A well researched story on Effa Manley. Before reading this novel, I knew nothing about Effa but enjoyed learning of her life and her place in baseball. The writing was more of a slow burn though and I felt that the pacing could be improved. Still an enjoyable read.
Many thanks to William Morrow and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

In this unique and fascinating historical fiction novel, readers join Effa Manley in 1930s New York City when her husband purchases a Negro Leagues baseball team and appoints her as manager. Going from civil rights advocate to a woman in the box office of the boys’ club of professional baseball, readers follow Effa in the novel -- inspired by the real Effa Manley and bringing her forgotten history to life -- as she takes charge of the Newark Eagles and confronts the naysayers and her professional competitors in the push to the 1946 Negro Leagues Championship series. Effa is absolutely the star of the novel, with a bold and complex personality bursting out of the pages, and the different obstacles in her way highlight a multitude of issues and social movements going on in the mid-twentieth century. Her relationships with various characters -- her husband, her friends, the players, and her professional rivals -- further bring Effa to life by showing how she acted in public and how she challenged every space she walked into. In unveiling this fascinating history of segregated baseball and a competent and capable woman forgotten by history, Kaia Anderson’s new book is a brilliant, immersive, and engaging read that fans of historical fiction and her previous book will love.

This latest from Kaia Alderson is based on a true story and shares a fictionalized account of Effa Manley, a light skinned Black woman who remains the only woman to have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame celebrated for her work helping manage the Newark Eagles, one of the Negro Baseball League teams in the 1940s. Her story is one of perseverance, hard-won success, romance, loss and activism at a time when women weren't welcomed in the men's club of sports or business but were expected to stay at home as wives and mothers. Perfect for anyone who loved A league of their own or the book, Home and away by Rochelle Alers. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!! Kaia does such a great job shedding light on the little known achievements of African American women of the past!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I don't normally enjoy historical fiction, but the premise of this book looked so good that I decided to give it another try. I'm really glad I did because I loved this book!

Fascinating story based on the real life of Effa Manley, a female baseball executive of the Negro baseball leagues. Her husband Abe bought a team because both he and she loved baseball and they ran the team together. She was still managing the team when the war ended and Major league baseball decided to recruit negro players.
Four stars - thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins publishing for the digital ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. As both a fan of sports and historical fiction, I was really looking forward to this one. However, while the HF parts were good, the sports part was lacking. Baseball really doesn't come in to play (pardon the pun) until about halfway in. Effa Manley is a fascinating woman and after I finished, I went online to learn more about her. While I understand that the pre-baseball parts were integral to the story and set up how & why Effa came into her own in the management of Negro League baseball, I wish it had been edited a bit and more focus given to the baseball part of her story. I would round up to 3.5 stars for this book-a fascinating woman and story which didn't quite meet my hope for learning more about the sports aspect of her life.

Such a wonderful story. I enjoyed this book. I also downloaded the audio version once it was released, the narrator made me enjoy the story even more.

Effa Manley is someone who who should be talked about more. She is a black woman who essentially ran a baseball team in the 1930s and 1940s. Her second husband buys a Negro League baseball team and while he is the owner, Effa handles all of the administrative responsibilities - getting uniforms, player contracts, etc. Whiles he sits in on owner meetings, none of the other owners were happy to have a woman in their midst trying to tell them how to run the league.

As an avid baseball fan, this was an enjoyable read. I appreciated the work Effa did in making the Brooklyn Eagles and then Newark Eagles into such a formidable team. I felt her frustration when she was treated as less than for being a woman in a male dominated field. I truly hope more people become aware of Effa Manley's contributions to baseball.

The beginning of the book lagged a bit for me. The character development was a bit too long and the focus on the baseball team too short in my opinion. It felt like the first half of the book could have been condensed to a couple of chapters as it got a little repetitive (how many times do we need to read about her being put down because she's a woman?). The scenes with the department store also felt dragged out.

Overall I enjoyed the book and would recommend to anyone who is looking to read more about women in history. It also intrigued me enough to start doing some research on Effa Manley and other women in baseball.

I had a hard time liking the main character in this book. It was interesting to learn about her and her role in the Negro Leagues, but she just seemed to make several poor choices that were annoying.

