Stumptown Kid

I read the book ‘Stumptown Kid’ By Carol Gorman and Ron Findley. This book takes place in the nineteen forties, when segregation was still a little bit of a problem. Charlie Nebraska is a twelve year old boy that loves baseball. One day Charlie decides to try out for the wildcats, a travel baseball team in the town where he lives. Charlie tryout and doesn’t make the team. He’s really disappointed but then he meets Luther Peale. Luther is the first African American person Charlie has ever seen. Luther talks to Charlie and gives him some pointers, and then he asks Charlie if he knows anyone looking for a working man. Charlie takes Luther home with him and asks his mom if she knows anyone that needs some help. So Luther gets a job at a chicken farm. In the couple weeks that follow Luther becomes Charlie’s father figure. He helps Charlie with baseball and problems Charlie has. One day Charlie asks Luther why he came to Iowa. Luther explains to Charlie that he used to be a professional baseball player in the Negro league. One day when Luther was pitching, a drunken batter came to the plate. Luther threw a good pitch but the batter ducked his head and got hit in the head hard enough to be killed. Luther was running away from the batters brother who wanted to kill him. Luther ends up making a baseball team and all the neighborhood kids join. The ones that didn’t make the travel team. Even a couple girls join. Charlie is really happy about the team but he’s been getting bullied by a kid on the travel team so Luther says settle it on the field. ‘The Stumptown Stormers’ were going to play the wildcats. During the game Charlie forgets something in the car so he runs to get it. On his way back he runs into Ruckus, the brother of the dead batter. Ruckus takes Charlie and sets a trap to get Luther to come over. Then Charlie and Luther eventually escape ruckus in the storm sewer where Ruckus drowns while chasing them. Every one says Luther is a hero but Luther is sad he didn’t save Ruckus. Luther tells Charlie he has to leave and go back to Tennessee to see his family. He says maybe you and your mama can come watch me play sometime. Charlie said he would love that. Then Luther says, “I’m gunna miss you…son.”

Symbolism

I did symbolism. I think racism is a deeper symbol in this book. The book never said Racist or Racism directly, but when Luther came to town people would stare at him and yell at him. Some people in the town were very accepting of Luther they let him coach their kids, work for them, even become a partial family member. The couple weeks Luther was in town a lot of things happened. He was brought to the sheriff because a rumor about him spread that he was a murderer. He got beat up because of a racist.

                I think that Luther coaching Charlie’s friends and making a baseball team was a symbol of how close Luther and Charlie had become. Charlie looked up to Luther like a Father figure. Luther knew it too. Luther treated Charlie like a son. Luther would have taken a bullet for Charlie and he almost got stabbed saving Charlie.

                Charlie’s dad died in Korea while serving his country. This had a deep undertow on the story. I didn’t notice how much it affected the book until the end. One time a racist tries to stab Luther for killing his brother. This of course was an accident but he still tries to kill Luther. Charlie takes his dad’s bayonet to Luther which holds of the Racist long enough for the sheriff to show up. Charlie’s “almost” stepdad bails out the racist guy the next day and he tries to kill Luther again, but before that a brief story on the “almost stepdad”, Vern. Vern is also a racist, he hates Luther because Charlie is friends with him and Charlie hates Vern for being so prejudice. Charlie hates Vern so much he sometimes pretends his dad is still alive, and about to walk right through the front door. This of course never happens. So the next day Luther saves Charlie’s life after they lead the bloodthirsty racist into the storm sewer and almost drown. The racist didn’t make it to the manhole they crawled up and drowned in the storm sewer. Later that week everybody in town calls Luther a hero but Luther is disappointed. He thinks he should’ve saved the racist. Charlie is disappointed Luther has to leave, But Luther calls Charlie his son and they start crying and go into a father son embrace. I guess his father did walk through that door.