Diamond Ruby

A Novel

By: Joseph Wallace

Narrated by: Lorna Raver

17-year-old Ruby Thomas, newly responsible for her two young nieces after a devastating tragedy, is determined to keep her family safe in the vast, swirling world of 1920s New York City. She’s got street smarts, boundless determination, and one unusual skill: the ability to throw a ball as hard as the greatest pitchers in a baseball-mad city.

From Coney Island sideshows to the brand-new Yankee Stadium, Diamond Ruby chronicles the extraordinary life and times of a girl who rises from utter poverty to the kind of renown only the Roaring Twenties can bestow. But her fame comes with a price, and Ruby must escape a deadly web of conspiracy and threats from Prohibition rumrunners, the Ku Klux Klan, and the gangster underworld.

©2010 Joseph Wallace (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Based on the true story of a lady pitcher who struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in exhibition play, this debut novel from nonfiction author Wallace…is a diverting sports tale…Sharply sketched, convincing historical characters like Ruth and Dempsey add to the considerable appeal of Wallace’s gritty but fun period baseball tale.” ( )Publishers Weekly)

“Ruby is a keeper…there are echoes of Betty Smith’s A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, but this story holds its own, allowing Diamond Ruby her place as a literary gem.” ( Library Journal)

“Diamond Ruby is a very special book. The comparisons to A Tree Grows in Brooklyn are not made lightly: Joseph Wallace deserves that accolade and many more. Ruby is a wonderful, memorable character and Wallace’s prose is a perfect match for her.” (Laura Lippman, New York Times bestselling author of Life Sentences)

Baseball and a thriller, YES

I love baseball, history and thrillers... This story hits a homerun using all three.
Full disclosure: I never knew of this book, I recently had a chance meeting with the author in a park and when I got home I looked up his work and chose this story based on our chat about baseball.

What a great story that brings us to a favorite baseball era with a twist.

It's already been recommended to friends.

Couldn't get into it

I did make it through and it was a pretty decent story. It had it moments and I am giving it four stars due to excellent narration and good writing. I simply found it a little dull at points.