A Novel of Race, Railroads, and Baseball — 

Set in 1950 in the rural Midwest, and inspired by real events, this gripping novel explores what happens when an African American railroad repair crew is dropped into a tiny, tight-knit farm community. Will frictions build to an all-too familiar American tragedy, or can tensions be overcome in that uniquely American way, with balls and bats and a field of green?

Seventeen-year-old Carlin Littman has big dreams, much bigger than will fit into sleepy Julian, Nebraska, population 172. She has set her sights on college, Chicago, and beyond. The arrival of the rail workers, known as gandy dancers, is an interesting distraction in the bored summer days where her only job is looking after her little brother, Timmy. When she befriends Sam Washington, the awkward, bookish gandy a year younger than she, neither of them have any idea what they have set in motion.

Many decades later, Tim returns to Nebraska, attempting to recover the lost history through interviews with the few surviving seniors who might remember. These encounters provide the basis for a story that lies somewhere between myth and memory. A story where the mutual respect between the oldest gandy, Jerome, and the store owner, Dave, offers townsfolk an alternative to stereotype and prejudice. A story where the new rail line is being built over the route of the underground railroad, challenging a new generation of farm families to live up to that heritage. A story where an unlikely pick-up game propels players on both sides to epic performances.

Race, railroads, and baseball are iconic themes that come together in this moving story of the American heartland.

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING

"Summoning a large and vivid cast of characters, Jon Volkmer takes us back to the Midwest of the postwar years and to events that rattle a small town, forcing it to confront its demons. Brave in Season captures a historical moment that soon will lie beyond living memory, evoking a mythic small-town romance of baseball and then drawing from it a gripping parable of racial oppression. Is it possible for a writer to be heartfelt, funny and warm while also providing a stark portrayal of American racism? That’s the magic trick Jon Volkmer has pulled off with Brave in Season.  Imagine Field of Dreams meets To Kill a Mockingbird, and you’ll have some sense of what lies in store for you in this deeply rewarding novel."—Rand Richards Cooper, author of The Last to Go

“A richly textured and engaging narrative that tells a multilayered story. This book needed to be written, and deserves to be read.”—JB Manheim, Author of The Deadball Files series

John Volkmer on the Sunbury Press Books Show ...

by Jon Volkmer
Page Count: 270
Trim Size: 6 x 9
Publish Date: August 29, 2023
Imprint: Milford House
Genre: Sports

FICTION / African American & Black / Historical
FICTION / Historical / 20th Century / Post-World War II
FICTION / Sports
FICTION / Small Town & Rural