Synopsis
Did you ever set a goal so high that you must jump over the moon in order to achieve it? That’s what Phineas Gannon sets for himself. Phin has a big heart, but it’s also a heart that’s failing. Before he dies, he wants to spend more time with his wife, and he must prepare his nephew to run the family business, but his highest goal is to achieve one last sporting victory over longtime friend Morton Cunningham. After a lifetime of one-upmanship, the vibrant economy of the 1920s allows these two successful businessmen to sponsor several unusual sporting events which far exceed normal standards of friendly competition. Their final battle is a contest for the last coveted slot in the Los Angeles Winter Ball League—Mort with his Major League pros and Phin with his Lakota nine. Yet through his newly formed friendship with a nearly blind Lakota elder, Phineas learns a new way to see life and another way to define victory. But is it in time and at what cost? TEN TALKING POINTS FOR BOOK CLUBS: 1. Not all villains are people. In "Jumping Over the Moon" the main villain is time. Phineas Gannon is in a desperate race against time. 2. In life and in the novel, some friendships are defined by longevity, such as Phineas and Mort. Would Phin have befriended Mort if they weren’t childhood buddies? Other friendships may be longtime acquaintances defined by a common interest, such as Duke and Phin’s love of sports. And there are those people who become friends because of mutual views of life, love, and honor, such as Amos and Phineas. 3. There are different ways to define victory. Amos Wise Heart has his understanding, which differs from novice baseball club owner Phineas—a contrast which offers both humor and frustration. 4. With only one generation of separation after the end of the American Indian Wars, a Lakota baseball team joins a white man in a fight for victory. 5. Demonstrated in the novel are two examples of American influence in the lives of the Native American—baseball and religion. 6. As they near the end of their lives, Phin fears his boyhood friend Mort has gained the world but has lost his soul. 7. Phin’s keen interest in the welfare of others defines his honorable character, whereas Mort’s self interests define his sordid character. 8. Although Mort isn’t entirely bad, he is a man of lies, dark secrets, and betrayals of which Phin wants no part. And yet, there is a constant pull on Phin to enter Mort’s dark world, beginning with the opening horserace. 9. "Jumping Over the Moon" is an example of American sports becoming the great equalizer among the races. 10. In the end, kindness, honor, and good moral values win out. QUOTE FROM THE BOOK: “Phin,” Amos replied. “There are no goodbyes in the Sioux language. You should learn to say akewachinyakinkte.” He pronounced it a-kay-wa-che-ya-kintay. “It means I want to see you again.”
About the Author
E Dee Monnen loves collecting interesting bits of baseball history and sharing quirky baseball facts wherever she goes. She's been a guest on more than 200 radio programs and several television shows, including a national appearance on Fox & Friends. She has also been a guest speaker for symposiums, various book clubs, and corporations.
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