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Frank Nappi

Frank Nappi has taught high school English and Creative Writing for twenty years. His first novel, ECHOES FROM THE INFANTRY, received national attention, including MWSA’s Silver Medal for Outstanding Fiction for the year 2006. Frank lives on Long Island with his wife Julia and his two sons, Nicholas and Anthony. He is currently at work on his next novel.

 



Proud supporter of Autism research

 

  



The Legend Of Mickey Tussler

An utterly heartbreaking and moving baseball novel that is being celebrated as THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME meets THE NATURAL.

"In my work with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America I see all kinds of challenges facing kids today, and this book does a very good job of treating gifted kids and teenagers with sensitivity and understanding in coping with and meeting these challenges." --Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees

Seventeen-year-old Mickey Tussler is recruited to play for a minor league affiliate of the Boston Braves in the 1940s. Arthur Murphy, a scout and coach for the minor league Milwaukee Brewers, swears that
Mickey is a phenom- one who has the greatest arm Murph has ever seen, that anybody has ever seen. And it might be true. But Mickey is also autistic, before autism was given a name, and his Aspergers keeps him sealed off from a world he scarcely understands. But Arthur wants to take the chance. The minor league Brewers have had one of the worst records in baseball history, and he needs to do something to shake the team up. But can Mickey survive? Tormented by the memories of an abusive father and heckled by fans and teammates alike, the odds are stacked against him. But his inimitable talent -- one of the most gifted arms in the history of baseball - just might give him a chance. Can he survive a real life dream? Or are the harsh realities of life too much for him? This is the powerful underdog story of how a young man with an extraordinary gift comes of age in a harsh and competitive world that may not be ready for him.
 

PRESS CLIPPINGS

Ron Kaplan's Baseball Bookshelf Review of The Legend Of Mickey Tussler by Frank Nappi. St. Martin’s Press

II don’t ordinarily read baseball fiction aimed at the young adult demographic. Most are simply rehashes of the same story: young athlete, usually a star, faces adversity in the form of another player on his own team or a health crises or another at-home situation; learns valuable lessons, yada-yada-yada; and comes away victorious on the field and off.

The Legend of Mickey Tussler is a different kettle of fish. (more)

 



Frank Nappi (Echoes from the Infantry) has produced a knowledgeable yet unsentimental book starring an autistic teenager with a fearsome fastball. (more)
                                                                              
  ~Publishers Weekly, February '08



The Legend of Mickey Tussler, written by Frank Nappi, is in part a baseball book. But, it also is a novel about the cruelty and kindness people are capable of demonstrating, and the challenges of dealing with autism, before the term was even known.

Milwaukee baseball fans will find it particularly entertaining since Mickey is a rookie with the Brewers of the American Association in the 1940s.(more)


Most Milwaukeeans aren't familiar with the Milwaukee Brewers ... the old Milwaukee Brewers, that is, the American Association Brewers, a feisty little baseball team which inhabited a ramshackle all-wooden ballpark at 8th and Chambers Streets from 1902 to 1952...(more)