Becoming Joe DiMaggio

With ineffable tenderness and absolute clarity, Testa tells a tale in blank verse… . Powerfully moving as it braids together baseball, family, and the Italian-American experience. - Booklist (starred review)

It’s 1936, and the Yankees have just hired a star center fielder whose name sounds like music. What could be a better time for Papa-Angelo’s grandson to be born? Christened after the legendary ballplayer, young Joseph Paul learns much at his Italian grandfather’s knee - about holding your breath in front of the radio during a 3-2 count with the bases loaded and having the audacity to dream big dreams. Each poem is a perfect, gripping chapter, says Kirkus Reviews in a starred review of this novel in verse, which honors the timeless bond between a grandson and his immigrant grandfather - and the process of finding one’s own place in a brave new world.