"A 20th-century epic that demonstrates how, sometimes, letting go of a dream is the only way to discover one's great fortune."
— Publishers Weekly"A moving profile of one, nearly unknown member of the Greatest Generation."
— Booklist"An exciting and often heart-wrenching saga that will be read and reread for generations to come."
— Early Reader Praise
A farm boy. A Major League dream. A secret from World War II that changed everything.
Gene Moore was a 15-year-old baseball phenom from tiny Sesser, Illinois, with a throwing arm, a powerful bat, and a future that seemed destined for the Brooklyn Dodgers. But when Pearl Harbor changed the course of history, Gene’s path to the big leagues was interrupted by war.
While serving in the Navy, Gene played baseball across the Atlantic before being assigned to a top-secret mission guarding captured German sailors from U-505. Unable to field a team of his own, Gene did the unthinkable: he taught the enemy how to play America’s game.
Inspired by true events, Playing with the Enemy is the unforgettable story of baseball, war, family secrets, and one man’s brush with destiny — a story Gene kept hidden until the final day of his life.
"Starred Review. In 1940, at just 15 years old, small-town baseball star Gene Moore was signed to the Brooklyn Dodgers, who saw in him the potential to become one of the great catchers of all time."
— From Publishers Weekly"Gene Moore, from tiny Sesser, Illinois, was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers at age 15 in 1940... A moving profile of one, nearly unknown member of the Greatest Generation."
— From Booklist