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I Had a Hammer: The Hank Aaron Story
by
Hank Aaron
The man who shattered Babe Ruth's lifetime home run record, Henry "Hammering Hank" Aaron left his indelible mark on professional baseball and the world. But the world also left its mark on him.
I Had a Hammer is much more than the intimate autobiography of one of the greatest names in pro sports—it is a fascinating social history of twentieth-century America. With courage a...more
I Had a Hammer is much more than the intimate autobiography of one of the greatest names in pro sports—it is a fascinating social history of twentieth-century America. With courage a...more
ebook, 496 pages
Published
March 17th 2009
by HarperCollins e-books
(first published 1991)
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Which baseball player in history would consider the best? Well "I Had a Hammer: The Hank Aaron story talks about my favorite. His book talks about obstacles he faced such as racism. Aaron mentioned a lot of people in his life like his teammates. It gives you information about his career.
Many obstacles tried to prevent him from having a good baseball career. Racism affected his career when he and other African American players got booed. Segregation also made his career more difficult like when...more
Many obstacles tried to prevent him from having a good baseball career. Racism affected his career when he and other African American players got booed. Segregation also made his career more difficult like when...more
Hank Aaron was until a couple of years ago the holder of major league baseball's career home run record, and he is by all accounts one of baseball's all-time greatest players. Aaron started his career in baseball soon after Jackie Robinson broke the racial barrier, while black players still faced virulent racism on many fronts. Aaron faced more than most when he challenged Babe Ruth's home run record; he received thousands of hate-filled letters, many threatening his life, which are simply horri...more
i read this when i was much younger and in the middle of an intense fascination with early african-american baseball players (tell me james "cool papa" bell didn't have the coolest nickname ever). i'll be the first to admit, this is first and foremost a baseball story. so if you're not "into" baseball, you might find it forgettable. but, particularly in the wake of recent scandals and broken records, i think hank aaron's story transcends sports.
while it might seem cliche, this book talks about...more
while it might seem cliche, this book talks about...more
This book is about a baseball player named Hank Aaron. Hank is the best player to every play baseball, because he has the record for the most homeruns. He is also in the hall of fame. This was very hard for Hank to do, because during this time everyone hated him because he was black. They treated him badly because they were jealous of his baseball skills, and because os his skin color.
I would recommend this book to anyone. Even though you arent a sports fan, this book will teach you a lot. It t...more
I would recommend this book to anyone. Even though you arent a sports fan, this book will teach you a lot. It t...more
Trying to read some "inspirational" baseball books to help the long fantasy baseball season and my results in the Moosepath League-ha. This is Aaron's autobiography that in my opinion is too long. Repetitive.
It is uplifting to read about what he went through breaking Babe Ruth's home run record in the early 1970s. I'm not sure that record will be broken (I don't acknowledge Bonds or any of the HGH/Roid manufactured ballplayers of today, sorry). Roger Maris holds the single season home run record...more
It is uplifting to read about what he went through breaking Babe Ruth's home run record in the early 1970s. I'm not sure that record will be broken (I don't acknowledge Bonds or any of the HGH/Roid manufactured ballplayers of today, sorry). Roger Maris holds the single season home run record...more
This book is amazing. It should be a required read for anyone who has forgotten what the United States was like just a short 50 years ago, what kind of sharp racism Aaron faced throughout his twenty years, and what that means for the legacy of Americans. Baseball fans, people interested in social justice, and all inbetween should read this book about the man who broke Babe Ruth's record.
My favorite baseball player of all-time. Got to meet him once and interview him. Great baseball player, even greater man. This book is well done.
Sep 18, 2011
Alshia Moyez
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
biography-sports
I really loved the book and I'm so glad he wrote it! In fact I enjoy "all" of Hank Aaron's offerings as an author. I think you will, too.
The life story of Hank Aaron is amazing. It's admirable what he has endured through and accomplished.
I read it many years ago. I was inspired by Mr. Aarons tenacity in the midst of adversity.
I love baseball as a sport, but I felt like the book just dragged on a lot.
Just reading the letters he received made the book worth the read.
A little long
One of the reasons I loved baseball as a child was books like this.
Who knew at the same time I was learning about racism, history, and how to choke up on a 1-2 count.
You can't even imagine how much baseball has changed until you read that they used to sign kids like Aaron for about $100 and a bus ticket from Mobile.
Who knew at the same time I was learning about racism, history, and how to choke up on a 1-2 count.
You can't even imagine how much baseball has changed until you read that they used to sign kids like Aaron for about $100 and a bus ticket from Mobile.
A little long
It isn't the most intriguing memoir or the best written, but it's an important story for baseball and de-segregation. I've learned some interesting history in the sport.
A remarkable player and a remarkable man. Gracious even in his honesty about the burden he bore just to play the game he loved.
Good autobiography.
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Henry Louis "Hank" Aaron is a retired American baseball player whose Major League Baseball (MLB) career spanned the years 1954 through 1976. Aaron is widely considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time. In 1999, editors at The Sporting News ranked Hank Aaron fifth on their list of "Greatest Baseball Players."
After playing with the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro American League and...more
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After playing with the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro American League and...more
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