Heat by Mike Lupica

HEAT by Mike Lupica

Renowned sports columnist Mike Lupica 's Heat , with its sporty background , revolves around questions of immigration , poverty and the insensitivity of social service . It is a fictional story based on the Danny Almonte scandal in the South Bronx Little League

This base-ball novel concentrates on the story of a young , 12-year-old Cuban , Michael Arroyo and the struggles he has faced in his very early years , as a migrant and a destitute

Having high dreams of pitching in the Little League World Series Michael Arroyo struggles in his

life , with his brother Carlos . Carlos appears to be a father- figure to him , after the death of his parents He lost his mother to cancer at a young age and his father died of heart attack just after their migration to America . Carlos takes on several jobs to make ends meet , all the while encouraging Michael to realize the family 's collective dream of having a child play in the Little League World Series

Michael and Carlos do not disclose their orphaned background as they are afraid of being separated and of social service institutions . If the authorities found out the secret , he and his brother might have to go into foster care or be sent back to Cuba . The only two people who know of Michael 's father 's death are his best friend Manny Cabrera and his neighbor , Mrs . Cora . They offer love and protection to him , along with his brother and are presented as richly drawn supporting characters Michael 's first relationship with a mystery girl is also woven nicely into the main plot

Michael is obsessed with baseball and he finds relief in this excessive fascination , which , in turn , helps to lessen the harsh realities of his life . But his dreams get shattered as he is benched in the World League For , a jealous rival coach questions Arroyo 's age and forces him to produce his birth certificate he is also questioned of his Cuban identity . He is envious of his preternatural ability to throw a baseball at speeds of more than eighty miles an hour

With no parents and a birth certificate that is jammed in the bureaucracy of his homeland , the shadows in Michael 's life grow darker Here he is represented as a victim of fate and racial conflicts . His innocence suffers , in the due course of the novel , as he struggles with the loss of his father , stumbles into his first boy-girl relationship and yearns to play baseball . However , his resistance towards the negative , disappointing facts of life is praiseworthy

Heat is aptly titled and corresponds to the theme of the story . Firstly Michael Arroyo has a dream of pitching in the Little League World Series , and a pitching arm that throws serious heat . But that fire power is nothing compared to the heat Michael faces in his day-to-day life

Mike Lupica crafts a brilliant , fast-paced novel peopled with strong well-developed characters . It 's too realistic and is repleted with action-packed sports scenes . Moreover , the sports scenes are well written and energizing . Lupica presents baseball action and off-the-field incidents alternatively in the novel . The ebbs and flows of Michael 's baseball and non-baseball life offer the perfect setting for the dramatic turn of events . Sometimes , the author moves toward melodrama , but he keeps his plot with teen version of street humor quick- witted dialogues and realistic characters . No doubt , this novel is a paean to baseball fans

Considering the features of contemporary novels , Lupica 's Heat appears to be distinct with regard to its theme and its sporty backdrop . It is not at all philosophical and erudite as the novels of the contemporary novelists like Orhan Pamuk , Umberto Eco etc . Sometimes , it is romantic in its spirit , with full of pathos . It challenges the widely accepted and established notion of childhood as the synonym for innocence and happiness . As a children 's book , Lupica 's novel is an immense success with its theme , characterization , style and plot

Work Cited

Lupica , Mike . Heat . New York : Philomel , 2006

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