A new edition of the classic tale of a barnstorming Jewish baseball
team during the great depression
Before penning his acclaimed graphic novel Market Day and founding the
Center for Cartoon Studies, James Sturm proved his worth as a master
cartoonist with the eloquent graphic novel, The Golem's Mighty Swing,
one of the first breakout graphic novel hits of the twenty-first
century. Sturm's fascination with the invisible America has been the
crux of his comics work, exploring the rarely-told or oft-forgotten bits
of history that define a country.
By reuniting America's greatest pastime with its hidden history, the
graphic novel tells the story of the Stars of David, a barnstorming
Jewish baseball team of the depression era. Led by its manager and third
baseman, the nomadic team travels from small town to small town
providing the thrill of the sport while playing up their religious
exoticism as a curio for people to gawk at, heckle, and taunt.
When the team's fortunes fall, the players are presented a plan to get
people in the stands. But by placing their fortunes in the hands of a
promoter, the Stars of David find themselves fanning the flames of
ethnic tensions. Sturm's nuanced composition is on full display as he
deftly builds the climax of the game against the rising anti-semitic
fervor of the crowd. Baseball, small towns, racial tensions, and the
desperate grasp for the American Dream: The Golem's Mighty Swing is a
classic American novel.
