Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero

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Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero

by David Maraniss (Goodreads Author)

4.09 of 5 stars 4.09 · rating details · 1,414 ratings · 124 reviews

On New Year's Eve 1972, following eighteen magnificent seasons in the major leagues, Roberto Clemente died a hero's death, killed in a plane crash as he attempted to deliver food and medical supplies to Nicaragua after a devastating earthquake. David Maraniss now brings the great baseball player brilliantly back to life in "Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball's Las...more On New Year's Eve 1972, following eighteen magnificent seasons in the major leagues, Roberto Clemente died a hero's death, killed in a plane crash as he attempted to deliver food and medical supplies to Nicaragua after a devastating earthquake. David Maraniss now brings the great baseball player brilliantly back to life in "Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero," a book destined to become a modern classic. Much like his acclaimed biography of Vince Lombardi, "When Pride Still Mattered," Maraniss uses his narrative sweep and meticulous detail to capture the myth and a real man.Anyone who saw Clemente, as he played with a beautiful fury, will never forget him. He was a work of art in a game too often defined by statistics. During his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, he won four batting titles and led his team to championships in 1960 and 1971, getting a hit in all fourteen World Series games in which he played. His career ended with three-thousand hits, the magical three-thousandth coming in his final at-bat, and he and the immortal Lou Gehrig are the only players to have the five-year waiting period waived so they could be enshrined in the Hall of Fame immediately after their deaths.

There is delightful baseball here, including thrilling accounts of the two World Series victories of Clemente's underdog Pittsburgh Pirates, but this is far more than just another baseball book. Roberto Clemente was that rare athlete who rose above sports to become a symbol of larger themes. Born near the canebrakes of rural Carolina, Puerto Rico, on August 18, 1934, at a time when there were no blacks or Puerto Ricans playing organized ball in the United States, Clemente went onto become the greatest Latino player in the major leagues. He was, in a sense, the Jackie Robinson of the Spanish-speaking world, a ballplayer of determination, grace, and dignity who paved the way and set the highest standard for waves of Latino players who followed in later generations and who now dominate the game.

The Clemente that Maraniss evokes was an idiosyncratic character who, unlike so many modern athletes, insisted that his responsibilities extended beyond the playing field. In his final years, his motto was that if you have a chance to help others and fail to do so, you are wasting your time on this earth. Here, in the final chapters, after capturing Clemente's life and times, Maraniss retraces his final days, from the earthquake to the accident, using newly uncovered documents to reveal the corruption and negligence that led the unwitting hero on a mission of mercy toward his untimely death as an uninspected, overloaded plane plunged into the sea.(less)

Hardcover, 401 pages

Published April 25th 2006 by Simon & Schuster

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Apr 22, 2013 John Martinez rated it 2 of 5 stars

The biography Clemente by David Maraniss is the perfect example of an over factual biography. This book covers the entire life and tragic death of the baseball star in great detail, but maybe even a little too much detail. Unless you're a huge Clemente fan (although what baseball fan isn't in some way), you are going to find it hard to push yourself through this entire book. The only reason I may have been able to finish is because of my interest in the subject.
The book spends way too much time...more

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May 27, 2012 Aaron rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was an uneven flowing book. Maraniss skips certain time periods without any explanation. Example: the 1967 season is not even mentioned. Yet, Clemente had won the 1966 NL MVP. I would like to know why 1967 did not even get a nod from Maraniss. The time from when Clemente was a young boy up to when he went to Montreal to play minor league baseball for the Dodgers is not really discussed. What went on then?

Maraniss does not delve into Clemente's relationships with most of the people in his l...more This was an uneven flowing book. Maraniss skips certain time periods without any explanation. Example: the 1967 season is not even mentioned. Yet, Clemente had won the 1966 NL MVP. I would like to know why 1967 did not even get a nod from Maraniss. The time from when Clemente was a young boy up to when he went to Montreal to play minor league baseball for the Dodgers is not really discussed. What went on then?