The subject matter was super interesting, but the way it was told wasn't as engaging as I'd have liked. I was expecting more baseball, and a lot of the interactions with characters we were supposed to care about didn't have the depth to really pull me in emotionally.

When I first downloaded this book, my brain instantly went into thinking it was just like the movie. Boy was I wrong! This was so much better than the movie! Part of me wishes that I had never seen the movie, because it is nothing like this book but that's all my brain could think of until I really got into the book.

This book is based on a real woman, one who made a great impact to our world! This book is based off of the first woman to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Now that's something to be proud of!

I do think there needs to be a trigger earning in the beginning of the book though. If you have any PTSD or any triggers involving domestic violence or violence against women, the end of the book can take you by surprise like it did me.

I do think this book is worth reading and I will be purchasing a physical copy of it for my bookshelf!

In a League of Her Own by Kaia Alderson is marketed as a story about Effie starting the Negro Baseball league but the story is more about her love life. It was a slow dull story that lingered on and took forever to get to the basis of the story. I was expecting more baseball and less lifestyle. It was not the historical fiction story I expected.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the advanced copy. The opinions are my own.

This was very insightful. I loved following along the main character's journey through self growth as she found her spot in a male dominated industry.

In a League of her Own by Kaia Alderson. Pub Date: August 6, 2024. Rating: 2 stars. I really hate to say this, but I did not find this book enjoyable at all. The premise intrigued me in respect to a woman of color who is immersed in the world of baseball during times of racial disparity as well as challenges of being a woman. But honestly, the book held so little of her life as it pertained to baseball for the first half and more focused on her relationship and life outside of baseball. I felt this story dragged and was drawn out. I wish the author would have focused more on the baseball aspects of this woman's life because I enjoy historical fiction that educates me on a time period that I knew little about. This was a miss for me. Thanks to #netgalley and #williammorrow for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

You know, for a book that is heavily marketed around baseball, there sure isn't much of the sport involved until maybe halfway through the book. Very surprising storytelling choice for the only woman in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. I will say, however, I enjoyed the immersion into 1930's Harlem. The setting was always well set in this book, it was just the plot and characters that fell flat for me.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this title. Historical fiction is hit or miss for me and this one didn't really grab my attention like I hoped it would.

Effa Manley is a hidden figure that this author has brought to the forefront in this well written and spell bounding novel. I was captivated from the very beginning of this story right up until the very end. It was very hard for me to put this book. This author is one of the best when it comes to historical fiction stories. Not only is this the only woman ever to be inducted into the baseball hall of fame, she was a staunch champion of civil right for her community. Also in many ways, she was not like a lot of women during that time period. I loved how the author presented her character and life. I loved how this author brought her story to light and I can't wait for the author's next book.

I received a copy of the book via NetGalley via the Publisher and am voluntarily leaving an honest review of my own thoughts and opinions.

Thanks to William Morrow for an advanced copy of In a League of Her Own by Kaia Alderson.

I found Effa so fascinating but this book was so boring.

I was a bit confused by this book and had to DNF. The entire book is supposed to be about a woman who is a powerhouse in the baseball industry - but the first chapter opens up and she is saying how much she doesn't care about baseball. She then catches a ball and is *in love* with it. Fast forward a few years, and she is nowhere near obsessed with the sport and needs to be coerced into going to a game? I DNF'd when she decides to get married. I didn't have the patience to see where it was going. This just wasn't for me. I will not be posting this review on social media platforms.

This story was about the life of Effa Manley. The story takes place in the 1930s. Effa was a black woman "passing" as a white woman in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She started out with a successful hat making business before getting involved in the Civil Rights movement. Her husband, Abe Manley eventually bought the Newark Eagles, a team in the Negro league. In addition to co-owner, she became the team business manager, managing the day to day operations. Her work was commemorated with an induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006, the only woman to have this honor.

While I can appreciate Effa and the work she did in baseball, this book fell a little flat for me. I was expecting more baseball, especially with a title and cover like this. The way the story was told also seemed to drag on. I normally really enjoy stories about sports, but this one never really had my interest once I realized how little baseball was in it.

Thanks to NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.