Our Tribe
A Baseball Memoir
by Terry Pluto
* Now in paperback *
A son, a father, a baseball team.
This memoir will touch the heart of any baseball fan who has ever shared a love for the game with a parent or child.
Sportswriter Terry Pluto tells the story of a son and a father and the relationship they shared through their resilient devotion to one particularly frustrating baseball team, the Cleveland Indians (who always seemed to need just one more run to win).
The story includes the joys and struggles of growing older together, of coping with a sick parent, and, finally, of burying the man who indelibly shaped his son's life.
It also includes a lively history of the Cleveland Indians franchise, full of personal recollections about remarkable players and memorable moments from seasons past.
For so many people, baseball remains an important bridge across generations, sometimes the only topic of conversation when all other topics seem threatening. Absorbing his father's love for the game, and their team, Pluto grew to understand and respect the often distant man who allowed himself few pleasures besides baseball in a life built around laboring to provide for his family.
This book celebrates our ability to make that connection through baseball.
It is a heartfelt, memorable tale.
Reviews
A beautiful, absolutely unforgettable memoir. — Booklist
What makes Our Tribe more than a general recounting of the team's history is Pluto's personal account of life with Dad as it revolved around the Indians, from childhood through his debut as a sportswriter to the aftermath of his father's debilitating stroke. The passages about Pluto Senior's last years are particularly heartrending: 'Baseball was a medicine when his legs hurt, his chest ached, and depression was gnawing away at the edges of his heart.' By detailing his and other Indians fans' personal experiences, Pluto illustrates how baseball can play an important role in cementing many a father-and-child relationship. A sweet, sentimental thank you not only to the authors favorite team, but especially to his father that will tug at any baseball fan's heart. — Kirkus Reviews
More than just a sports' book. It's all about the bonding between a father, a son, and daughter. For people who've lost a father, Our Tribe can be very comforting. A beautiful book! — WQAL FM Radio
A must read not only for baseball and Indians fans but for the story of a father and son. — Amazon.com
Perhaps the best American writer of sports books. — Chicago Sun-Times
Like the team that Pluto loves, Our Tribe is not great. But it will break your heart. — The New York Times
About Terry Pluto
Terry Pluto is a sports columnist for the Plain Dealer. He has twice been honored by the Associated Press Sports Editors as the nation's top sports columnist for medium-sized newspapers. He is a nine-time winner of the Ohio Sports Writer of the Year award and has received more than 50 state and local writing awards. In 2005 he was inducted into the Cleveland Journalism Hall of Fame. He is the author of 23 books, including The Curse of Rocky Colavito (selected by the New York Times as one of the five notable sports books of 1989), and Loose Balls, which was ranked number 13 on Sports Illustrated's list of the top 100 sports books of all time. He was called “Perhaps the best American writer of sports books,” by the Chicago Tribune in 1997. He lives with his wife, Roberta, in Akron, Ohio. More About Terry Pluto
Contains References to:
1920 World Series, 1997 World Series, Akron Beacon Journal, Bob Feller, Cleveland Indians, Cleveland Press, Cleveland Spiders, Fatherhood, Frank Lane, Joe Jackson, Larry Dolby, Lou Boudreau, Manny Ramirez, Municipal Stadium, Ray Fosse, Rocky Colavito, Roger Maris, Wayne Garland,
