A Girl's Journey
There's No Crying in Baseball
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
At dinner Mom, Dad, Leiyah and her brothers: Peyton and Naim, talked about her decision to play baseball instead of softball. Her brother Peyton said, “Yeah, you should try out. You are better than half the guys who are trying out anyway.” Her older brother Naim was concerned and really wanted to support her decision to play, but he also knew that it would be rough and that she may not get the support she needed from her team. “I wish you would play with the girls. We know that you can play baseball, but it would just be easier to play softball and you wouldn’t have to fight so hard to be accepted.” Leiyah looked sad, when her brother told her to play softball, then Naim said, “But I support your decision to play baseball. You have to remember you are going to deal with some mean kids. Boys are not going to be nice just because you are a girl. Your team doesn’t have to like or accept you because you are a girl. Everyday you will have to prove yourself. Remember the most important rule – THERE'S NO CRYING IN BASEBALL!”
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About the Book
A Girl’s Journey: There's No Crying in Baseball is a children’s book illustrating the character and integrity of a young trailblazer. My name is Paméla Tate-Roger, the author of this groundbreaking project and mother of this young trailblazer named Leiyah. A Girl’s Journey: There's No Crying in Baseball is based on my daughter’s experience in becoming the first female baseball player at her middle school in San Francisco, California. In addition to that, she became the first female baseball player to ever play in a SFUSD Boys Middle School Baseball Championship, and ultimately, she became the first female player to ever play on a SFUSD Middle School Boys Championship Baseball Team in 2013. This groundbreaking life event was written for the purpose of teaching children and families about fortitude, integrity, gender roles, and the concept of team. Since the Championship game in 2013, Leiyah’s middle school team went on to play in the 2014 playoffs, but they were eliminated in the second round. Leiyah has been fortunate to have selected to play for San Francisco Rec and Parks first ever All-Girls Baseball Team, the San Francisco Bay Sox, who will represent the City and County of San Francisco in the Inaugural Baseball For All Tournament in Orlando, FL May 30 – June 4, 2015 (visit www.baseballforall.com for more information). The world has undergone such drastic changes in how gender roles are formulated and shaped within the last couple of decades. Women have made great strides in civil, academic, and professional arenas; however, many areas remain male-dominated. Even with the 2014 success of Mo’ne Davis, the first girl to earn a win and to pitch a shutout in the Little League World Series, a girl’s road in this male dominated sport is riddled with bumps and bruises. A Girl’s Journey: There's No Crying in Baseball is written to illustrate how destructive bullying and antiquated stereotypes can be, as well as how growth and strength comes from hard work and perseverance when a girl decides do something out of the "normal confines of society and she decides she wants to play baseball.” The book contains fifty-eight pages, twenty-four illustrations, and is in hardcover as well as e-book format. The book contains 12 site words, 18 challenge words, and 5 open-ended discussion questions and 1,898 words. This book is self-published and will be available online, in stores, or on my website at www.pamelatateroger.com, on May 1, 2015. We are currently scheduling book-signing events, children's writing workshops, and other promotional opportunities. Please contact my support team at nocryinginbaseballbook@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
About the Author
Paméla Tate-Roger is a mother, former early childhood educator/director of school, survivor, daredevil, member of the Delta Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, and most importantly, she is a work in progress. She is a graduate of San Francisco State University and earned her bachelor in psychology there. She completed her graduate studies in humanities and leadership with an emphasis in early childhood education at Sonoma State University after attending New College of California. Paméla is currently writing about being a parent, self-discovery, embracing scars (both tangible and intangible), cancer, women’s causes, and life after grief. She is the vice president of operations at a newly established nonprofit organization called G-MAC Productions, which works to educate the public about the early detection and prevention of breast cancer, conducts an annual toy drive for needy children residing in the city and county of San Francisco, and advocates for early childhood literacy. Paméla is currently employed at the University of San Francisco in the Office of the Vice Provost of Online Education as a program assistant. She spends her days working with faculty to develop curriculum, providing support services to students, and working on creating diversity and inclusion opportunities for students, staff, and faculty. For more information about book signings, events, or speaking engagements, visit www.pamelatateroger.com.