کتاب  The Great American Novel Oiginal From the Pulitzer Prizewinning author of American Pastorala richly imagined novel featuring Americas only homeless bigleague baseball team in history delivers shameless comic extravagance Roth gleefully exploits our readiness to let baseball stand for America itself The New York Times  Gil Gamesh the only pitcher who ever literally tried to kill the umpire The excon first baseman John Baal The Babe Ruth of the Big House who never hit a home run sober If youve never heard of themor of the homeless baseball team the Ruppert Mundysits because of the Communist plot and the capitalist scandal that expunged the entire Patriot League from baseball memory  In this ribald wickedly satiric novel Roth turns baseballs status as national pastime and myth into an occasion for unfettered picaresque farce replete with heroism and perfidy ebullient wordplay and a cast of characters that includes the House UnAmerican Activities Committee