Diamond Ruby
A Novel
Seventeen-year-old Ruby Thomas, newly responsible for her two young nieces after a devastating tragedy, is determined to keep her family safe in the vast, swirling world of 1920s New York City. She’s got street smarts, boundless determination, and one unusual skill: the ability to throw a ball as hard as the greatest pitchers in a baseball-mad city.
From Coney Island sideshows to the brand-new Yankee Stadium, Diamond Ruby chronicles the extraordinary life and times of a girl who rises from utter poverty to the kind of renown only the Roaring Twenties can bestow. But her fame comes with a price, and Ruby must escape a deadly web of conspiracy and threats from Prohibition rumrunners, the Ku Klux Klan, and the gangster underworld.
Diamond Ruby “is the exciting tale of a forgotten piece of baseball’s heritage, a girl who could throw with the best of them. A real page-turner, based closely on a true story” (Kevin Baker, author of Strivers Row).
From Coney Island sideshows to the brand-new Yankee Stadium, Diamond Ruby chronicles the extraordinary life and times of a girl who rises from utter poverty to the kind of renown only the Roaring Twenties can bestow. But her fame comes with a price, and Ruby must escape a deadly web of conspiracy and threats from Prohibition rumrunners, the Ku Klux Klan, and the gangster underworld.
Diamond Ruby “is the exciting tale of a forgotten piece of baseball’s heritage, a girl who could throw with the best of them. A real page-turner, based closely on a true story” (Kevin Baker, author of Strivers Row).
Choose a format:
Buy from us:
- Touchstone |
- 480 pages |
- ISBN 9781439160053 |
- May 2010
$16.00 List Price
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Praise
“Comparisons to A Tree Grows in Brooklyn are not made lightly . . . wonderful, memorable . . . perfect. ”
– Laura Lippman
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“Comparisons to A Tree Grows in Brooklyn are not made lightly . . . wonderful, memorable . . . perfect. ”– Laura Lippman
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“Diamond Ruby is the exciting tale of a forgotten piece of baseball's heritage, a girl who could throw with the best of them. A real page-turner, based closely on a true story.”– Kevin Baker, author of Strivers Row
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“Diamond Ruby is a gem! Moving, fascinating, and ultimately exhilarating. I loved it! --S. J. Rozan, Edgar Award”– winning author of The Shanghai Moon
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“Diamond Ruby is a gem! From the first page I found myself caring deeply about Wallace's idiosyncratic characters, rooting for them as they made their way through a world so skillfully portrayed that though it was new to me I felt right at home. Moving, fascinating, and ultimately exhilarating. I loved it!”– SJ Rozan, Edgar-winning author of The Shanghai Moon
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“Babe Ruth and Jack Dempsey may loom among the many appealing, larger-than-life characters who show up in this wonderfully fun novel of baseball and 1920's Brooklyn, but readers will be especially dazzled and charmed by Diamond Ruby herself. It really IS A Tree Grows in Brooklyn meets Ragtime! Joseph Wallace has walloped a homer right out of the park!”– Katharine Weber, author of True Confections and Triangle
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“Diamond Ruby is a very special book. The comparisons to A Tree Grows in Brooklyn are not made lightly: Joseph Wallace deserves that accolade and many more. Ruby is a wonderful, memorable character and Wallace's prose is a perfect match for her.”– Laura Lippman, New York Times bestselling author of Life Sentences and What the Dead Know
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“Lively and entertaining…includes all sorts of colorful characters and fascinating social history…the story of an unassuming, courageous young woman who uses the national pastime to become a pioneering heroine in a man’s world.”– The Washington Post
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Book Reviews
Reading Group Guide
This reading group guide for Diamond Ruby includes an introduction, discussion questions, ideas for enhancing your book club, and a Q&A with author Joseph Wallace. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book.
Description
Set in New York City during the turbulent 1920s, Diamond Ruby chronicles the life of Ruby Thomas—the seventeen-year-old orphan-turned-baseball star— as she searches for ways to keep her two nieces alive after the death of her family and the abandonment by her brother. Ruby is smart, scrappy and stubborn, refusing to let war, disease, starvation or sexism keep her from feeding her nieces and living up to her Mother’s deathbed plea to make something of her life.
By chance, Ruby discovers her ungainly arms are the key to a unique talent: the ability to throw a baseball as hard as any pro ball player. Starting as a Coney Island slideshow attraction and ending up as the star of Brooklyn’s minor league baseball team, Ruby defies expectations and becomes a legend. Her fame comes at a price, however, as she must navigate her way alone through death threats, the Ku Klux Klan, prohibition rum-runners and murderous gamblers who will stop at nothing to get what they want. In a novel whose suspense see more
Description
Set in New York City during the turbulent 1920s, Diamond Ruby chronicles the life of Ruby Thomas—the seventeen-year-old orphan-turned-baseball star— as she searches for ways to keep her two nieces alive after the death of her family and the abandonment by her brother. Ruby is smart, scrappy and stubborn, refusing to let war, disease, starvation or sexism keep her from feeding her nieces and living up to her Mother’s deathbed plea to make something of her life.
By chance, Ruby discovers her ungainly arms are the key to a unique talent: the ability to throw a baseball as hard as any pro ball player. Starting as a Coney Island slideshow attraction and ending up as the star of Brooklyn’s minor league baseball team, Ruby defies expectations and becomes a legend. Her fame comes at a price, however, as she must navigate her way alone through death threats, the Ku Klux Klan, prohibition rum-runners and murderous gamblers who will stop at nothing to get what they want. In a novel whose suspense see more
Video
Diamond Ruby's Ruby Thomas
Author Joseph Wallace steps back to the Roaring Twenties with Diamond Ruby’s Ruby Thomas, the tough, savvy girl gifted with the extraordinary strong arm—and the courage to use it.
Diamond Ruby's Ruby Thomas
DIAMOND RUBY can out-pitch you....
