‘Summer’ hits a homerun

By Katlin Stinespring
Hurricane High School

In Steve Kluger’s “Last Days of Summer,” Charlie Banks, a fictional rookie third baseman for the New York Giants, is a hero. He took on the role of father figure when one young boy needed it the most.

Joey Margolis, a Brooklyn boy, contacts Banks, his favorite baseball player, in a letter depicting a young boy dying of a terminal illness. His intentions are for Banks to call a home run for him, preferably on a national radio broadcast, like The Babe once did.

Banks responds with a standard letter: an autographed picture and the words “Keep on slugging.” Joey is not satisfied.

Desiring a real response from his idol, something tangible and personal, he continues to contact Banks with other scenarios, such as being blind, in an attempt to play the sympathy card.

Banks’ finally writes Joey back, saying that if he “writes one more letter like the last one, he’s going to wish he was dying from an incurable disease.”

What results is a lasting friendship between two people through (mostly) snail mail communications and a mutual love for their number one passion: baseball.

The correspondence includes everything from baseball to women to politics, another passion of Joey’s.

(He frequently writes to the President, First Lady and Press Secretary about his opinions on FDR’s decisions regarding foreign relations and America’s entrance into World War II).

Joey and Banks often argue about their respective opinions of FDR. Joey is an avid supporter, but Banks prefers to use the “Vote FDR” fliers that Joey sends him as toilet paper.

Eventually the two meet in person, and Banks becomes like family. Joey’s mother and aunt welcome him with open arms, and he receives “pointy coconut things” from them in the mail while he is on the road for away games.

Joey is a suave manipulator, convincing Banks to come to dinner, give his family tickets to games, take part in his Bar Mitzvah (even though Banks is a non-church attending Protestant who knows next to nothing about Judaism) and let Joey become the Giants’ batboy.

Banks becomes Joey’s father figure and role model — the one thing that he absolutely did not want to happen when the two first began corresponding. He told Joey up front that he is not a hero. But he gradually steps up to the plate, so to speak, even telling Joey that while he still has to learn to fight his battles on his own, he’ll (meaning Banks) help him out with the biggest ones.

The unique thing about “Last Days of Summer” is the way it’s written. It is composed of letters, postcards, newspaper clippings, box scores and telegrams.

However, it is very arrogant, sarcastic and blunt. It would be offensive to anyone who does not desire to read profane language, which pops up often with Banks’ raucous demeanor.

It includes many implied provokes of religion, such as Banks’ attempts to recall Bible stories, his criticism of both Christianity and Judaism and the intentional misspelling of rabbi (“rabby”), even after being corrected.

The dialect, while often annoying because of the disregard to proper grammar, perfectly illustrates the stereotype of uneducated athletes of this time period. For example, when discussing a man who wrote him in the past, Banks said that the fan was from “Tenese which is that long skinny thing next to West Vagina.”

But this coming of age novel unlike is any other book I’ve ever read. The adventures of Joey and Banks are amusing, entertaining and, eventually, heart-wrenching. It is very inspiring watching their relationship grow, and the ending is bittersweet.