Under ordinary circumstances, the odds of being struck by lightning are greater than the odds of becoming a Major League Baseball player, but Felipe Alou's circumstances in 1955 were anything but 'ordinary'... He was a black athlete living in the Dominican Republic, and he spoke no English- not exactly a recipe for success in the U.S., especially during the height of the civil rights movement. This is Felipe's amazing (true) story of perseverance and determination to beat overwhelming odds and insurmountable obstacles to become one of baseball's greatest players and managers.
Note to the teachers
This novel was written in the passé simple. The writing team felt that this tense was the one that captured most authentically the genre of the story. The passé simple generally replaces the passé composé in formal writing and formal speech. It describes an action that has ended in a specific time, whereas the passé composé describes an action that may still be in contact with the present.
Total word count: 7700
Unique word count: 290
Listen to the audio book while you read to enjoy the story even more!
| Author: | Carol Gaab |
| Year of publication: | 2016 |
| Number of pages: | 60 (plus glossary) |
| ISBN: | 978-1-940408-40-8 |
| Illustrated: | Yes |
