While at war with Japan in 1942, the US government rounded up people of Japanese descent and placed them in internment camps in the desert. “Shorty” and his family live in one such camp where his father helps to build a baseball field so everyone can channel their energy. Against this heartbreaking backdrop, Shorty becomes a better and more confident player and carries those skills out of the camp when the war is over. Mochizuki personalizes a sad episode in American history and creates an uplifting story of one boy’s triumph. Lee’s beautifully detailed art highlights the bleakness of the camp and the thrills of the game.
