No Crying in Baseball (by Erin Carlson)

The actual title of this book is No Crying in Baseball: The Inside Story of A League of Their Own: Big Stars, Dugout Drama, and a Home Run for Hollywood. Snappy! 

I feel like I say the exact same thing every time I read a book like this - it should have been an oral history! Instead we get an extensive biography of the life of Penny Marshall (really the book goes into incredible depth) and then some fun anecdotes from the film.  I knew some of them (Jimmy and Dottie kiss in one version, and Marla gets pregnant) and I didn't know others (Betty Spaghetti is played by Penny Marshall's daughter, the thigh bruise in that one scene is real and the actress lost feeling in her leg for fifteen years.) Also Madonna was a diva.

The author also takes a moment to point out the things that have aged poorly - like the lack of queer representation and the whole "Marla is ugly" plotline - which I appreciated. Overall it was a fun if somewhat oddly edited read for movie fans.  It would have made an amazing oral history though.