Young describes Sandlot Stories as a collection of essays capturing America's history, its people and its culture, as seen through the eyes of a child playing sandlot baseball. As copies continue to sell, Young hopes those who read it indeed see some of those memories return.

Steven Hayes Young grew up in Saratoga. His family history in the city dates back roughly half a century when his great-uncle John C. Young owned Hakone Gardens along with five other families. A former semi-pro baseball player, Young has fond memories of playing sandlot baseball in 1970s at nostalgic spots such as orchards that once stood where office buildings do now, and behind St. Andrews Church.

Young, a former entrepreneur and technology leader in the Bay Area, says he found that sharing American baseball stories was a creative way to build a bridge with executives from Japan.

According to an article written by Deirdre Parsons, "Business Finds First Base," there are differences in the game of baseball between Japan and America. For example, in Japan there is no heckling during games, one is more likely to see sushi served than a hot dog, and there is an official list of cheers audience members are allowed to sing at a game. Despite these differences, the game is a treasured pastime in both countries.

Young recalls working with a young Toyota engineer, who turned to him one day and asked him what it was like for him as a child growing up, playing baseball in Saratoga. What grew from that conversation was inspiration for Young—he decided to put together a collection of essays written by people all over the world, telling their childhood memories of the sport they loved.

"They're people I've known throughout my life—people from here in Saratoga, all the way to business associates from around the world," he says.

Young teamed with Marcella Parsons to write the book. With her extensive background in telecommunication and printing software with companies like Xerox, Parsons founded her own digital publishing company, ARose Books Publishing in Incline Village. Combining their backgrounds and entrepreneurial skills, Parsons and Young released Sandlot Stories in an unprecedented three months in English and Japanese, and digitally as an eBook. Young will share his stories as a guest of the Friends of the Saratoga Libraries in a special presentation at the Saratoga Library on Feb. 2 at 7:30 p.m. Copies of the book in both English and Japanese will be available for sale in paperback as well as eBook formats. An original collector's edition of the book will also be for sale, with the proceeds benefiting the Friends of the Saratoga Libraries.

For more information on the book, visit www.sandlotstories.com. The Saratoga Library is located at 13650 Saratoga Ave.