Maraniss does not delve into Clemente's relationships with most of the people in his life. For example: Clemente's relationship with Danny Murtaugh (the Pirates manager for the majority of Clement's career) was rocky at the beginning. And then... well, Maraniss really never discusses it further. What were Clemente's feelings when Murtaugh retired in 1964, then came back in 1968? Then retired for the final time after the 1971 World Series? I think that could have been fleshed out much more than it was.

Another example: Bob Prince (the iconic and long-time announcer for the Pirates) and Clemente seemed to respect each other quite a bit, but Maraniss again does not dive into this other than to say "Prince treated him fairly." How? By his commentary during games? Clemente invited Prince to his home and gave him one of his Silver bats that he received for winning a batting title. I think that is a pretty big deal. Yet, Maraniss does not explain exactly why Clemente liked Prince so much.

The chapter on the 1960 season was riveting - I thought it was easily the best part of the book. Maraniss writes that chapter with a dramatic flare that kept me grossly intrigued throughout those pages. Yet, the chapter on the 1971 season paled in comparison.

The background of the old, over-loaded plane that contributed to Clemente's untimely death, and the perfect storm of greed and incompetence that led to him needing to get on that plane, is well-documented by Maraniss. Tragic ending to a life that, despite accomplishing so much already, seemed destined for even bigger and better things.(less)

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Sep 09, 2011 Taylor rated it 3 of 5 stars

Its refreshing to read a biography that doesn't simply canonize a legend that passed too soon. The author does a good job painting a picture of who Roberto Clemente was -faults and all. From his early days in Carolina, Puerto Rico up through his 3,000th hit in Pittsburgh during his last game, Clemente lived and played with a chip on his shoulder. His love-hate relationship with the media is not unlike that of Ted Williams or Joe DiMaggio, however, it is rarely broached these days given the saint...more

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Jul 22, 2009 Richard rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Roberto Clemente played professional baseball as well or better than many of his contemporaries who are today considered to be legends of the game. Many of those other legends were better known by the public at- large back then, partly because Clemente played for an underachieving team from the other, blue collar, Pennsylvania city with a pro ball club. For this reason, he never enjoyed the personal stardom or higher pay players were making in other markets. Nevertheless, as David Maraniss write...more

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Feb 05, 2009 Bookmarks Magazine added it

It's hard not to feel that Clemente, for all its virtues, is a bit of a letdown. With a Pulitzer Prize and notable biographies of Bill Clinton (First in His Class) and Vince Lombardi (When Pride Still Mattered) under his belt, David Maraniss sets high expectations. He mostly satisfies by revealing details about Clemente's tragic death and the compassionate instincts and dogged stubbornness that enabled it and by rightfully placing him alongside his generation's best players. But some critics not

...more

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Feb 09, 2013 Brent Soderstrum rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really started to follow and love baseball in the 1970's so I really didn't get to know who Roberto Clemente was and what kind of man he was. I knew he was a great ball player who had died in a plane crash taking relief to earthquake victims in Nicaragua but that was about it.

This book gives you a glimpse into the life of Clemente who was a very proud Puerto Rican who felt slighted by the press because of his nationality. Clemente was a very emotional man who didn't hold back his views. He was...more

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May 26, 2012 Theo Logos rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: history, biography-autobiography, baseball, pittsburgh

Roberto Clemente was a legendary ballplayer - a .317 career batting average, 3000 hits, four N.L. batting titles, twelve gold gloves, 1966 National League MVP, 1971 World Series MVP, and the first Latino elected to the Hall of Fame. Impressive as these statistics and facts may be, they cannot capture Roberto's greatness. To try to capture Clemente this way, David Maraniss writes, "is like chemists trying to explain Van Gogh by analyzing the ingredients of his paint. Clemente was art, not science...more Roberto Clemente was a legendary ballplayer - a .317 career batting average, 3000 hits, four N.L. batting titles, twelve gold gloves, 1966 National League MVP, 1971 World Series MVP, and the first Latino elected to the Hall of Fame. Impressive as these statistics and facts may be, they cannot capture Roberto's greatness. To try to capture Clemente this way, David Maraniss writes, "is like chemists trying to explain Van Gogh by analyzing the ingredients of his paint. Clemente was art, not science...it was hard to take one's eyes off him". Maraniss' new biography of Clemente, (the first since shortly after he died) captures the many facets of this complex man who truly did live his life both on and off the diamond with passion and grace.

