Eric Rolfe Greenberg

A fantastic combination of historical fact with interesting fiction. Greenberg weaves the truth from the early years of MLB with a great story of a Jewish family of jewelers. The two main characters, brothers Eli and Jackie Kapanski, are present for most of the greatest baseball moments from the first to decades of the Major Leagues. The author's knowledge and love of baseball shines through in his writing. Baseball fan or not, this story of immigrants trying to make it in early 20th century America can be enjoyed by anyone. An absolutely terrific book.… (more)

On the cover of my copy of The Celebrant, W.P. Kinsella proclaims, in quotation, that the book is the greatest baseball novel of all time. Although I am not well versed enough in baseball literature to make such a sweeping claim, I can assure prospective readers that Mr. Kinsella's evaluation isn't just bluster.

The Celebrant follows a young Jewish immigrant and his extended family through their dealings with Christy Mathewson and the New York Giants (the family runs a jewelry business that has produced World Series rings for the Giants) during the first two decades of the 20th century. The work is historical fiction in the mold of Ragtime; while the family at the center of the story is fictional almost all of the other characters are historical figures (mostly ballplayers).

Greenburg goes into great detail outlining many historic ball games, such as the Fred Merkele disaster of 1908 and parts of the infamous 1919 Sox-Reds World Series. The baseball writing is clear, fun, and historically adept, but, in the end, I think that baseball is just the background for Greenberg's ruminations on several of our national growing pains qua family and personal drama.

That is to say, even the reader that is not a baseball fanatic can perhaps still find much to enjoy in this novel.… (more)