BOX SOCIALS (1992) W.P. Kinsella - and similar items

6.5" x 9.5", 228 page hardcover with dustjacket titled BOX SOCIALS by W.P. Kinsella/ Ballantine Books, ISBN # 0-345-37749-4, First American Edition, May 1992/ It's supposed to be the story of Truckbox Al McClintock and the year he almost got a try-out with the St. Louis Cardinals but it's really about the Norwegian and Ukrainian families who live in the Six Towns area (there are really seven but not all are towns) near Edmonton, Alberta. Truckbox Al and baseball feature prominently (it is, after all, a Kinsella book) but this is the story of Jamie O'Day, his first life memory and his family and friends. There are touching vignettes and memorable characters along the way as Truckbox slugs five home runs across or into a river in a single game, earning his chance to bat against Bullet Bob Feller in an all-star game. But it's also a time of loss and hard times as the Depression is ending and World War Two is breaking out. And it's a time of simpler customs, like the adult and children's box socials that give the book its name. But there are also some real feelings hidden among the stories and Kinsella's clever sing-song repetitive prose. You'll feel a bit for Truckbox Al but you will be moved by Jamie O'Day. The book is complete and in VERY GOOD condition with some overall wear mainly to the dustjacket.