The All-American

By: Susie Finkbeiner

Narrated by: Sandy Rustin, Andrea Emmes

Two sisters discover how much good there is in the world—even in the hardest of circumstances

It is 1952, and nearly all the girls 16-year-old Bertha Harding knows dream of getting married, keeping house, and raising children in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan. Bertha dreams of baseball. She reads every story in the sports section, she plays ball with the neighborhood boys—she even writes letters to the pitcher for the Workington Sweet Peas, part of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.

When Bertha's father is accused of being part of the Communist Party by the House Un-American Activities Committee, life comes crashing down on them. Disgraced and shunned, the Hardings move to a small town to start over where the only one who knows them is shy Uncle Matthew. But dreams are hard to kill, and when Bertha gets a chance to try out for the Workington Sweet Peas, she packs her bags for an adventure she'll never forget.

Join award-winning author Susie Finkbeiner for a summer of chasing down your dreams and discovering the place you truly belong.

©2023 Susie Finkbeiner (P)2023 Recorded Books

Love, LOVE this book!

Excellent read and excellent narration. What a delightful pairing! Susie has done it once again!

Fantastic 1950’s fiction!

Loved this story told from the POV of two sisters whose world is thrown upside down when their famous writer father is accused of being a Communist. It’s a delightful, heartfelt coming of age story that combines the love of baseball with the fear mongering of the Red Scare.

The writing really pulled me in and the narrators were fabulous. I loved having separate narrators for Bertha & Flo.

Definitely a must listen for historical fiction fans!

The Things I Love

My very favorite things consist of Michigan, the Detroit Tigers, the AAGPBL, family, and an excellent story. Susie Finkbeiner weaves all of these things together as she tells the beautiful story of the Harding family. I smiled, I chuckled, I teared up, and I cried. The narrators capture your heart as you experience their ups and downs as if you’re right there with them. I did not want this book to end. Highly recommend.

Heartwarming and timeless

I liked the story. I will look for more by this author, Susie Finkbeiner. Realistic and inspired.

Enjoyed it

The narrator did an excellent job with the different characters’ voices and her reading speed was great. I enjoyed the story very much, although the end caught me a little off guard. This was my first book by this author and I look forward to reading another.

hope

It brought back great memories of a bygone era. An eye opening peek into women ball.

fun

Most books have some kind of sadness or tragedy or violence. This one was so much fun , a little bit of sadness.... but it's just too little to worry about..

Americana light

interesting story line balancing the UnAmerican McCarthy trials alongside the all- American rise of the women's baseball league. Within one family of character mostly,with the voices of a precocious younger sister and a baseball playing teen carrying most of the narration.
Pleasant but a bit like a screenplay lacking real depth of history, politics or sharper definition of central characters.
Hints of what could be told are German neighbors unsympathetic to blacklisted or suspected communists, cycles of life and loss post Ww2, gender roles, appearance vs self worth. all rich material never fully developed.
And a miss on capturing the excitement of the women's leagues. maybe too many stories trying to be told.