High Heat

 This book is a very interesting novel. It’s about a kid, Shane, who plays baseball at a private college in a suburb of Seattle. The school he goes to, Shorelake, is notoriously know for their great baseball program. Shane is the closer for the team and the team depends on him every game to not fold under pressure. However, in a game against Cedercrest, he faces a bit more pressure than any 16-year-old kid could ever expect. Shane’s dad, a local owner of a car dealership, is suspect by the local police as being part of a money-laundering scam. So during the game against Cedercrest, the police arrive right before Shane is about to go in and pitch to close the game out, and arrest his dad for his part in the scam. Then after about a week of the investigation, after Shane had throw the best game of his life, when he returns home he finds out that his dad had committed suicide. After his father’s death, Shane and his family have to move for financial reason. They move into City housing and from a rich neighborhood into a rundown bad part of town. After a week of living there he meets two kids, Lonnie and Justin. These were not the people your parents would want you hanging out with, however Shane’s mom and no idea. Lonnie and Justin had a negative impact on Shane, influencing him to steal beer from a rundown convenience store. After getting caught by the cops, Shane was forced to help out a man at the Boy’s and Girls Club. After all of his community service, Shane also had probation for a year, and his officer made him pick between going to a psychologist or playing baseball at Whitman. Shane chose baseball, although this meant he went from being on a great team, to one that can barely win a game. Although his team wasn’t as good as Shorelake, Shane and Whitman were winning games, then their coach decided to play Shorelake for exhibition.

I personally like this book, maybe even my favorite all time. It’s a good read for all baseball fans of any age. It incorporates all parts of a baseball: the game, off the diamond, and the difficulties that come as a high school student. Its also motivating, to see a kid that battles back from the lowest of lows and then comes back and is able to make his father proud by playing well after his father’s death. It’s also a good story that includes the constant pressure that students are faced with during high school of beer and drugs. Shane can’t with hold the pressure and decides to start drinking and smoking with Lonnie and Justin, and it shows the consequences of what happens when you get caught.