Where the earlier Clemente biographies, written shortly after his death, were little more that tributes and eulogies for the fallen hero, Maraniss writes of the man in all his complexity, and though he deservedly calls him a hero, he does not treat him as a saint. Notoriously thin skinned and prickly, Clemente had a career-long feud with the press. Though it was aggravated by the racism of the time, (Clemente was infuriated when the press would quote his interviews using phonetic spelling to capture his accent) and the language barrier, his sensitive personality, often perceiving slights where they were not intended, was equally to blame. He was obsessed with his health and ailments, complaining constantly about his pain, and some accused him of being a goldbricker and a hypochondriac, yet he seemed to play at his best when in his greatest pain, and ended his career breaking the record for most games played in a Pirates uniform. He constantly and vociferously complained about how he did not get the recognition that he deserved, and played every game like it was the seventh game of the World Series.

Clemente was baseball's last hero, not just for his greatness on the field, but for his life off the baseball diamond. He constantly (and quietly) visited children in hospitals throughout his career, both in the states, and in his beloved Puerto Rico. He dreamed of building a sports city for the children of Puerto Rico (a dream fulfilled after his death). He paved the way for Latin players in the major league, and mentored many of them throughout his career. He once said, "If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth", and he lived by that line. And of course, he died a hero's death, attempting to bring aid to victims of Nicaragua's earthquake. Steve Blass, Clemente's teammate, put it best - "The rest of us were just players - Clemente was a prince."

Maraniss has written a worthy biography that is more than just a sports book. The incredible character that Clemente was - the passionate grace with which he lived his life, and the heroic way in which he lost it should interest even those only marginally interested in baseball. I highly recommend it to all.
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Oct 16, 2010 Stevecrandell rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography, sports, grades-9-and-up

Baseball's last hero - that's a far-reaching claim, and Roberto Clemente deserves the title.

Clemente is my favorite sports hero. A hero in any field has to have the combined talent, opportunity, and determination to make a lasting difference. For pro athletes, the talent is a given, and this book does very well to devote much more attention to Clemente's contribution to Latin American pride and achievement. Maraniss also shares stories to help establish Clemente's weaknesses. He made a lot of p...more

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Sep 29, 2009 David Bales rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 52-books-in-52-weeks

Poignant, sad, moving story of the greatest right fielder of his generation, Roberto Clemente, Puerto Rican national hero and star player of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1955 to 1972. Clemente struggled with being overlooked by the national media due to his small-market team and the assumption that Latin players were gold-bricks. Typically they quoted him in broken English or called him "dramatic" or "emotional". Great descriptions of the 1960 and 1971 World Series', which the Pirates won, (Cleme...more

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Nov 16, 2010 Kay rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography, sports

There were parts of this book that didn't interest me and I found myself easily laying it down and reading something else. It took me over 2 weeks to finish because until the last third I didn't have that urge to know what happened next. I found the baseball part a little boring and enjoyed the personal stuff. Those who know me will be shocked to know I found anything about baseball boring. Perhaps it was because he played for the Pirates which is one of my least favorite team or perhaps it was...more

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Jun 27, 2012 Anne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorite-books

I love Roberto. This may bias me toward this book, but I would like to think otherwise. I loved seeing the human side to Roberto Clemente and read about his struggles in baseball history. As a child, I thought everyone in right field could throw the ball to the plate with one bounce just shy of the catcher. Now that I'm older, I know that I saw a legend in action and that this was not typical right-fielder stuff. I also did not know about his struggles in getting recognition for his great baseba...more

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Feb 19, 2011 Gene rated it 3 of 5 stars

