Last Days of Summer

An in-house memo from the Brooklyn Juvenile Detention Center, where Joey is detained as a result of urinating in the reservoir, opens this section. Sergeant Kahane advises his superior that “the Margolis Kid” (13) refuses the agency’s food, instead demanding brisket on rye bread, which is a traditional Jewish dish. Additionally, the boy demands immediate discharge due to various ailments he claims to suffer, including “appendicitis, heart attack, diphtheria, polio and gonorrhea” (13). He refuses to identify his attackers, although agency officials correctly suspect “the Bierman brat” (13). His mother and aunt remain unaware that he is being beaten by anti-Semitic neighborhood boys, and his biological father does not return phone calls from agency officials.

When interviewed by psychologist Dr. Donald Weston, the boy initially denies having been beaten, but ultimately identifies neighborhood bully Lenny Bierman as his assailant. Bierman assaults Joey’s best friend, Craig Nakamura, as well. While his father is actually a textile plant owner, Joey fantasizes that he actually “built the Spirit of St. Louis with Lindbergh” (16) and introduces the topic of seeking “negative attention” (17) from his father into the conversation with Dr. Weston. When Rorschach blots are presented, Joey sees imagery related to the Polo Grounds baseball stadium and events from the life of his baseball hero, Charlie Banks. He writes a letter to Banks (whom he has cautioned Bierman is his best friend) advising that he suffers a number of incurable diseases and requesting that he hit a home run after announcing that it is in Joey’s honor. A form letter response includes an autographed photo of Banks, and Joey imagines accompanying the player on future road trips.

In a bold move, Joseph writes the Bureau of Vital Statistics in Banks’ home state of Wisconsin in which he uses “Banks” as his surname and requests information for a family tree. An archivist responds with intricate details of the ballplayer’s family history and his current Manhattan address. Dr. Weston is horrified when the boy shares this information and worries about potential criminal charges being filed, while Joey shares information regarding Banks’ ballfield performance with his best friend and upstairs neighbor, Craig Nakamura (aka “The Shadow”) and the pair speculate about Mrs. Aubaugh, a neighbor whom they suspect of being a spy. 

The chapter opens with a progress report regarding Joey from Mrs. Hicks, his long-suffering teacher at Alexander Hamilton Junior High School, noting that he has received A’s in all academic subjects, but a D in the category of Obedience. She describes Joey as “challenging” and possessed of a “reckless imagination” (31), citing his characterization of Dolly Madison as a lesbian as an example, in addition to his proclivity for expressing affection for his future wife, Rachel Panitz, by throwing various objects at her during class. His mother responds with a witty note to the teacher, indicating that she thought Mrs. Madison was a Protestant as opposed to a lesbian.

Joey continues to bombard Charlie Banks with letters containing fraudulent information (e.g., claiming to be a Marine Corps drummer and referring to his biological father as a submarine commander) in which the boy requests home runs scored in his honor. The ballplayer becomes irritated, addressing Joey as “you little pisser” (33). Banks is curious as to how Joey obtained his home address, but his criticism of FDR leads to a heartfelt defense of the President by his pen pal. Although Banks asserts that their correspondence is over, he is clearly curious about Joey and wonders why the boy was in Juvenile Hall. In return, Joey mentions intricate details regarding Banks’ family history, further tantalizing him as to the source of the information. A newspaper clipping shows the reader that Time magazine named President Franklin Roosevelt first in the list of “Most Admired Men and Women of 1940,” whereas Charlie Banks, a third baseman, ranks fifth on this scale. As this wise-cracking exchange continues, Joey reveals more personal biographical information, alluding to futile attempts to contact his father as “Nana Bert,” his stepmother, who refuses to put him through on the phone. Banks, who is an extraordinarily gifted ballplayer but far less grammatical than Joey, makes futile attempts to resist the boy’s charismatic personality and is increasingly curious about him.

Stephen Early, who is Roosevelt’s Press Secretary, continues replying to Joey’s letters. He disputes the boy’s claim that Neville Chamberlain, who was the English Prime Minister at this time, is a Nazi collaborator. (It is historically interesting to note that Chamberlain did practice appeasement against Hitler.) Early marvels that Joey is aware of a secret Reich airbase in Bolivia and disparages the boy’s warning that Hitler will attack both Holland and Belgium. This letter is immediately followed by a news clipping indicating that the Wehrmacht (the German armed forces) “dispatched 500 bombers on a series of strafing raids over Belgium and Holland” (43). When Joey refers to this correspondence with Early during therapy with Dr. Weston, the therapist thinks he is fantasizing until Joey produces the actual letter and advises him that they have been writing each other “since 1937” (44).Joey becomes tearful when a Rorschach reminds him of Crosley Field in Cincinnati, which reminds him of his father referring to Banks as “a loser” (45). Subsequently, Joey and Craig Nakamura have an exchange about being the victims of bullying in the neighborhood.

In his campaign to become a part of Charlie Banks’ life, Joey writes to the ballplayer’s girlfriend, a singer named Hazel McKay who is engaged in public feuds with the famous performer, Ethel Merman. Joey falsely advises McKay that he faces a leg amputation; however, Banks refuses to hit a home run in his honor. Telegrams between Banks and McKay follow. She is furious with him due to his refusing the boy his request, and Banks writes a scathing letter to Joey in which he chastises the boy. Banks cites the death of C. Mathewson, a ballplayer who died in World War I, as an example of true suffering as he prods Joey into viewing his own perspective. Additionally, he needs the boy’s help in restoring his relationship with Hazel McKay, who was spotted on the previous evening having dinner with the famous actor, Tyrone Power. Joey responds with a reluctant apology, but notes that he needs help with the bullies in the neighborhood, asking: “How many times can I tell my Mom I fell off my bike?” (54).Banks, waxing philosophical, responds that there are far more important things in life than baseball statistics, noting that “[t]here are other things that count for a lot more; like Churchill and Anschluss and Kristallnacht and people who are always on your side no matter what” (55).