Although this book is about baseball, it is also about human nature, and extreme differences in the way people choose to live their lives. Leonard Compton's family has existed on the fringes of society for many years. He is only seven years old when his family is decimated over a period of less than a year. Only his older brother and he are left, and the older brother cannot care for Leonard and continue the meager existence his is accustomed to. The decision to put Leonard in the care of strangers is not an easy one, but one he feels is necessary. Instead of placing Leonard in foster care, the social worker and her husband adopt Leonard. How do you explain what Lasagna tastes like to someone who has never even had a real American meal? There many challenges, both to the couple, and to Leonard as he learns to exist in a completely different way. The discovery that he can use either hand equally well is amusing, but when a couple of his young friends find he can throw a baseball with incredible speed and accuracy with either hand, he becomes an overnight phenomenon, gaining national publicity through the Little League program. His acceptance of the Christian faith, and more importantly, his living of the faith, forms the basis of the story that has him starting a non-profit foundation at the age of 12 to help disadvantaged kids. His success as a baseball player provides the means to raise money for the foundation and its success mirrors his success at baseball. He attributes his success in both ventures not to his own efforts, but to God's plan for his life. Tragedy and success are both elements of God's plan, and Leonard has to deal with both aspects as he seeks to spread the word of God through his own example. The story portrays much more than we expect from one so young, but isn't anything possible with God?