Maraniss did a great job of bringing my earliest baseball memories back to life for me. It felt great just reading the names that I had read hundreds of times in my youth when going through our baseball cards. The book really shines when it describes the World Series games that Clemente was a part of. I was reminded that baseball really is a great game and filled with suspense and tension, even though I have come to find cricket a better game. I see I was not mistaken to be so in love with baseb...more Maraniss did a great job of bringing my earliest baseball memories back to life for me. It felt great just reading the names that I had read hundreds of times in my youth when going through our baseball cards. The book really shines when it describes the World Series games that Clemente was a part of. I was reminded that baseball really is a great game and filled with suspense and tension, even though I have come to find cricket a better game. I see I was not mistaken to be so in love with baseball as a child.

Another strong part of the book is the description of the struggles that Black and Latin American players had in making their way to the majors as well as how life was so hard for them because of the discrimination that they faced, especially in the South. It was good for me to have a fresh reminder of that.

And then there was Clemente himself and the chance to really get to know him again. Perhaps, better to say, get to know him for the first time. The only other book I had read about him was written for youth and was more of a hagiography. This biography brought him to life as a real person with character flaws as well as genuine charm.

The book veered off track significantly in the end when Maraniss vents his hatred for Nixon, the Somaza family, and Howard Hughes. I think he's written so much about politics in his lifetime that he couldn't resist tying these evil characters into the plot. I'm no fan of any of them, and I'm not defending them or saying they should not be criticized. I'm only saying that a book about Clemente doesn't seem to be the place to do so.

Another more minor irritant is the way the book seems to reintroduce certain people over and over again, as if for the first time. I wonder how many times I have to be told who Vic Powers is and what his relationship to Clemente was.

And I'm proud to have this be the first book ever given to me by my son, William. He knew #21 has always been my favorite and that I've always considered Clemente to be the finest baseball player ever. It takes nerve to purchase a book for a book lover, but that he dared to do so and also was able to make a good choice shows how close we still are, even though he lives halfway around the world from me.(less)

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Mar 29, 2009 Darren rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: audio, non-fiction

Before listening to this book, I admit my knowledge of Roberto Clemente was pretty limited: Clemente was a great right-fielder for the Pirates who had 3,000 hits when he died in a plane crash. This book, along with filling in the normal biographical details, described his struggle for respect as a player and as a person in the 50s and 60s. Reading a book knowing the main subject dies in the end, I didn't expect to have an emotional reaction, but hearing the details of the incompetence and neglig...more

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Jul 25, 2010 Gypsy Lady marked it as to-read

"The Clemente that Maraniss evokes was an

idiosyncratic character who, unlike so many modern athletes, insisted that his responsibilities extended beyond the playing field. In his final years, his motto was that if you have a chance to help others and fail to do so, you are wasting your time on this earth. Here, in the final chapters, after capturing Clemente's life and times, Maraniss retraces his final days, from the earthquake to the accident, using newly uncovered documents to reveal the cor...more

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Jul 12, 2010 Al rated it 4 of 5 stars

The story of the first great latino star in the major leagues which are now filled with latino stars. In addition to the purely baseball part of the story, the author details all of the issues Clemente faced which were very similar to those experienced by Jackie Robinson when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers. The book also provides insight into the very human side of Clemente who died at age 38 when his plane crashed on New Year's Eve 1973 as he was personally ferrying humanitarian aid to the vict...more

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Oct 21, 2009 Justin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: baseball

Along with this year's Satchel bio, one of the best books of its kind I've read. It's a pretty balanced look at a complicated person. The writing surrounding Clemente's death is not only moving, but it's very well researched, making the final chapters as insightful as they are moving. The author skips a few years of baseball, which I found perplexing at first, but it does make for a better, more productive read. When he does get into the play on the field, it's lively exciting writing, particula...more

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Jan 07, 2010 Michael Kjeldsen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: english-1

This story is a non fiction book about Roberto Clemente who was a baseball player for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Clemente changed the face of baseball because he was Puerto rican and there were not many of Puerto Ricans in baseball at the time. He proves to everyone that he deserved to be in the major leagues. He was also a very charitable person donating his time and money to foundations.

