Review of The M&M Boys
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Amy Fellows
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Review of The M&M Boys
[Following is a volunteer review of "The M&M Boys" by Lara Reznik.]
The M&M Boys by Lara Reznik is a fictional tale of an eleven-year-old boy in the 1960s whose life unexpectantly intertwines with the New York Yankees Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle. A tale filled with painful family hardships and real-life facts of the home run race, will give you all the feels. Marshall is a boy who loves baseball but at home, battles abuse and neglect. A handful of New York Yankees show up next door to live and it changes his world. A touching friendship develops teaching us some life lessons on what is really important. All of this happens while Maris and Mantle battle it out to see who will win the race to beat Babe Ruth’s home run record. It is a glimpse behind the scenes of what the world saw in the media, into the real lives of the men.
I enjoyed how much baseball history I learned. The author does preface the book with how she did have to change some facts for the story, but other things she did not. I feel as though I understand Roger and Mickey’s story now, as a good story will do. I had no prior knowledge of this time period of baseball. I do not even enjoy watching it. But I think anyone can be pulled into the world of baseball with this book. I also enjoyed Marshall’s journey of forgiveness. It will have you rooting for all of them to win the race and battle their demons. The book was an easy read. The villains were easy to hate and the stark contrast of the good guys easy to identify. Not all the villains got their just punishment, but the lesson of forgiveness is a hard one.
I did not necessarily enjoy all the degrading thoughts and actions towards women. I understand that it was necessary to paint the picture of some of the men in the story. It made me a bit sad that I could never hand this book to a teenager because I think it could spark great interest in the time period and what was going on with baseball and the world. It really does pull you in to their story and get you excited.
Overall, I enjoyed the story. I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I gave it three stars because there were a few errors, one of which led me to being confused on the story line. I had to backtrack a few chapters to clarify what was going on. I also found the degrading treatment of women and profanity to be a bit much. There were a few situations in the book that could be quite hurtful to those who have been mentally or physically abused, or cheated on. I am not sure I would recommend it to all my friends for these reasons.
I would recommend this to an adult who is interested in baseball and to those not interested in baseball. It would also be good for someone wanting an easy read that enjoys historical fiction. It had me looking up things I wanted to know more about.
******
The M&M Boys
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The M&M Boys by Lara Reznik is a fictional tale of an eleven-year-old boy in the 1960s whose life unexpectantly intertwines with the New York Yankees Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle. A tale filled with painful family hardships and real-life facts of the home run race, will give you all the feels. Marshall is a boy who loves baseball but at home, battles abuse and neglect. A handful of New York Yankees show up next door to live and it changes his world. A touching friendship develops teaching us some life lessons on what is really important. All of this happens while Maris and Mantle battle it out to see who will win the race to beat Babe Ruth’s home run record. It is a glimpse behind the scenes of what the world saw in the media, into the real lives of the men.
I enjoyed how much baseball history I learned. The author does preface the book with how she did have to change some facts for the story, but other things she did not. I feel as though I understand Roger and Mickey’s story now, as a good story will do. I had no prior knowledge of this time period of baseball. I do not even enjoy watching it. But I think anyone can be pulled into the world of baseball with this book. I also enjoyed Marshall’s journey of forgiveness. It will have you rooting for all of them to win the race and battle their demons. The book was an easy read. The villains were easy to hate and the stark contrast of the good guys easy to identify. Not all the villains got their just punishment, but the lesson of forgiveness is a hard one.
I did not necessarily enjoy all the degrading thoughts and actions towards women. I understand that it was necessary to paint the picture of some of the men in the story. It made me a bit sad that I could never hand this book to a teenager because I think it could spark great interest in the time period and what was going on with baseball and the world. It really does pull you in to their story and get you excited.
Overall, I enjoyed the story. I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I gave it three stars because there were a few errors, one of which led me to being confused on the story line. I had to backtrack a few chapters to clarify what was going on. I also found the degrading treatment of women and profanity to be a bit much. There were a few situations in the book that could be quite hurtful to those who have been mentally or physically abused, or cheated on. I am not sure I would recommend it to all my friends for these reasons.
I would recommend this to an adult who is interested in baseball and to those not interested in baseball. It would also be good for someone wanting an easy read that enjoys historical fiction. It had me looking up things I wanted to know more about.
******
The M&M Boys
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The Legacy of Job's Wife by Cynthia Koelker
