A BUSH LEAGUE HERO by EDNA FERBER

From 1001 Stories From The Gilded Age by Jon Hagadorn Podcast Host

February 25, 2026 · 28 min

About this episode

The episode features Edna Ferber's story 'A Bush League Hero', exploring themes of small-town life and the contrast between sophistication and everyday heroism.

Attention: We will now be offering three Gilded Age short stories every week- Sun 12 Noon ET, Wed 4pm ET, Fri 4pm ET, with complete show notes, all narrated by Jon, some new, some old. I have a huge respect for the woman writers of this period and enjoy sharing their stories. If you like this change let others know with your review! Answer to "Who coined the term 'Gilded Age?"below.... The Story: "A Bush League Hero" Published in Ferber's 1912 collection Buttered Side Down, this story is a classic example of her "working-class" fiction. The Summary: Despite the title, this is not a baseball story. It focuses on Ivy Keller, a young woman who returns to her small hometown after attending a "select school for young ladies" and finds herself intensely bored by the lack of excitement. The "hero" of the title is not a literal athlete but a local man, Jo Hertz, who manages a small-town clothing store. The story explores the contrast between Ivy's sophisticated pretensions and the quiet, unglamorous "heroism" of everyday work and small-town life. The Hook: Ferber uses a bait-and-switch with the title to critique the era's obsession with celebrity and "big league" glamour, instead finding…

People in this episode

Host: Jon Hagadorn

Topics covered

Gilded Age
short stories
working-class fiction
female authors
small-town life
celebrity culture

Keywords

Gilded Age
Edna Ferber
short stories
working-class
small-town
heroism
celebrity

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: A Bush League Hero, Buttered Side Down