The story was told through the passion of Roberto Clemente and how he overcomes the racism of the baseball leag...more

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May 20, 2013 Clark Hallman rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography, baseball

Clemente, by David Maraniss, is an excellent biography of Roberto Clemente. I have admired Roberto Clemente since I was a child and I still believe he was one of the greatest baseball players of all time. I was a hugh baseball fan (Pirates fan) from about age 8 through my 20s. I was lucky enough to see Clemente play at Forbes Field a few times when my boys baseball program in Hollidaysburg, PA provided bus "field trips" to a game in Pittsuburh each summer. Later, during the first few years I was...more Clemente, by David Maraniss, is an excellent biography of Roberto Clemente. I have admired Roberto Clemente since I was a child and I still believe he was one of the greatest baseball players of all time. I was a hugh baseball fan (Pirates fan) from about age 8 through my 20s. I was lucky enough to see Clemente play at Forbes Field a few times when my boys baseball program in Hollidaysburg, PA provided bus "field trips" to a game in Pittsuburh each summer. Later, during the first few years I was a undergraduate student at Pitt, I attended many Pirate games where we sat in the bleacher seats in left field for a few dollars. Forbes Field was on the Pitt campus during those years. In July 1970, the Pirates moved to Three Rivers Stadium and I attended a few games there although it was more expensive and not as convenient. I wore Clemente's number when I played VFW baseball as a teenager. I was still a student at Pitt in the Fall of 1971 when the Pirates won the World Series against the Baltimore Orioles on October 17th in Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, and I was part of a huge celebration that filled the streets of Pittsburgh. Clemente was voted Most Valuable Player for that World Series. Unfortunately, I could not afford to attend any of those series games. This book reveals many details about Clemente's personal life as well as providing much detailed information about his eighteen seasons in the major league. Each season is covered including details about significant individual games. I particularly enjoyed the coverage of information about Clemente's relationships with other Pirate players, with Bob Prince (the voice of the Pirates), and with the sports press, who often misinterpreted his pride in himself, his race and his country. Also, it was great to read the detailed coverage of every game of the 1960 and 1971 World Series when the Pirates prevailed to become World Champions. Of course the tragic end of Clemente's life on December 31, 1972 due to the unethical and careless business practices of the air freight company and the failure of FAA safety policies and procedures brought back sad memories of Momen. However he died a hero's death in an attempt to help the people of Nicaragua after a devastating earthquake.
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Feb 05, 2011 Jim rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: baseball, biography

This story is true to the book's subtitle "The Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero." It is well researched and the portrait it paints shows he lived as a devoted family man, world class athlete and a compassionate humanitarian, but was a proud man who found it difficult to suffer criticism. Clemente was a man who maximized his potential in all of it's many facets.

He made a deep impression on his teammates. Steve Blass said, "The rest of us were just players. Clemente was a prince." (pg. 25...more

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Mar 09, 2011 Darryl rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Roberto Clemente (1934-1972), the first Latino superstar of professional baseball played in the United States, was elected to the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame soon after his tragic death in a dangerous and overloaded airplane on the last day of the year, en route to bringing earthquake relief supplies from Puerto Rico to Nicaragua. Clemente died as he lived, a man who passionately loved his countrymen and fellow Latinos regardless of their skin color, particularly those who didn't have the...more Roberto Clemente (1934-1972), the first Latino superstar of professional baseball played in the United States, was elected to the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame soon after his tragic death in a dangerous and overloaded airplane on the last day of the year, en route to bringing earthquake relief supplies from Puerto Rico to Nicaragua. Clemente died as he lived, a man who passionately loved his countrymen and fellow Latinos regardless of their skin color, particularly those who didn't have the opportunities he did.

