Synopsis
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 eve...
Booklist
"A memorable chronicle of boys' inhumanity to boys, and a testament to enduring values in a time of social change."