It is the morning of July 4, 1946. World War II has ended and things are starting to get back to normal. Eleven-year-old Norm Schmidt and his friend, Leon, are making plans to sneak away and set off fireworks that night. Since fireworks haven’t been allowed all through the war because of the blackouts, this will be a big occasion. Meanwhile, the day is dragging because Norm has to work in his father’s meat market. While grinding meat for hamburgers, Norm lets his attention wander, and suddenly realizes his hand is caught in the grinder. From that point on, Norm’s life will never be the same.

 Though this sounds like a grim opening, the book is upbeat, dealing with Norm’s determination to learn to be independent in spite of the loss of his left hand. His main goal is to learn to play baseball again, even though Leon and Norm's family are dubious that he can succeed. The book takes Norm through one year following the accident, showing how his gutsy optimism and sense of humor see him though the ups and downs of learning to live with only one hand.

 This book is loosely based on my husband Herm’s childhood accident. Herm lost his hand at age eleven while working in his father's store. The methods Norm uses to sharpen his baseball strategy are the same ones Herm figured out as a child. Herm's mother, Louise Auch encouraged him to do everything for himself, which set him up for success in life.Herm went on to excel in many sports, such as bicycle racing, baseball, football, track, golf, and tennis. Like Norm, he had a childhood dream of becoming an artist. Herm was a newspaper graphic artist for forty years, then retired in 2000 to start his new career as a children’s book illustrator.

The picture to the left shows Herm about six months after he lost his hand. The pictures below show the meat counter at the back of the family store, with Herm's mother waiting on customers on the left. His father, Herman Auch, is cutting meat on the right.