He was in the twilight of his career at the end of the 1972 season, having collected his 3,000th hit on his last at bat as a Pittsburgh Pirate, an accomplishment that only 10 other men had achieved before him. He was finally at peace with himself, after suffering innumerable slights and insults throughout his career, by managers and fellow players who didn't understand or appreciate him, racial segregation and deplorable living conditions during spring training in Florida, and sportswriters who twisted and phoneticized his Spanish-flavored words in demeaning and hurtful articles. He led the Pirates to two World Series, and was respected and feared as one of the most dangerous clutch hitters in baseball, who ran as if he was being chased by demons and threw out runners regularly from his right field position due to a strong and deadly accurate arm. A complex man who wore his emotions on his sleeves, he would regularly berate and harangue reporters for seemingly innocent questions, yet he would routinely sign autographs for his fans long after his teammates had left the ballpark, and gave freely of himself to anyone he could help, including the poor of San Juan and surrounding towns in Puerto Rico and fans who he embraced and treated as if they were his own family.

Clemente spent his winters playing in Puerto Rico and throughout the Caribbean and Latin America while other major leaguers were resting, to give back to those Latinos who could not see him play in Pittsburgh, and to honor the Latino players that came before him but could not display their talents in the United States, due to their skin color or language barrier. He worshiped his wife, children and parents above all else, and never forgot or forsake his roots as a kid growing up in a poor town outside of San Juan. He was beloved by fans of all races and backgrounds throughout the United States, for his skill, passion for the game, and the love he gave to every fan that supported him. (As a side note, he was one of my favorite players as a kid, along with Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Bob Gibson, and my friends and I would routinely mimic the neck stretches he did before every at bat.)

David Maraniss does an excellent job in honoring and fully describing Roberto Clemente, a complicated and imperfect man who continues to be viewed as a hero in Puerto Rico, other countries in Latin America, and the city of Pittsburgh, as a pioneer who overcome physical pain and personal strife to become one of baseball's greatest and most beloved figures. However, the book was overly repetitive and about 50-100 pages too long, which diluted its impact somewhat. Despite this, I would highly recommend this book, certainly to baseball fans but also to anyone who would enjoy a well written biography about an influential and beloved man.(less)

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Apr 05, 2008 Rossrn Nunamaker rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, bio-autobio

I finished Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero by David Maraniss. What a wonderful book.

I was interested in this as a Pirates fan and from my little knowledge of Clemente as a player and humanitarian who lost his life tragically.

What I learned was much on many levels. In one regard the book provided a social commentary on America from the 1950s through the early 1970s, but it did so through the perspective of a man who was black, but also Puerto Rican. The distinction being C...more I finished Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero by David Maraniss. What a wonderful book.

I was interested in this as a Pirates fan and from my little knowledge of Clemente as a player and humanitarian who lost his life tragically.

What I learned was much on many levels. In one regard the book provided a social commentary on America from the 1950s through the early 1970s, but it did so through the perspective of a man who was black, but also Puerto Rican. The distinction being Clemente grew up without racism in his homeland, and only experienced it upon coming to America to play baseball at a young age (18/19). His being Puerto Rican also distinguished his being black, because he spoke Spanish, not English and didn't "fit in" with the few black players in the league at that time who'd grown up in America with racism.

The conditions in which these players played and the approach they took over time to be treated as equal peers was eye opening from the standpoint that it was presented in a way that you could see it and feel it. It also seemed closer to me from the perspective that I didn't ever get a chance to see Clemente play, but did see many of his teammates.

There was also Clemente as a man. Stories of the friends he made including a girl from Bethlehem, were remarkable. He lived reasonably modestly in America and seemed to make friends with fans and those he viewed to be "underdogs" everywhere. He had a passion for helping children, especially those underprivileged and undergoing serious medical issues. He was also fiercely proud of his heritage and homeland. The book was fair in that it also revealed he was not perfect. He had outbursts. He would curse. He could throw a punch.

And of course there was Clemente the ballplayer. It was great (especially given the Pirates accomplishments since about 1979) to read about the seasons in which he played including 1960 and 1971 when the team won the World Series.

