Forty years old, divorced, with two sons on the verge of adolescence and an ex-husband who considers visitation to be optional, Brenda Haversham isn't having a whole lot of fun. She's also no longer qualified for the work she loves, so she's toiling away in a cubicle instead, trying to make ends meet. Brenda is short on money, short on connection with her kids, and short on any kind of social life. The only thing Brenda has in abundance is her anger. And that turns out to be her greatest asset.When she was a kid, Brenda's father taught her how to throw a good fastball. That wasn't of much use to a girl, but it is enough to astound onlookers at a "test your speed" pitching cage before a Cleveland Indians game. The more Brenda pictures her ex-husband's face on the other end, the harder she throws. And when someone tapes her performance and puts it up online, Brenda becomes an Internet sensation - and then more than that.The Indians come calling and Brenda finds her life taking a turn in a new direction. Soon, she's standing on the mound as the first woman player in Major League history - and dealing with everything that comes with it. The money is great and the endorsement deals are even better. The fury of "traditionalists?" Not so much. And the conflicting emotions of her teammates are even harder to manage. Meanwhile, Brenda's home life is evolving faster than she can keep up, redefining her role as a mother, a friend, and even a lover. As the season winds down Brenda will find out if she has what it takes to be a winner - at both baseball and life.A funny, poignant, and endearing novel from a writer of rare warmth and humanity, THROW LIKE A WOMAN is a 95-mile-an-hour heater of a novel.
Susan Petrone lives with one husband, one child, and two dogs in Cleveland, Ohio. In addition to writing fiction, she blogs about her beloved Cleveland Indians. Her best pitch is a breaking ball.
"While, on the surface, this is a novel about a woman battling to make her way in the man s world of professional baseball, debut author Petrone presents a stirring and humorous story of a woman doing considerably more than thattrying to rediscover herself, provide for her family, and perhaps find a little love along the way." Booklist "For baseball fans who yearn for a female Jackie Robinson, reading Susan Petrone's fun and absorbing novel THROW LIKE A WOMAN becomes a kind of prayer. 'Please, Lord! Give talent a chance. Let this dream come true!'" Mary Doria Russell, author of THE SPARROW "Someday there will be a woman who plays Major League Baseball. And when it happens, I suspect it will be an awful lot like Susan Petrone's fun THROW LIKE A WOMAN. Susan knows baseball and so the novel and her hero Brenda Haversham crackles with authenticity. You can hear the pop of the ball hitting the catcher's mitt." Joe Posnanski, author of THE SOUL OF BASEBALL, NBC Sports National Columnist I love Brenda, and I love this book. It's a bumpy ride for Brenda and everyone around her, but an engrossing and ultimately very satisfying one. Lis Carey s Library A must read for those who love inspirational stories based on breaking societal barriers. Book Escape Reviews It's fun, funny, full of realism, features a heroine every woman can relate to, has a dash of feminism, and even has a moral, Book Babe THROW LIKE A WOMAN isn t your typical Cinderella type story, while there is a happy ending, the book gives you what I think is a realistic and honest look at what could possibly happen if a woman should ever make it into the world of major league baseball. All the various reactions to Brenda going to the bigs, from her family and friends to the fans, the players and even Brenda s own reactions to everything going on, felt real and Petrone did a great job at weaving all the highs and lows into the story. Evermore Books I love sports stories, baseball, romance and a well resolved story with problems. I got it all with Susan Petrone's novel, THROW LIKE A WOMAN. This was women's fiction at its finest. Beth Art from the Heart Fabulous read that I highly recommend to anyone that s interested in reading a well-written story about love, life and learning how to tackle life s little curve balls. Living Life With Joy Petrone, who actually lives in Cleveland with her husband and blogs about the Indians at her ESPN Sweet Spot site cleverly called It s Pronounced LaJaway, doesn t just make Brenda feel real, but you also feel her angst as she struggles with why she wants to even go forward with this situation in the first place. Farther Off The Wall" "For baseball fans who yearn for a female Jackie Robinson, reading Susan Petrone's fun and absorbing novel THROW LIKE A WOMAN becomes a kind of prayer. 'Please, Lord! Give talent a chance. Let this dream come true!'" - Mary Doria Russell, author of THE SPARROW "Someday there will be a woman who plays Major League Baseball. And when it happens, I suspect it will be an awful lot like Susan Petrone's fun THROW LIKE A WOMAN. Susan knows baseball and so the novel - and her hero Brenda Haversham - crackles with authenticity. You can hear the pop of the ball hitting the catcher's mitt." - Joe Posnanski, author of THE SOUL OF BASEBALL, NBC Sports National Columnist "I love Brenda, and I love this book.... It's a bumpy ride for Brenda and everyone around her, but an engrossing and ultimately very satisfying one." - Lis Carey's Library "A must read for those who love inspirational stories based on breaking societal barriers." - Book Escape Reviews "It's fun, funny, full of realism, features a heroine every woman can relate to, has a dash of feminism, and even has a moral," - Book Babe "THROW LIKE A WOMAN isn't your typical Cinderella type story, while there is a happy ending, the book gives you what I think is a realistic and honest look at what could possibly happen if a woman should ever make it into the world of major league baseball. All the various reactions to Brenda going to the bigs, from her family and friends to the fans, the players and even Brenda's own reactions to everything going on, felt real and Petrone did a great job at weaving all the highs and lows into the story." - Evermore Books "I love sports stories, baseball, romance and a well resolved story with problems. I got it all with Susan Petrone's novel, THROW LIKE A WOMAN. This was women's fiction at its finest." - Beth Art from the Heart
