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Shop nowDiamond Ruby
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Learn moreSeventeen-year-old Ruby Thomas, newly responsible for her two young nieces after a devastating tragedy, is determined to keep her family safe in the vast, swirling world of 1920s New York City. She’s got street smarts, boundless determination, and one unusual skill: the ability to throw a ball as hard as the greatest pitchers in a baseball-mad city.
From Coney Island sideshows to the brand-new Yankee Stadium, Diamond Ruby chronicles the extraordinary life and times of a girl who rises from utter poverty to the kind of renown only the Roaring Twenties can bestow. But her fame comes with a price, and Ruby must escape a deadly web of conspiracy and threats from Prohibition rumrunners, the Ku Klux Klan, and the gangster underworld.
Based on a true story and peopled with such heroes of the time as Babe Ruth and Jack Dempsey, Diamond Ruby is "the exciting tale of a forgotten piece of baseball’s heritage, a girl who could throw with the best of them. A real page-turner." (Kevin Baker, author of Strivers Row).
Joseph Wallace is the author of The Autobiography of Baseball, The Baseball Anthology, and World Series: An Opinionated Chronicle, as well as A Gathering of Wonders: Behind the Scenes at the American Museum of Natural History. He lives with his family in New York City.
Lorna Raver, named one of AudioFile magazine’s Best Voices of the Year, has received numerous Audie nominations and AudioFile Earphones Awards. An experienced stage actress, she has also guest-starred on many top television series and starred in director Sam Raimi’s film Drag Me to Hell. Among her many Blackstone titles are The Age of Innocence, Up from Orchard Street, The Lodger, Selected Readings from the Portable Dorothy Parker, and Diamond Ruby.
Reviews
“Lively and entertaining…includes all sorts of colorful characters and fascinating social history…the story of an unassuming, courageous young woman who uses the national pastime to become a pioneering heroine in a man’s world.”
“Based on the true story of a lady pitcher who struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in exhibition play, this debut novel from nonfiction author Wallace…is a diverting sports tale…Sharply sketched, convincing historical characters like Ruth and Dempsey add to the considerable appeal of Wallace’s gritty but fun period baseball tale.”
“Ruby is a keeper…there are echoes of Betty Smith’s A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, but this story holds its own, allowing Diamond Ruby her place as a literary gem.”
“Diamond Ruby is a very special book. The comparisons to A Tree Grows in Brooklyn are not made lightly: Joseph Wallace deserves that accolade and many more. Ruby is a wonderful, memorable character and Wallace’s prose is a perfect match for her.”
“Diamond Ruby is a gem! Moving, fascinating, and ultimately exhilarating. I loved it!”
“Lorna Raver brings to life Wallace’s depiction of the 1920s, filled with details of baseball, bootleg liquor, corruption, and flashy entertainment. Amid all the scandal and glamour, Ruby stands out as the true star of the show. Raver’s full voice matches Ruby’s deep and determined speech as well as the intonations of the shadier characters Ruby must outwit…Raver’s well-paced narration will have listeners cheering for Ruby to succeed. No love of baseball is required to enjoy this story of the great Diamond Ruby.”
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