Take a photo of a barcode or cover
8 reviews for:
Playing with the Enemy: A Baseball Prodigy, World War II, and the Long Journey Home
Gary W. Moore, Jim Morris
3.63 AVERAGE
8 reviews for:
Playing with the Enemy: A Baseball Prodigy, World War II, and the Long Journey Home
Gary W. Moore, Jim Morris
3.63 AVERAGE
Started out slowly, but the more I read, the more I needed to know what happened. I can understand why some people might actually want to drive through the little town in Illinois where it all began - when you finish the book, you feel connected to this man and the people whose lives he touched.
Playing With the Enemy is a true story about Gary Moore's father, Warren Eugene "Gene" Moore. Gene was a boy from small-town Illinois who had an amazing talent for baseball. He was an incredible catcher, could hit the ball out of the park, and he was a born leader. As one of the youngest on his baseball team at The Lumberyard, he encouraged and motivated his older teammates to work together.
Gene didn't go unnoticed. The Brooklyn Dodgers stood up and took notice before Gene was old enough to play in their professional league. They signed him and put him in a farm team where he could hone his skills until he was old enough to be moved up. However, World War II came along and threw a wrench in THOSE plans.
This book is the story of Gene's experiences in baseball, in war, and beyond. He kept these experiences a secret from his children until the day before his unexpected death. Gary retells the story of his father's life as his father told it to him. Probably his very last gift to Gary.
Jim Morris writes the Forward to this book and he says, "Playing With the Enemy is a book about many things on many levels, but to me, it is a heartwarming story about what we do with second changes." While I agree with this, for me the book was also about the power of a love. In this case it was a love for baseball. This love has the power to bond, the power to overcome, and the power to scar.
Playing With the Enemy is about a LOVE of baseball. And I'm not talking about what you see in the Major Leagues. Unfortunately I think the love is lost there - players/coaches/owners/managers are too in love with themselves and with money to remember the love they had for the game. This is about a true, unadulterated love of the institution of baseball. As Gene says,
"...and that's what I love about baseball. When you step onto that field, the size of the man is determined by his heart, not his height."
When that love is present, the members of the team DO come together and form a family bond. As with any family, there's often a member that functions like the glue...keeping all the pieces together when times turn rough. Gene was that glue for his teams. I admired that quality above all else in him. Every team needs a Gene Moore. What's more, Sesser, Illinois, needed Gene Moore as well. Gene was growing up at the tail end of the Depression. Sesser was a very poor town and they had very little, but Gene was able to motivated and inspire them as well as his teammates.
Playing with the Enemy is a non-fiction work written like a fiction work. I often found myself thinking, "Wow! I don't think a professional fiction writer could have come up with the likes of this man's story." Isn't it amazing how sometimes life can create irony and suspense better than our own imaginations?
Gene Moore touched the lives of many. And his inspiration continues to be passed along to others through this book. He has inspired me!
Gene didn't go unnoticed. The Brooklyn Dodgers stood up and took notice before Gene was old enough to play in their professional league. They signed him and put him in a farm team where he could hone his skills until he was old enough to be moved up. However, World War II came along and threw a wrench in THOSE plans.
This book is the story of Gene's experiences in baseball, in war, and beyond. He kept these experiences a secret from his children until the day before his unexpected death. Gary retells the story of his father's life as his father told it to him. Probably his very last gift to Gary.
Jim Morris writes the Forward to this book and he says, "Playing With the Enemy is a book about many things on many levels, but to me, it is a heartwarming story about what we do with second changes." While I agree with this, for me the book was also about the power of a love. In this case it was a love for baseball. This love has the power to bond, the power to overcome, and the power to scar.
Playing With the Enemy is about a LOVE of baseball. And I'm not talking about what you see in the Major Leagues. Unfortunately I think the love is lost there - players/coaches/owners/managers are too in love with themselves and with money to remember the love they had for the game. This is about a true, unadulterated love of the institution of baseball. As Gene says,
"...and that's what I love about baseball. When you step onto that field, the size of the man is determined by his heart, not his height."
When that love is present, the members of the team DO come together and form a family bond. As with any family, there's often a member that functions like the glue...keeping all the pieces together when times turn rough. Gene was that glue for his teams. I admired that quality above all else in him. Every team needs a Gene Moore. What's more, Sesser, Illinois, needed Gene Moore as well. Gene was growing up at the tail end of the Depression. Sesser was a very poor town and they had very little, but Gene was able to motivated and inspire them as well as his teammates.
Playing with the Enemy is a non-fiction work written like a fiction work. I often found myself thinking, "Wow! I don't think a professional fiction writer could have come up with the likes of this man's story." Isn't it amazing how sometimes life can create irony and suspense better than our own imaginations?
Gene Moore touched the lives of many. And his inspiration continues to be passed along to others through this book. He has inspired me!
Moore draws the reader in and hooks him. This is a great book. Touching. Light-hearted. Moore tells his father's story of baseball, WW II, dreams left behind, and legacy.
A good book about a little baseball player whose missed opportunities influence the man and father he becomes. Written by his son, we learn about Gene Moore. As a 16 year old from a small town in Sesser, Illinois, he was drafted by the Dodgers when World War 2 broke out. He played for the US Navy baseball team and eventually guarded some top secret German POW's. Teaching them to play baseball, Gene suffers a career ending injury at just 18 years old. Playing with the Enemy is a full look at the life of Gene Moore. A little sappy but a good book.
I really enjoyed this book a lot. It's not 100% baseball, but there is enough to keep a hardcore fan satisfied. More importantly, though, it's a great story about chasing a dream under very unusual circumstances. I read a rumor that they might make a movie of this book, and I can totally see it - sort of a cross between The Rookie and The Natural.
While at times I found myself distracted by the quality of the writing, I found myself caught up in the story of Gene Moore and his experiences during World War II. I am a teacher, and although I currently teach Language Arts, I have in the past taught US History. This is a story I did not know! I am glad I heard about this book at the Illinois Reading Council Conference and picked it up.
4.5 stars. Loved this story! But then, I usually love baseball stories. And like all baseball stories, it isn't really about baseball. The writing is a bit awkward in spots, but that's not unusual in that it is a true story and those don't usually move as smoothly as true fiction. Can't wait to see the movie!