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The Lost Tribe
1939. Harry Pike struggles with the rest of the country through the latter stages of the Great Depression. As a sportswriter, he watches as his jobs keep disappearing. As a Jewish zamler, or luck pusher, he feels the need to help his friend Abner, who is lost in the minor leagues in his quest to play baseball.
But when German forces challenge America to a baseball series, another need arises—Harry knows he must mend the broken zamler trails to get the European Jews to safety before the war machine crushes them all.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
348 pages, Paperback
First published May 27, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
October 22, 2017
The Lost Tribe by Matthew Caldwell is a hidden gem! It has a great deal of the things I like. There is suspense, intrigue, supernatural, corruption, underdog vs evil, odds against the good guy, and more! Put together so well too. Great characters, plot, and the premise itself. If it wasn't for the supernatural part, you would think it might have happened because it is written so well. Baseball and intrigue! The baseball team is Jewish against the Germans thus the title...so clever!
June 10, 2015
With the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, sports became a precursive metaphor for the conflict of armies and philosophies that was to come in WWII. Ever since, the matching of sports teams has been used to illustrate the differences between one side and the other.
From Victoire, the iconic soccer movie pitting Allied POWs against German ballers in Cologne, to American Pastime, an "inside baseball" film matching Japanese-Americans players in a US internment camp against a hostile, mostly bigoted local team, the image of the overmatched yet victorious underdog serves to underscore other victories.
Google "America's Pastime Sport" and the top reference is a definition of baseball. Baseball was an exhibition sport in 1936 Berlin; both teams who competed in that exhibition were supplied by the US.
Caldwell asks the question, "What if, after the Berlin Olympics, the Nazis had challenged us to a baseball series, one in which an American team was pitted against German players?" The answer to this question is The Lost Tribe. Harry Pike is a zamler, but not the simple collector you learn about if you look up the Yiddish expression. What he collects is luck, or perhaps the power that is derived from pain. With that power, he can then push luck outward, benefitting someone or some group.
Pike knows he has a calling to do something with this ability. Perhaps, as he initially believes, he is meant to save his buddy Abner, a minor-league ball player who has been shunned by his Jewish community for his decision to play on Rosh Hashana. Maybe he is supposed to rescue his employer, who publishes a small newspaper struggling to survive in the blasted economy of the Depression.
When he receives a substantial inheritance with the proviso that he use it to do good, Pike decides the best he can do for all those he may be intended to help is to field a baseball team in response to the Nazi challenge, and give the exclusive coverage to his paper. The players will be those rejected by major league teams for various reasons: One has a missing hand. One is black. One is a woman. And one, of course, is his friend Abner.
They don't expect the Nazis to play fair; in fact, Harry Pike does his best to winnow out players who will not be able to withstand the heat of scorn and derision they expect for their "mixed-race" team. The rest of the novel is about the way the team comes together as a family, a tribe. Along the way, Pike uses his tribe to do a wider good than he had planned at the start.
We don't need the supernatural ability of the zamler to drive this story. Its greatest power comes from the mystical appeal of baseball, and the power of the underdog to inspire us. And of course, from the implicit expectation that the metaphor will reflect real history, and the Allies will win.
On every level, The Lost Tribe satisfies our expectations.
From Victoire, the iconic soccer movie pitting Allied POWs against German ballers in Cologne, to American Pastime, an "inside baseball" film matching Japanese-Americans players in a US internment camp against a hostile, mostly bigoted local team, the image of the overmatched yet victorious underdog serves to underscore other victories.
Google "America's Pastime Sport" and the top reference is a definition of baseball. Baseball was an exhibition sport in 1936 Berlin; both teams who competed in that exhibition were supplied by the US.
Caldwell asks the question, "What if, after the Berlin Olympics, the Nazis had challenged us to a baseball series, one in which an American team was pitted against German players?" The answer to this question is The Lost Tribe. Harry Pike is a zamler, but not the simple collector you learn about if you look up the Yiddish expression. What he collects is luck, or perhaps the power that is derived from pain. With that power, he can then push luck outward, benefitting someone or some group.
Pike knows he has a calling to do something with this ability. Perhaps, as he initially believes, he is meant to save his buddy Abner, a minor-league ball player who has been shunned by his Jewish community for his decision to play on Rosh Hashana. Maybe he is supposed to rescue his employer, who publishes a small newspaper struggling to survive in the blasted economy of the Depression.
When he receives a substantial inheritance with the proviso that he use it to do good, Pike decides the best he can do for all those he may be intended to help is to field a baseball team in response to the Nazi challenge, and give the exclusive coverage to his paper. The players will be those rejected by major league teams for various reasons: One has a missing hand. One is black. One is a woman. And one, of course, is his friend Abner.
They don't expect the Nazis to play fair; in fact, Harry Pike does his best to winnow out players who will not be able to withstand the heat of scorn and derision they expect for their "mixed-race" team. The rest of the novel is about the way the team comes together as a family, a tribe. Along the way, Pike uses his tribe to do a wider good than he had planned at the start.
We don't need the supernatural ability of the zamler to drive this story. Its greatest power comes from the mystical appeal of baseball, and the power of the underdog to inspire us. And of course, from the implicit expectation that the metaphor will reflect real history, and the Allies will win.
