Compiled by Staff
If you need a last-minute Father’s Day gift idea for a Cardinals’ fan, five recent books could offer just what you are looking for – a combination of fiction, history, trivia and more.
Here is a summary of these new books:
Redbirds, from Vietnam to the Ballpark, a novel by Gary Harlan
When Jordan Langston married Darlene, he did not tell her about his military service, that he was a Marine Vietnam veteran with three Purple Hearts. He chose to bury those painful memories. Inevitably, they resurface, and when they do, Jordan becomes increasingly isolated. When he discovers Darlene is having an affair with her co-worker, Jordan is forced to confront the person he has become—someone with an open mind but a closed heart. He resigns from his position as a philosophy professor at a California university, gives up on his marriage, and seriously contemplates giving up on living. He moves back to the family farm in Arkansas with his two German Shepherds.
Redbirds is the story of how a broken war veteran comes to realize the healing power of relationships. He reunites with his best friend, Lincoln Jacobs, a pioneer in the nationwide distribution of homegrown marijuana. He also reunites with Nicole, his former girlfriend who is now a widow raising a twelve-year-old boy in need of a stepfather.
His widowed grandmother, Lucinda Langston, is the person most responsible for helping Jordan find happiness. She and her husband Orville raised Jordan after his parents were killed in a car crash. Orville was fond of telling people, “Cindi brought me to Jesus, and I brought her to the St. Louis Cardinals.”
It was during the Prohibition era when 18-year-old Lucinda met Orville Langston, a door-to-door Bible salesman who had neither knowledge of, nor interest in, the contents of the Bible. That was just a front for his bootlegging operation. To win Lucinda’s hand in marriage, Orville reinvented himself. He became a cattle farmer.
The day after they were married, Orville introduced Lucinda to his World War One buddy, the Hall of Fame pitcher, Grover Cleveland Alexander. Lucinda became friends with the entire 1926 Cardinal ballclub and their general manager, Branch Rickey. Thus began a lifelong passion for the Cardinals.
Thanks to Lucinda’s influence, Jordan finds meaning in the ordinary pleasures of life, such as listening to Jack Buck’s radio broadcasts of Cardinal games. For information on buying the book: CLICK HERE.
Bill Virdon, A Life in Baseball by David Jerome
One of the most underrated players in baseball history, Bill Virdon went on to successfully manage four Major League teams. Rookie of the Year with the 1955 Cardinals, he played center field for 10 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, next to right fielder Roberto Clemente.
Virdon’s key plays clinched the Pirates’ victory over the New York Yankees in the 1960 World Series. He was instrumental in coaching the “Bucs” during the 1971 Series against the Baltimore Orioles, and later that year became their manager, Virdon was American League Manager of the Year with the Yankees in 1974, and National League Manager of the Year with the Houston Astros in 1980.
In 1984 he ended his MLB managerial career while with the Montreal Expos yet continued to coach through the 2002 season. This first-ever biography covers his remarkable career, with previously untold stories from Virdon and his wife, Shirley.
To buy the book CLICK HERE.
St. Louis Cardinals, Everything You Need to Know, by Ed Wheatley
This book offers a unique approach to telling the story of Cardinals baseball for fans young and old.
Hundreds of vivid photos and accompanying vignettes allow readers to experience the players, teams, and special moments of one of baseball’s greatest franchises. Within these pages, readers will find the love and joy that fans call “Cardinal baseball.” Relive the 19 pennants, the 11 World Series Championships, and all the special moments in-between.
Which Redbird players were the best at each position and which ones made it to the Hall of Fame? Can you name their lone Triple Crown winner or the team’s MVPs? What are the “Perfectos” and who’s in the “Gashouse Gang?” It’s a story over 140 years in the making that will simply make Redbird fans of all ages “Go Crazy” for Cardinal baseball.
St. Louis author and baseball historian Ed Wheatley covers this storied franchise with an illustrated collection of highlights from the 1800s to today. Look back at your favorite Cardinals mom0ents or discover things you never knew in this book.
**Buy the book directly from the publisher for a discount: Reedy Press is offering a Father’s Day Sale all week thru 6/18 for 25% off. Use code FATHERS25 at ReedyPress.com for the discount.
To buy the book on Amazon CLICK HERE.
Stan Musial, From Donora, Pa., to St. Louis, Mo., and the big leagues, by Stephanie Bearce
Stan the Man was one of the greatest baseball players to set foot on the field and he wore a Cardinals uniform his entire career. With a lifetime batting average of .331 and 475 career home runs, Stan was loved by Cardinals fans and respected by opposing teams. Growing up in the coal fields of Donora, Pennsylvania, Stan was determined to overcome poverty and make it to the big leagues.
When a debilitating injury stopped his pitching career, Stan didn’t give up. He became one of the greatest and most consistent hitters in the history of the game and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. His practice, perseverance, and positive attitude have made his story one of American triumph.
This book introduces a whole new generation to the gentleman athlete who was known for his kindness and honesty. Young readers will be inspired to be like Stan and work hard to achieve their dreams.
**Buy the book directly from the publisher for a discount: Reedy Press is offering a Father’s Day Sale all week thru 6/18 for 25% off. Use code FATHERS25 at ReedyPress.com for the discount.
For information on buying the book on Amazon CLICK HERE.
The Gateway Arch: An Illustrated Timeline, by John Guenther
Another book of local interest from Reedy Press, this is the story of an icon of Structural Expressionism, the Gateway Arch expresses both a timeless monumentality and a contemporary dynamism. The story of how this monument came to be is remarkable.
Guenther, an architect and historian, seeks to “connect the dots” of history and take readers through the key events which led to the building of the Gateway Arch, assisted by historic images. Enjoy a chronological look at the historic foundations of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, starting from the very beginning: when the Louisiana territory was controlled by France.
St. Louis’s central location has been key to US history, serving as the “Gateway to the West”; it was here that Lewis and Clark began their Corps of Discovery Expedition (1804–1806). Located on the west bank of the Mississippi River, St. Louis was a major port in the Golden Age of Steamboating and the origin of the Missouri-Pacific Railroad in 1849 to forge connection between St. Louis and the west coast. Learn how Eero Saarinen’s Gateway Arch is a powerful and symbolic expression of this westward exploration.
The Gateway Arch Timeline explores the planning, growth, and evolution of
St. Louis and its riverfront. It reveals the vision, determination, persistence, collaboration, creativity, and innovation on the part of many, as the design and realization of the Gateway Arch continues to evolve over time.
**Buy the book directly from the publisher for a discount: Reedy Press is offering a Father’s Day Sale all week thru 6/18 for 25% off. Use code FATHERS25 at ReedyPress.com for the discount.
To buy the book on Amazon: CLICK HERE.
