Other editions of book Choosing Up Sides

Luke Bledsoe has a wicked fastball. But he shouldn’t be pitching, or even playing ball—especially not left-handed. That’s the side of the devil, says his pa‚ a fundamentalist preacher. But Luke’s new-found friends and left-handed uncle say he’s blessed with God-given talent. Luke doesn’t know who to believe anymore. All his life, this young teen’s been trying to please his pa. Now it’s time to sort out what he wants for himself. To do so, Luke will need the same steely determination he calls up when running for home plate. But what about his pa? Can Luke’s father balance his strict interpretation of good and evil with the love and encouragement his son needs? Johnny Heller’s narration of this powerful first novel by John H. Ritter captures young listeners, and draws them to the startling conclusion. Also included is an interview with Ritter, recipient of The Judy Blume Award for contemporary fiction.

When preacher's boy Luke Bledsoe steps on a baseball field, he discovers he has real pitching talent. For once, he can be proud of being left-handed. But Reverend Bledsoe believes that the left side is the side of Satan and the baseball field is the Devil's playground. Luke has spent his whole life trying to please his father. Will he choose to give up the game he's come to love-or turn his back on his family?An ALA Best Book for Young Adults1999 IRA Children's Book AwardA BCCB Blue Ribbon Book

From Publishers Weekly: Set during Prohibition, Ritter's debut novel features a rural Kentucky dialect and a sympathetic hero "stuck smack between two worlds." Luke Bledsoe's conflicts with his father, a volatile fundamentalist preacher, take on a new dimension when the seventh-grade southpaw discovers his pitching power. Classmates who have seen Luke accidentally throw with what his father calls "the Devil's arm" urge Luke to join the local baseball team, but Luke's left-handedness is not the only trouble: participation in sports is strictly forbidden by his church. The narrator is strongly tempted to side with "wild-as-a-witch-dog" Uncle Micah, another lefty, who encourages his nephew to follow his own natural course. Luke's movement toward independence is realistically cautious but frustratingly slow?until his father's accidental death brings a quick turn of events and tidy solution to problems. Criticisms of religious taboos and narrow-mindedness are hurled as forcefully as Luke's fastball. More artful, subtle expression may be found in the author's depiction of local color and metaphors mostly having to do with fishing and hunting. Despite its somewhat didactic tone, this story offers enough curve balls to keep readers engaged. Ages 10-14. Recipient of the 1999 International Reading Association's "Children's Book Award." Named an American Library Association "Best Book for Young Adults." Named a 1999 "Blue Ribbon Book" by The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books.

13-year-old Luke Bledsoe is a left-hander in a right-handed world. Moved from town to town, he's spent his life feeling like an outsider. Then, by chance, he steps on a baseball field and discovers he can pitch. But Luke's father, Reverend Bledsoe, believes that the left side is the side of Satan, and the baseball field is the Devil's playground. Luke has spent his whole life trying to please his father. Will he choose to give up the game he's come to love -- or turn his back on his family?