Mia

As the beloved, hard-working general manager of a Major League Baseball team in California, "Baseball Wizard" Joe Ciotola has given his life to the sport but lost too much in the bargain.

Single, childless, disillusioned about baseball, and swamped with regrets after missing the deaths of both of his parents, the 50-year-old Bronx native quits his job and goes looking for something -- anything -- more satisfying than a life spent juggling rosters, recruiting players, and balancing budgets.

On his way to Anywhere, U.S.A., he stops in a strange place called Salvation, a forgotten desert town where time seems to stand still and where Old Testament values divide the locals between the Saved and the Damned.

There, Joe meets Mia, a pitiful creature whose future has been written by the town's leaders, and who can't stay without making the ultimate sacrifice. The choices Joe and Mia make together, and the bonds they create with another woman who emerges from Joe's past, shape their lives forever, revealing the power of connections formed from the ashes of great loss.

A baseball book wrapped in a domestic drama, Mia teaches us as much about love and family as it does about the imperfect history of America's beautiful game.

My Review

This is the latest book offering from Mr. Sciuto. It is just as great as the previous novels. I have been a fan of Mr. Sciuto since the first book. I have read all the books written by this author. So far, I have been lucky as there has not been a "bad" book.

This book may been called a baseball book but it is more then just about baseball. Although, the main protagonist, Joe will tell you that baseball is a way of life...a good life. I personally have never been able to get into this sport but my one Aunt was a die heard fan of the Chicago Cubs. She sadly died before their win of the World Series in 2016.

Back to the book. The bond that Joe and Mia shared was special. As Mia emerged from her shell to before more animated; she won me over more and more. When she would come out of the bathroom after taking a shower and report that she was "all clean" was too cute. The way that Joe handled Mia was compassion was great. He never pushed her to heal too fast. The only thing Joe did do was to tell Mia to slow down on eating chocolate cake.

I recommend this book to everyone. This book will tug at your heart strings with engaging characters and a wonderful story about healing, compassion, love, second chances, forgiveness, and baseball.