As one of the first female umpires in the minors, Margie puts up with insults and worse from people who think women don’t belong in baseball. Forget making history—Margie just wants to do her job and be part of the game she loves. She’s ready for the rude comments. The lousy pay. The endless traveling. But when she suspects a big-name slugger of cheating, she has to choose: let the dirty player … dirty player get away with it, or blow the whistle and risk her career…and maybe her twin brother’s major-league prospects, too.
Now it’s up to Margie to make the call.
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I’m not sure I’ve ever read a novel in which the main protagonist is a young female umpire. That, right there, puts The Call in a singular category!
And I don’t say that blithely. As an avid reader of fiction, I find that far too many books cover the same well-tread ground in terms of what their protagonists do, what their goals and aspirations are; what drives them and what holds their attention. This book ventured into refreshing territory on all counts and I, for one, was appreciative.
This is the story of 20-year-old Margie Oblonsky, the twin sister of Tim, an up-and-coming baseball pitcher, and the daughter of a well-respected league umpire and his beleaguered baseball “widow,” who endured the push and pull of building family life around big league baseball. The sport is in their blood and despite her age and gender, Margie is determined to break barriers, and whatever ceilings get in her way, to pursue her dream of being a league umpire herself. This is the 80s, long before #MeToo and Twitter and open discussions of where women fit in the big picture in certain “male” professions, and Margie’s journey is a cold-water dip into some decidedly harsh realities.
I’ve read Laurie Boris’s work in the past (a big fan of her book Sliding Past Vertical) and not only enjoy her facility with words and plot, but her skill at setting time, place, and tone. In The Call, she puts her story in an earlier era, the 1980s, but for whatever reason, it actually read a little older than that to me. The old-fashioned sensibilities of some of the characterizations and relationships felt of a time even earlier than the 80s, but perhaps that has more to do with my lack of knowledge of the industry than anything else. But this is, truly, a small criticism to the overall.
And frankly, that “old-fashionedness” offered sharp juxtaposition to the story’s interwoven issues of corruption, workplace harassment, and blatant sexism, none of which Boris soft-pedals. The sharp edges of those offensive behaviors felt all the more grating given the almost sepia-tone of the unfolding narrative and the feistiness of the main character. One could only admire the resilience of a woman so young enduring and persisting in the face of vile, aggressive behavior from men who simply did not want her anywhere near their game.
That, in fact, is one of the most successful elements of the story: the page-turning plot line involving doping, corruption, and potential threats of violence against Margie for simply doing her job right. It had me guessing throughout.
And, beyond a really good story with some richly drawn characters, you’ll probably learn more about baseball reading this book than you’d even expect from Sports Illustrated! Personally, I love being immersed in professions, industries, and locations with which I’ve had little exposure prior, so enjoyed the arcane and clearly well researched foundation for the book.
A great read… a strong recommend.
With her novel, ‘The Call’, Laurie Boris’ hits a Major League Home Run! I haven’t read a baseball novel since school, I think the last one I read was ‘The Kid Who Batted 1000’ (written in the 50’s). What I will tell you—since I don’t believe a review should give anything away— is that from the first page, the author grabbed my shirt in two fists, yanked me close, and did not let me go until the last page. Her way with words turned what could have been a futile attempt into a magnificent read about baseball, umpiring, women Umpires in the game, and what happens behind the scenes.
Whether you are a man or a woman, whether you like sports, or even if you don’t, get this book and read it. You’ll thank me.