From Kaia Alderson, author of Sisters in Arms, comes a richly imagined novel about Effa Manley—the only woman ever inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Set in 1930s New York, the story follows a determined Harlem activist whose life takes an unexpected turn when she becomes the business manager of a Negro Leagues baseball team. As she navigates the challenges of the male-dominated sports world, Effa’s passion, resilience, and sharp instincts place her at the crossroads of civil rights and America’s favorite pastime. Both a celebration of an unsung trailblazer and a vivid portrait of a transformative era, this novel shines a light on a woman whose extraordinary story deserves to be remembered.
What Inspired the Novel
Alderson traces the spark for her novel back to an unexpected discovery. “I was doing preliminary research and up popped an article about the four women who owned a Negro League team,” she explained. “I was like, that’s interesting, and her story was fascinating to me.”
She added, “Black women or women in general could only do certain things in the ‘30s and ‘40s, and here you have this woman who basically defied everything about that. I just found that very empowering.”
Read more in her interview with Charles Hallman for the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.
Reviews
"A great read about the independence women have been striving for, a small lesson in Negro League baseball history, and a story about friendship and other relationships, perfect for fans of historical fiction featuring real-life heroines." — Booklist
"The book is well-researched, bringing to light a lot of interesting detail on Harlem’s activist community and the workings of the Negro League. A story that very much deserved to be told and will be enjoyed by fans of strong and determined female protagonists and those interested in baseball’s Negro League. This is author Kaia Alderson’s second historical novel focused on little known stories of real-life women who lived extraordinary lives." -- A review by Brodie Curtis, published in the Historical Novel Society November 2024
Preview the opening pages of the novel.