Coming to the end of the book was sad. You knew the ending. Learning how it came to be only heightened the sadness and left you to wonder what if?(less)

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Apr 06, 2008 Len rated it 5 of 5 stars

I try to begin each baseball season with a baseball book and this year it was an easy choice -- David Maraniss' bio of Roberto Clemente was at the top of my list. Clemente died in 1972 just as I was beginning to fall in love with baseball, so I didn't get a chance to see him play nor did I really know much about him other than the fact that he died tragically in a plane crash. This book was an eye-opener on many fronts.

To begin, there is no question Clemente was a true hero in every sense of the...more I try to begin each baseball season with a baseball book and this year it was an easy choice -- David Maraniss' bio of Roberto Clemente was at the top of my list. Clemente died in 1972 just as I was beginning to fall in love with baseball, so I didn't get a chance to see him play nor did I really know much about him other than the fact that he died tragically in a plane crash. This book was an eye-opener on many fronts.

To begin, there is no question Clemente was a true hero in every sense of the word, especially to the people of his native Puerto Rico. when he wasn't thinking about baseball or playing baseball, he was helping others -- not just in Puerto Rico but everywhere. His most famous quote was: "if you have a chance to help others, and don't, then you are wasting your time on this earth."

Clemente was orginally drafted by the Dodgers, but they didn't think he was ready for the majors and hid him in Montreal where they hoped nobody would notice him. But when they left him unprotected in the Rule 5 draft the next year, the lowly Pirates snapped him up with the first overall pick. Over the next 18 years he led the Pirates to two world championships and knocked out 3,000 hits, won a trophy case full of gold gloves and cemented his position as one of the greatest players of all time. But none of that seems important when you reflect on what he meant to both latin players and black players that followed.

Clemente was one of the first black player on the Pirates, but he was also one of the first great latin players in the majors. As a black latin he dealt with twice as much racism in the U.S., even though he was proud to play in America and signed up to be a Marine reservist. In spring training in Florida, he had to endure Jim Crow racism and in Pittsburgh he had to overcome the largely white population. He always spoke out and became a hero to black and latin players that followed him.

Maraniss is a wonderful storyteller and he brings Clemente's life alive. It's an amazing life and a tragic life, but altogether a great life and a story worth reading whether you are a baseball fan or not.(less)

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Feb 26, 2008 Roy rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: baseball fans / Peurto Ricans

I read this during spring training, needed a good baseball fix. I didn't know much about Clemente before this book, and I think it is better for people who love the Puerto Rican great. He comes off as an interesting, caring, enigmatic, passionate man. As a baseball fan, it did not tell me too much more about the games or the players that I didn't already now, except for the silly segregation rules that they all put up with in the 50s.

I tend to read non-fiction because I want to learn about what...more

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Mar 29, 2008 JoeM rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone who appreciates baseball

Shelves: read-in-08

I read this book because I was looking for a hero. I first encountered Roberto Clemente when I was a boy. He died when I was 2 - but I first saw him when I went to the Hall of Fame. There was a mannequin of him in his Pirates uniform. I always wondered who he was....now I know.

The writing could have been tighter. I felt like I read the same passages over and over throughout the book. But maybe that was the point - to reinforce the feelings Clemente and others felt at the time. Having not lived w...more

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Oct 21, 2007 Baiocco rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: People who believe some athletes are larger than their sport

Shelves: biography

I read this book about a month ago during an afternoon in my friend's backyard on a trip to San Diego while I was looking for a hero to believe in. Roberto Clemente would do.

First off, biographies, in my opinion, should be easy, quick reads and provide the reader with more or less a detailed chronology of the life (or period of life) with maybe some interviews, quotes, or stories from the subject and/or people who interacted with the subject at that time. I don't like when biographers attempt to...more I read this book about a month ago during an afternoon in my friend's backyard on a trip to San Diego while I was looking for a hero to believe in. Roberto Clemente would do.

First off, biographies, in my opinion, should be easy, quick reads and provide the reader with more or less a detailed chronology of the life (or period of life) with maybe some interviews, quotes, or stories from the subject and/or people who interacted with the subject at that time. I don't like when biographers attempt to dissect a subject's work (especially in the case of painters or writers), or postulate what they were thinking at the time. Provide me with some source material adjacent works, and I will do the research myself if I am so inclined or intersted by the portrait you presented. Maybe that's just me though.

