Sandlot Paperback – May 5, 2012

I downloaded SANDLOT as an eBook after coming across this brief product description: "Some dude returns to North Carolina after 12 years in China and starts a football team."That product blurb might not grab every reader's immediate attention, but it was intriguing to me because having lived overseas and experienced the expatriate lifestyle for more than a decade I was curious how the author would capture in words the immense feeling of displacement you go through when trying to reintegrate into a society you "used" to belong in. Well, I have to say, the author did an exceptional job of it.In SANDLOT, the protagonist, Kirk - son of "Big Jim Kirkpatrick" - returns home after the death of his father. "Home" is in North Carolina - but he's been teaching abroad in China for the last 12 years. Kirk has to take care of his father's affairs, he's got to get a car and a driver's license and see if he even remembers how to drive, and maybe get a job ... but along the way there's one constant that's always been present in his life: football. And when the opportunity to play some sandlot ball presents itself to Kirk, this feeling of normalcy is too good to pass up.If you've ever lived or traveled extensively overseas then I recommend you take a look at this book. There's some seriously funny writing about the adjustments you make when going from one culture to another - and with the writing it's obvious that the author has lived this lifestyle, because I don't know that you could capture it so well otherwise.The author writes about Asian students using English names for their foreign teachers and it really cracked me up - when I taught English at an all-girls school in Korea the most popular name used was Madonna. The author also has a really good sense of humor that translates nicely to the printed page - example, "move to China for twelve years and you'll find out what foods you love most from your home country."From suffering "Wal-Mart culture shock" to commenting on the always hilarious English language shirts found in black market shops in Asia to some pretty insightful observations and commentary on life - "Death can improve your vocabulary. Just like war teaches Americans geography." - SANDLOT is a story about life, told through the lens of small towns, family, and football.Along with everything mentioned above there is also a really good football story set in North Carolina - and while not every reader is going to relate to it, I really loved it and I'd recommend it to anyone who has ever been a teacher, coach or who has experienced foreign cultures.

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