{"product_id":"box-socials-paperback","title":"Box Socials - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eW. P. Kinsella\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"A whimsical portrait of 1940s-era small-town life, crowded with everything from owl-calling contests to raucous, five-day Ukrainian weddings. It's a delightful comic ramble, written in quirky, digressive style. . . . Richly textured.\"--\u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHere's the story of how Truckbox Al McClintock, a small-town greaser whose claim to fame was hitting a baseball clean across the Pembina River, almost got a tryout with the genuine St. Louis Cardinals--but instead ended up batting against Bob Feller of Cleveland Indian Fame in Renfrew Park, Edmonton, Alberta. Along the way to Al's moment of truth at the plate, we learn about the bizarre, touchingly hilarious lives and loves of just about anyone who ever passed through New Oslo, Fark, or Venusberg. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFull of the crackle of down-home folk tales, by turn randy, riveting, and heart-breaking, \u003ci\u003eBox Socials \u003c\/i\u003eis the triumph of Kinsella's career. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eBox Socials\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Wonderful . . . Charming and funny . . . If you've never been to a box social, go to this one.\"\u003cb\u003e--Fannie Flagg, \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A sweeping comic work . . . Welcome to the seductively poetic fictional world of W.P. Kinsella.\"\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003ePeople\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A story filled with nostalgia about a time when the game was played on real grass and was called on account of darkness. . . . A down-home style that resembles the humorous voice of Garrison Keillor.\"\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ch3\u003eFront Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eHere's the story of how Truckbox Al McClintock, a small-town greaser whose claim to fame was hitting a baseball clean across the Pembina River, almost got a tryout with the genuine St. Louis Cardinals -- but instead ended up batting against Bob Feller of Cleveland Indian Fame in Renfrew Park, Edmonton, Alberta.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith the award-winning, bestselling, universally acclaimed Shoeless Joe (the basis for the movie \"Field of Dreams\"), W.P. Kinsella established himself as a storyteller of unsurpassed wit and an unforgettably whimsical voice. But Kinsella's new novel, Box Socials, is easily the best book of his career. Set in the small towns, ball fields, barns and bedrooms of Alberta, Canada, and populated by some of the quirkiest, rowdiest, hottest-blooded folks in fiction, Box Socials paints a brilliantly comic, full-color portrait of North American life in the 1940s. Here's the story of how Truckbox Al McClintock, a small-town greaser whose claim to fame was hitting a baseball clean across the Pembina River, almost got a tryout with the genuine St. Louis Cardinals - but instead ended up batting against Bob Feller of Cleveland Indian fame in Renfrew Park, Edmonton, Alberta. Along the way to Al's moment of truth at the plate, we learn about the bizarre, touchingly hilarious lives and loves of just about anyone who ever passed through New Oslo, Fark, or Venusberg. Narrator Jamie O'Day, the young wide-eyed offspring of downwardly mobile hillbillies, plunks us down in the middle of the wild six-day Ukrainian wedding of Lavonia Lakustra and her Little American Soldier. He introduces us to the luscious Velvet Bozniak, who knows more about sex than any girl has a right to and who is determined to share all her wisdom with Jamie. And of course he attends a slew of box socials, whist drives, and community dances, where the women gossip and flirt while the men tank up on Heathen's Rapture and haul off to engage in the only sport they know aside from baseball - fistfights. Full of the crackle of down-home folktales, by turns randy, riveting and heart-breaking, Box Socials is the triumph of Kinsella's career.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eW. P. (Bill) Kinsella\u003c\/b\u003e was the author of some 24 books and more than 200 stories. He was best known for his baseball fiction: \u003ci\u003eThe Thrill of the Grass; Go the Distance; The Iowa Baseball Confederacy; The Dixon Cornbelt League; Box Socials;\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eShoeless Joe, \u003c\/i\u003e his multi-award-winning novel that became the classic movie \u003ci\u003eField of Dreams, \u003c\/i\u003e nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Kinsella's other books include \u003ci\u003eDance Me Outside\u003c\/i\u003e (also made into a feature film); \u003ci\u003eScars; Born Indian; The Moccasin Telegraph; The Fencepost Chronicles; The Miss Hobbema Pageant; \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e Red Wolf, Red Wolf, \u003c\/i\u003efrom which the story Lieberman in Love was adapted for the screen and went on to win an Academy Award for Best Short Feature. He died in 2016.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 240\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.59 x 8.54 x 5.49 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e April 19, 1993\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42724278173759,"sku":"9780345382535","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0105\/8226\/1823\/files\/dea75d61c235313fc40de4abb76f566b.webp?v=1765102129","url":"https:\/\/dhl-adrianne.myshopify.com\/products\/box-socials-paperback","provider":"BBB","version":"1.0","type":"link"}