Marianniss doesn't attempt to do too much with Clemente here, but rather shows how valuable Clemente was to Puerto Rico, through his value to Major League Baseball. The grace which Marianniss proves is close to saintly reverence, but in the case of Clemente it may be warranted. A chronic perfectionist, Clemente fought racial prejudice to gain his spot on the PIttsburgh Pirates, struggling to use his natural charisma and talent to reach out to the people of his home nation. After hitting his 3000th major league hit (3,000!) in the final game of the 1972 season, he boarded a plane set to give food aid and relief in Nicaragua on New Year's Eve of 72/73. An earthquake ravaged the capital of Managua (which Clemente had recently visited) and after setting up the relief aid, he learned that the first two planes were intercepted by corrput officials. Always looking to rise to the occasion and deal with problems directly, Clemente decided to ride down himself on the 3rd plane and examine the situation. The decision proved fatal as the plane crashed shortly before midnight.

While the tragic death hangs like a shadow over the entire biography, Marianniss does a good job at highlighting Clemente's whole career (1955-1972) as a Pirate and earlier as a young talent struggling for his playing time in a racist system. (less)

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Oct 24, 2012 Sergio rated it 4 of 5 stars

I personally thought that this book was amazing. It showed the struggles of a puerto rican baseball player trying to make it to the major leagues of baseball. I recommend this book to anyone that wishes to become a MLB player. Just to have a taste of how hard it was to become one back in the day. The author paints a picture in your mind by giving so many details and it just feels as if you were siting in front of "Clemente" (the main character) during this story.

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May 20, 2008 Robert rated it 4 of 5 stars

Very good baseball book. It takes you through Pittsburgh's championship runs in 1960 and 1971. It also just shows the different type of racism that Clememente had to face. I never knew too much about him but now realize that he was much more then a baseball Hall of Famer, but also a legend in Puerto Rico. I also didn't realize how outspoken he would be to the media if he disagreed with a story, but along with that how supportive or apologetic he would be to that same media if he agreed with a st...more

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May 07, 2008 Pamela rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: sports fans

Clemente is a hero to a lot of young athletes, especially Latino ones, and I am really glad that finally someone wrote a book about him. With the Michael Vicks and Roger Clemens of today's sports world, it is hard to remember that there were and are some athletes who possess a genuine sense of humanity and honest athleticism.

The book is pretty well paced but at times redundant. Maraniss dwells on Clemente's complaining about his ailments at nauseum. Also, he could have put the context of the ti...more

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Aug 03, 2010 John Lomnicki, rated it 4 of 5 stars

I learned why I liked Roberto Clemente. I grew up in the Pittsburgh area and remember seeing him play at Forbes Field, seeing him on black and white TV and listening to the Bob Prince play by play on radio. It was a magical time growing up and he was a magical athlete.

I saw all of the good parts of the Pirate story and this book filled in more what was happening during this era. I recall hearing that a plane went down with him and the dumbfounded look of people around me. My dad, who was not a...more

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Feb 06, 2009 Roger rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'm a huge baseball fan who admired Roberto Clemente while growing up. David Maraniss's biography provides great insights into this complex man, who was demanding of himself and others. The book also provides a striking description of the barriers and racism facing one of the first superstars to come out of Latin America. This is a must read for any baseball fan.

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About David Maraniss

David Maraniss is an associate editor at The Washington Post and the author of four critically acclaimed and bestselling books, When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi, First in His Class: A Biography of Bill Clinton, They Marched Into Sunlight War and Peace, Vietnam and America October 1967, and Clemente The Passion and Grace of Baseballs Last Hero. He is also the author of The Clinto...more

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Books by David Maraniss

When Pride Still Mattered: A Life Of Vince Lombardi

They Marched Into Sunlight: War and Peace Vietnam and America October 1967

Rome 1960: The Olympics That Changed the World

First in His Class: A Biography of Bill Clinton

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