communityBased in Erie Beach, Ont., Kennedy is a sports journalist and secondary school teacher. In 2011, he founded the Chatham-Kent Sports Network, an online news outlet covering both amateur and professional athletes. Baseball Love by George BoweringBaseball Love is a book by George Bowering. (Talonbooks, House of Anansi Press)In Baseball Love, George Bowering writes a love letter to the sport by recounting a road trip with his fiancée to the ballparks that shaped him. Sharing his experiences as a sports reporter and a true love for the game, Bowering tells his life story through his experiences with baseball.Bowering is a writer and poet based in Vancouver. He has published more than 80 books and has won the Governor General’s Literary Award in both poetry and fiction, the Canadian Authors Association Award for Poetry and the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour. He was Canada’s first poet laureate and is now an officer of the Order of Canada.Stealing Home by Dwayne BrennaStealing Home is a book by Dwayne Brenna. (Radiant Press, www.dwaynebrenna.com)Stealing Home is a poetry collection about the love of baseball and how it finds its way into many facets of life. From poems about the history of the sport and its many icons to how it deepens a father-son relationship, Stealing Home brings together the moments that make baseball so meaningful.Dwayne Brenna has written several books including the poetry collection Give My Love to Rose and the novels New Albion and Long Way Home. He is also an actor in both theatre and television. and teaches at the University of Saskatchewan.Hello, Friends!: Stories from My Life and Blue Jays Baseball by Jerry HowarthHello, Friends! is a book by Jerry Howarth. (ECW Press, Sinisa Jolic/CBC)Hello, Friends! is a memoir by Jerry Howarth, a play-by-play radio announcer for the Toronto Blue Jays for 36 years. Detailing the big moments like the back-to-back World Series championships in 1992 and 1993 to the quieter and more personal family memories, Howarth looks back on his broadcasting career and impact on Toronto baseball. The Blue Jays according to Jerry Howarth Howarth is a former baseball announcer and writer based in Toronto.Gibby by John Gibbons and Greg OliverGibby is a book by John Gibbons, left, and Greg Oliver, middle. (ECW Press, Geoffrey Cole, ECW Press)In the book Gibby, John Gibbons shares his story from being raised in a military family to serving as the manager of the Toronto Blue Jays for over 11 years in two separate stints. Gibbons led the Jays to the American League Championship Series in 2015, ending a 22-year playoff drought. The team did it again in 2016. Gibbons reflects on an on-field career that didn’t pan out, but a managing career that did. Gibbons is a retired professional baseball player and the former manager of the Toronto Blue Jays. He lives in San Antonio, Texas. Greg Oliver is the author of over a dozen books. He is the 2020 recipient of the James C. Melby Historian Award for his contributions to pro wrestling history. He lives in Toronto. Change Up by Buck Martinez, with Dan RobsonChange Up is a book by Buck Martinez, middle, with Dan Robson. (HarperCollins Publishers, Nick Iwanyshyn/The Canadian Press, Thomas Skrlj)In Change Up, former Blue Jays catcher turned play-by-play commentator Buck Martinez tells the story of the old days of baseball and the incredible changes the sport has been through. Change Up remembers a time when baseball teammates would live together while on the road, car-pool to practices, and hang out together with each other’s families and emphasizes the importance of team friendship in the sport.Martinez is the play-by-play announcer for the Toronto Blue Jays on Sportsnet and spent 20 years as a catcher for the same team, among others. Dan Robson is a writer for The Athletic and the author of books Quinn and Bower. He lives in Toronto.
15 books about baseball to celebrate the Blue Jays in the World Series
