Last Days of Summer is the story of Joey Margolis, neighborhood punching bag, growing up goofy and mostly fatherless in Brooklyn in the early 1940s. A boy looking for a hero, Joey decides to latch on to Charlie Banks, the all-star third basemen for the New York Giants. But Joey's chosen champion doesn't exactly welcome the extreme attention of a persistent young fan with an overactive imagination. Then again, this strange, needy kid might be exactly what Banks needs.
" Last Days of Summer isn't about baseball. It's about a boy struggling to grow up without a father and a young man's acceptance of that role. This is a story worth reading." — Los Angeles Times
"It is compelling, irreverent, and will break your heart." — The Dallas Morning News
"A winner all the way." — Parade
"Funny and poignant." — USA Today
"Buy it, read it, give it to a friend." —CNN.com
"Shameless entertainment." — Kansas City Star
"New contender for mythical 'Great American Novel.'" — Southern Pines Pilot (North Carolina)
Steve Kluger has written extensively on subjects as far-ranging as World War II, rock 'n' roll, and the Titanic, and as close to the heart as baseball and the Boston Red Sox. He lives in Santa Monica, California.