Albert Bell
Albert Bell has taught at Hope College, in Holland, MI, since 1978. His wife is a psychologist; they have four adult children and a grandson. In addition to a number of articles and stories and such non-fiction books as Exploring the New Testament World, Bell has published a mystery novel, Kill Her Again (Author's Choice Pr., 2000), set against the backdrop of an archaeological excavation in Italy, and a children's historical mystery, The Case of the Lonely Grave (Author's Choice Pr., 2000), that connects contemporary children with the Underground Railroad and the Civil War era. He is also the author of a mystery set in ancient Rome, All Roads Lead to Murder, published by High Country Publishers in 2002 and intended as the first in a series. The Midwest Book Review called it “one of the best antiquarian murder mysteries penned to date.” A contemporary mystery, set in Grand Rapids and titled Death Goes Dutch, was published by Claystone Books in March 2006. RoundTable Reviews dubbed it “a gem.” Bell’s latest book, Perfect Game, Imperfect Lives: A Memoir Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Don Larsen’s Perfect Game, was published on Oct. 8, 2006. One reviewer said, “Never before have I read a tribute to an event so meaningful to the real people, the children of America, the generation of the ‘50s . . . . A wonderful read for the sports lover and the historian alike as there’s a touch of both throughout the story.” |
Perfect Game, Imperfect Lives: A Memoir Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Don Larsen's Perfect Game
1956 – what a year! “Ozzie and Harriet” and Lawrence Welk on TV. The Cold War and the Civil Rights movement in the news. And Elvis everywhere. In the midst of it all, an 11-year-old boy, an avid New York Yankees fan, finds himself uprooted from the security of a close-knit family in South Carolina and moved to Cincinnati. His new best friend proves to be a transplanted Brooklynite, a rabid Dodger fan. Their lives center around baseball – playing it, talking about it, and collecting baseball cards and autographs. On October 8, a Monday, they skip school to watch the fifth game of the World Series. As amazed as the rest of the country, they see a journeyman pitcher named Don Larsen hurl his way into the record books with the only perfect game ever pitched in the Series. |