The author, John Grisham, once dreamed of a career as a professional baseball player for the St. Louis Cardinals.

[1] The novel is inspired by the real-life story of Ray Chapman, the only professional baseball player killed by a pitch.

For example, at the age of 19, Grisham saw a ball fly by his face at about ninety miles per hour and quit the game, promptly and permanently.

The sympathetic editor of the local Calico paper tells Paul that Joe hardly ever talks to strangers - much less to Warren Tracey, who destroyed his career.

In fact, there is a concrete danger of Warren being physically assaulted, should he appear in Calico Rock - the townspeople still angry at what he did to their hero.

[8] According to Bob Minzesheimer of Gannett News Service, "In baseball terms, Calico Joe is...like a pleasant, mid-season afternoon at the ballpark, when the home team slowly rallies and wins.

"[2] In contrast to the typical Grisham novel that is "full of twists and turns and tension", this novel is "a sweet, simple story" according to The Washington Post's Steven V.

[3] Roberts describes the novel as a fable with a moral that "good can come out of evil; it’s never too late to confess your sins and seek forgiveness.

[4] Two months after the book was published, it was reported that filmmaker Chris Columbus would direct and produce an adaptation of the novel under his own company 1492 Pictures.