Hamill's blend of journalistic and magical realism brings together several rich strands of American literature into a bildungsroman which illuminates the naturalistic landscape of post War Brooklyn with the magic of the American hero myth and Jewish mysticism together. The story of the poor boy who becomes a hero is part of our national myth, especially in the immigrant tradition. Ragged Dick comes to mind, as does the realist tradition of the novels of Henry Roth, James T. Farrell, Nelson Algren, and more recently, E. L. Doctorow (see separate entries). Jackie Robinson himself is somewhat of a boyhood icon around whom a tradition of juvenile literature has evolved. Hamill himself credits his readings in the Yiddish tradition, including folks tales and proverbs, and Jewish mysticism, learned in his visits to Prague and from Chaim Bloch's The Golem and Angela Maria Ripellino Magic Prague.