Shoeless Joe by W. P. Kinsella

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Description:

A fictional tale of magic, romance, and the legend of Shoeless Joe Jackson, the novel presents a world of possibility with organized religion serving as a foil. The narrator creates a baseball field in an Iowa cornfield to honor his hero, Shoeless Joe, and it becomes a conduit to the spirits of baseball legends. Kinsella invents a world in which lovers of the baseball are the pure ones, the chosen; those who don’t love baseball, whether materialists or worshippers of organized religion, are the blind.

Activities:

Students recognize the extended metaphor, write dialogue and short stories, and explore parallels between religion and baseball tradition. They also discuss issues related to privacy, fame, and celebrity; write essays about characters and their senses of place; and interview classmates about dreams and goals. A final lesson asks students to compare the novel with the film version.  

Lessons include reading quizzes with answer keys.

Ethical Values:

Endurance, Faith, Loyalty, Respect, Truth