1933 Was a Bad Year

John Fante's novel follows seventeen-year-old Dominic Molise, who lives in a poor little town in 1933 and dreams of becoming an American sports hero. A left-handed pitcher, he wants the big leagues, recognition and love. His Italian parents stand in the way. His father, who works in the family's brick-laying business, wants the boy to give up baseball and take up the trowel, while his mother responds by praying. The story sets class against personal ambition during hard times in America and traces a boy's passage from childhood toward adulthood. Fante, also the author of Ask the Dust, was credited by Charles Bukowski as the writer who first inspired him to write.

Ryan Holiday included Fante's work in his Best Book Recommendations of 2011.