Following Your Dreams When Others Are Mean - A TEDx talk by Justine Siegal

When I first decided to write The Sweet Spot, someone asked me whether it would even be relevant in today's world. By now they were sure that girls must be accepted, even if there hasn't been any girls playing in the major league.

I include this talk as part of the launch because I want to make sure that we don't forget that Sam's story may be fiction, but that there are real girls out there currently struggling for the right to play baseball. Even in 2015. And unfortunately I don't think that struggle is ending any time soon.

I also include this talk because a few weeks ago, Justine took time out of her busy schedule to read The Sweet Spot. I was so happy that she enjoyed it.

So what did you think?

Why did I write about a girl who plays baseball? - Part 2

I've always liked books about strong girls and women. Women who knew how to stand up for themselves and be leaders in their field or world. Women who fought for their rights, or their family, or for their life. Women like Meg from A Wrinkle in Time, Jo from The Little Women, and Princess Eilonwy from The Chronicles of Prydain. Women like Katniss from The Hunger Games, Kasta from Graceling, Alanna from The Song of the Lioness, and Tris from Divergent.

Women and girls who play baseball are those types of women. They aren't fighting in imagined worlds. They are fighting in real time, in our time, to play the sport that they love.

In February I wrote a post called, "Why write a story about a girl who plays baseball?" Today I'm updating that post with an article called Major League Baseball, Women, Augusta National, and Ball Size from Monday's Chicago Now blog (via @girlbaseball). If you are interested in this topic and what it's like for women playing baseball today, it's a great read.

Who are your favorite heroines? How do they compare with women and girls in the real world?