On every level, The Lost Tribe satisfies our expectations.
July 6, 2015
I nominated this book on Kindle Scout which entitled me to a free copy when it was selected by Amazon for publication.
The Lost Tribe's remarkable concept was well-implemented. Although I knew that the zamlers were the author's invention, they felt like authentic Jewish folklore. The baseball series in Nazi Germany never happened, but after I read the book I was convinced that it ought to have happened. The plot was suspenseful and the characters were movingly portrayed. This is definitely the best indie book I've read in 2015 so far.
For my complete review see http://shomeretmasked.blogspot.com/20...
The Lost Tribe's remarkable concept was well-implemented. Although I knew that the zamlers were the author's invention, they felt like authentic Jewish folklore. The baseball series in Nazi Germany never happened, but after I read the book I was convinced that it ought to have happened. The plot was suspenseful and the characters were movingly portrayed. This is definitely the best indie book I've read in 2015 so far.
For my complete review see http://shomeretmasked.blogspot.com/20...
June 5, 2015
A must read!
This story grabs you from the first page and you just can't stop reading. I loved this story. I finished in a day. This story has heart and soul. A must read. I am so glad I voted for this book on Kindle scout. Thank you amazon and thank you Matthew Caldwell for a truly great read. I look forward to more books from this author. I am a fan.
This story grabs you from the first page and you just can't stop reading. I loved this story. I finished in a day. This story has heart and soul. A must read. I am so glad I voted for this book on Kindle scout. Thank you amazon and thank you Matthew Caldwell for a truly great read. I look forward to more books from this author. I am a fan.
September 30, 2015
In a glorious melding of baseball and history, Matt Caldwell has penned an epic novel that is as engrossing as it is thought provoking. I thoroughly enjoyed this amazing read. This is one for the keeper shelf.
March 17, 2018
I have mixed feelings about this book. The early part of the story had a slow buildup; plus, the first chapters were deceptive, making me feel like the direction of the story would be that of the boy escaping the SS. It wasn't, and thereafter, the boy only was a means to an end. About a third of the way, the story picked up, but still lacked intensity. Harry went to Germany with a plan, but he did little to implement it. It would have been better if readers could have least have seen him wondering what he was going to do, and making attempts to achieve his goal. It wasn't until near the end of the book that the story exploded into something more exciting. But, the ending is good enough that it makes the overall story worth reading.
February 13, 2017
A really enjoyable book. As someone who is not all that into sports, its' pretty cool that the last 20% of the book left my heart racing, and my turning the pages as quickly as possible.
Wait, I guess that would mean that this is LITERALLY a page-turner.
Wait, I guess that would mean that this is LITERALLY a page-turner.
August 20, 2015
This is quite the yarn. It's not often one finds baseball, prewar Germany, the supernatural, and the plight of the Jews combined so seamlessly, let alone artfully. Or at all.
Matt Caldwell's The Lost Tribe does strain credulity, but he miraculously pulls it off. The main character, Harry Pike, is a sportswriter who leads a ragtag baseball team into a Nazi Germany primed for war. His Shepherds make their stand against Aryan supremacy with a team that includes men, and one woman, who were even treated as outcasts in America.
The team must fight the elements, conniving Germans, harsh living conditions, crooked umpires, political intrigue, mortal danger, and constant surveillance.
Not surprisingly, the series requires seven games. Not surprisingly, the plot consists of much more than is noted here.
The story is rendered skillfully. The scenes shift adroitly. The loose ends all tie. Humanity prevails. Not without sacrifice.
Alas, Harry has a hidden agenda, and hidden gifts, and that's where the supernatural comes in.
Read it. You'll learn a lot. And imagine more.
Matt Caldwell's The Lost Tribe does strain credulity, but he miraculously pulls it off. The main character, Harry Pike, is a sportswriter who leads a ragtag baseball team into a Nazi Germany primed for war. His Shepherds make their stand against Aryan supremacy with a team that includes men, and one woman, who were even treated as outcasts in America.
The team must fight the elements, conniving Germans, harsh living conditions, crooked umpires, political intrigue, mortal danger, and constant surveillance.
Not surprisingly, the series requires seven games. Not surprisingly, the plot consists of much more than is noted here.
The story is rendered skillfully. The scenes shift adroitly. The loose ends all tie. Humanity prevails. Not without sacrifice.
Alas, Harry has a hidden agenda, and hidden gifts, and that's where the supernatural comes in.
Read it. You'll learn a lot. And imagine more.
September 18, 2015
I normally enjoy books about the WWII era, but the best part of this book was the baseball. It took me awhile to get into this story. The supernatural part wasn't a benefit for my enjoyment. Once the tribe got to Germany and was playing ball I became more engaged.
December 24, 2015
Lost Tribe is found
Engrossing read from start to finish....full of plot twist and turns...a must read for anyone looking for a good advrnture
Engrossing read from start to finish....full of plot twist and turns...a must read for anyone looking for a good advrnture
May 31, 2016
A quirky little story combining pre-WW2 history, baseball, and a few characters with magic powers. A fun little adventure ride.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews