What do you think?
Rate this book
Hammerin' Hank Greenberg: Baseball Pioneer
Sydney Taylor Honor Book
Learn all about tthe first Jewish baseball hall-of-famer, Hank Greenberg, in this thought-provoking biography for young readers.
Hank Greenberg battled anti-Semitism on and off the field. Raised in New York City, he was the son of Romanian-Jewish immigrants, served during World War II, and then had a long career as a baseball player with the Detroit Tigers—where the moniker Hammerin' Hank came to life—and later as a baseball executive. Readers will experience the prejudice Greenberg endured, even as he made his way into the annals of baseball two-time American League MVP, 331 home runs, and first Jewish baseball player inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Archival photos add to the appeal of this Sydney Taylor Honor Book.
Learn all about tthe first Jewish baseball hall-of-famer, Hank Greenberg, in this thought-provoking biography for young readers.
Hank Greenberg battled anti-Semitism on and off the field. Raised in New York City, he was the son of Romanian-Jewish immigrants, served during World War II, and then had a long career as a baseball player with the Detroit Tigers—where the moniker Hammerin' Hank came to life—and later as a baseball executive. Readers will experience the prejudice Greenberg endured, even as he made his way into the annals of baseball two-time American League MVP, 331 home runs, and first Jewish baseball player inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Archival photos add to the appeal of this Sydney Taylor Honor Book.
136 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2011
1 person is currently reading
19 people want to read
About the author
Shelley Sommer
3 booksShelley Sommer is a middle-school literature teacher and the director of the library at the Inly School in Scituate, MA. She worked for the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation as the director of public relations and then as the director of the Profile in Courage Award. Shelley received her master's degree from the Center for the Study of Children's Literature at Simmons College in 2005.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 3, 2018
Solid youth nonfiction about the legendary Detroit Tigers ballplayer. I hadn't known much about Greenberg previously except that he was a famous Jewish athlete. I learned a lot about his accomplishments -- including his attempt on Babe Ruth's single-season home run record and his championship seasons with the Tigers. Sommer places Greenberg in the context of the rise of Nazi Germany and American anti-Semitism, and makes him a very sympathetic figure. He seems to have been a real gentleman who played the game.
March 9, 2017
“A page turner on a real life Jewish sports hero”
The real story of a legend who's been through more than you can imagine. Some examples would be the Great Depression, the lumps in his career, and Adolf Hitler. This man followed his dream and never gave up, which gave hope to young Jewish children in rough times.This book is not difficult to read but it does have a lot of information coming at you at one time. This book, like many other autobiographies, shows you the other side of the person, and in this book you get to understand his perspective because of all the quotes like “ They could deny Jewish boys the right to swim in a pool, but they couldn't deny the fact that a Jewish boy was close to breaking Babe Ruth's record” this is just one of the many examples in the book. The main character in this book is Hank Greenberg, this is a remarkable person who understands most everyone that you know. Hank has been in different parts of a city so he has different experiences that helps him connect to others. In this story Hank seems like more than a baseball player, he seems like a shoulder for others to lean on. In this book you will notice that Greenberg is almost always open to others, see if you can find the theme.
The real story of a legend who's been through more than you can imagine. Some examples would be the Great Depression, the lumps in his career, and Adolf Hitler. This man followed his dream and never gave up, which gave hope to young Jewish children in rough times.This book is not difficult to read but it does have a lot of information coming at you at one time. This book, like many other autobiographies, shows you the other side of the person, and in this book you get to understand his perspective because of all the quotes like “ They could deny Jewish boys the right to swim in a pool, but they couldn't deny the fact that a Jewish boy was close to breaking Babe Ruth's record” this is just one of the many examples in the book. The main character in this book is Hank Greenberg, this is a remarkable person who understands most everyone that you know. Hank has been in different parts of a city so he has different experiences that helps him connect to others. In this story Hank seems like more than a baseball player, he seems like a shoulder for others to lean on. In this book you will notice that Greenberg is almost always open to others, see if you can find the theme.
February 4, 2012
2012 Sydney Taylor Honor Book
A baseball fan, I'm not; but I always seek out biographies that will capture students' interests. So I was excited to read a new biography about Hank Greenberg, America's first Jewish baseball star. Shelley Sommer's Hammerin' Hank Greenberg was recently honored by the Association of Jewish Libraries for authentically portraying the Jewish experience. Tweens and young teen baseball fans will be interested in the way Sommer weaves together American history from the 1930s and '40s with Greenberg's story.
At over 6 feet tall, Hank Greenberg was a powerful hitter and a first baseman with a long reach. Signing with the Detroit Tigers in 1930, Greenberg rose to fame during the Great Depression and during a time when many ethnic groups faced discrimination and prejudice - on the ball field and off. As Sommer writes, "Hank Greenberg was not the first Jewish man to play in Major League Baseball, but he quickly became the most widely known" (p. 43). In 1938, Greenberg came within 4 home runs of breaking Babe Ruth's home run record.
Throughout this story of Greenberg's career, Sommer interweaves a backdrop of American history in the Great Depression and World War II. This is particularly effective for tweens who may have some understanding of American history, but who may not understand how it affected sports players. I was interested in the parallels Sommer drew between boxer Joe Louis's role in boxing, being a champion for African Americans, and Greenberg's role as a hero for American Jews.
Sommer also does an excellent job integrating quotes from primary sources, and this adds depth and weight to Greenberg's story. She incorporates many quotes from her research in the archives of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. I was particularly struck by a letter Greenberg wrote to a fan asking for advice for a young Jewish baseball player. Greenberg wrote,
"Baseball is a game that affords any youngster an opportunity to progress. Ability is the sole determining factor in advancement, and not religion, the way your hair parts or your parental lineage." In a handwritten postscript, he added: "If prejudice does exist and I refuse to recognize that it does does, then let it spur you on to greater achievement rather than accept it and be licked by it" (pp. 104-105).
For me, this sums up Greenberg's positive attitude, determination and dignity. He withstood jeers from opposing players, and kept playing his very best through hard times and good.
The backmatter provides interesting insights into Greenberg's life and Sommer's sources. Baseball fans I shared this with were particularly interested in the all-star baseball team that Greenberg named, and wanted to know more about the other players he included. Sommer includes a list of further resources for readers to learn more about Hank Greenberg and the history of the times when he played baseball. She also includes a full bibliography and source notes. The one item I would have found useful is a timeline to visually integrate the different events described, both in Greenberg's life and American history.
A baseball fan, I'm not; but I always seek out biographies that will capture students' interests. So I was excited to read a new biography about Hank Greenberg, America's first Jewish baseball star. Shelley Sommer's Hammerin' Hank Greenberg was recently honored by the Association of Jewish Libraries for authentically portraying the Jewish experience. Tweens and young teen baseball fans will be interested in the way Sommer weaves together American history from the 1930s and '40s with Greenberg's story.
At over 6 feet tall, Hank Greenberg was a powerful hitter and a first baseman with a long reach. Signing with the Detroit Tigers in 1930, Greenberg rose to fame during the Great Depression and during a time when many ethnic groups faced discrimination and prejudice - on the ball field and off. As Sommer writes, "Hank Greenberg was not the first Jewish man to play in Major League Baseball, but he quickly became the most widely known" (p. 43). In 1938, Greenberg came within 4 home runs of breaking Babe Ruth's home run record.
Throughout this story of Greenberg's career, Sommer interweaves a backdrop of American history in the Great Depression and World War II. This is particularly effective for tweens who may have some understanding of American history, but who may not understand how it affected sports players. I was interested in the parallels Sommer drew between boxer Joe Louis's role in boxing, being a champion for African Americans, and Greenberg's role as a hero for American Jews.
Sommer also does an excellent job integrating quotes from primary sources, and this adds depth and weight to Greenberg's story. She incorporates many quotes from her research in the archives of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. I was particularly struck by a letter Greenberg wrote to a fan asking for advice for a young Jewish baseball player. Greenberg wrote,
"Baseball is a game that affords any youngster an opportunity to progress. Ability is the sole determining factor in advancement, and not religion, the way your hair parts or your parental lineage." In a handwritten postscript, he added: "If prejudice does exist and I refuse to recognize that it does does, then let it spur you on to greater achievement rather than accept it and be licked by it" (pp. 104-105).
For me, this sums up Greenberg's positive attitude, determination and dignity. He withstood jeers from opposing players, and kept playing his very best through hard times and good.
The backmatter provides interesting insights into Greenberg's life and Sommer's sources. Baseball fans I shared this with were particularly interested in the all-star baseball team that Greenberg named, and wanted to know more about the other players he included. Sommer includes a list of further resources for readers to learn more about Hank Greenberg and the history of the times when he played baseball. She also includes a full bibliography and source notes. The one item I would have found useful is a timeline to visually integrate the different events described, both in Greenberg's life and American history.
January 13, 2012
Baseball is easily my favorite sport, even though I can't always follow it. However, that wasn't even necessary for this book.
Sommer uses many quotes from Hammerin' Hank himself, a Jewish baseball player who is one of the greatest to ever play the game, to tell his life story. We follow the young boy from his childhood in New York City, to playing for the Detroit Tigers, to his service during WWII and then back to baseball.
I was really interested in how hard he worked. Greenberg spent a lot of time doing well because he worked as hard as he absolutely could and then worked harder.
This is a great one to give to sports mad kids, especially ones who are interested in Jackie Robinson. Although there had been other Jewish baseball players, Greenberg still had to put up with a ton of abuse, both from other players and fans.
Sommer uses many quotes from Hammerin' Hank himself, a Jewish baseball player who is one of the greatest to ever play the game, to tell his life story. We follow the young boy from his childhood in New York City, to playing for the Detroit Tigers, to his service during WWII and then back to baseball.
I was really interested in how hard he worked. Greenberg spent a lot of time doing well because he worked as hard as he absolutely could and then worked harder.
This is a great one to give to sports mad kids, especially ones who are interested in Jackie Robinson. Although there had been other Jewish baseball players, Greenberg still had to put up with a ton of abuse, both from other players and fans.
July 4, 2011
This biography is perfect for any middle school collection. Hank Greenberg is to be admired for many reasons and makes a great role model. I also enjoyed the way the author inserted historical information and photographs throughout the biography to give a sense of time and place.
It seemed sparse at times, with a sentence or two where I would have liked more of a story (when Hank plays against Jackie Robinson) or just misses breaking Babe Ruth's home run record, but perhaps there is not much recorded about those events.
Overall, Hank Greenberg seems like a hell'uv a nice guy with an amazing physical gift for sports.
It seemed sparse at times, with a sentence or two where I would have liked more of a story (when Hank plays against Jackie Robinson) or just misses breaking Babe Ruth's home run record, but perhaps there is not much recorded about those events.
Overall, Hank Greenberg seems like a hell'uv a nice guy with an amazing physical gift for sports.
September 16, 2011
I'm on a big baseball kick at the moment, so I was interested to check out this biography about one of the game's greats. Generally I prefer my non-fiction to be a bit more conversational in its tone, and it was moderately aggrivating that Sommer would not let us forget for one moment that, OMG, Hank Greenburg was Jewish. Still there was quite a bit of good information to be found here. I was especially impressed at the number of quotes that the author dug up and the thoroughness of her citations in the back of the book.
April 4, 2011
In the 1930's and 1940's, sports went a long way towards breaking down barriers. We all know about Jackie Robinson, Joe Louis, and Jesse Owens, but few people know the story of Hank Greenberg, the first great Jewish baseball player, who fought through descrimination to win two MVP awards and the respect of a nation for his character, his patriotism, and his homerun swing.
October 10, 2014
Hank Greenberg was the first Jewish star in baseball. Hank got a lot of criticism from fans everywhere. He became friends with Jackie Robinson because he too took a lot of criticism from people and players. This was a great book that explained what it was like to be a Jewish ball player in the 1920s and 30s. I would recommend this book to baseball fanatics and friends.
March 30, 2011
Informative, interesting biography of the "Jewish Babe Ruth."
December 31, 2011
Biography of the recordsetting Jewish baseball player.
February 23, 2012
An excellent book for young readers who are interested in baseball, especially in players like Hank Greenberg, who broke down barriers in that sport.
November 26, 2012
What pain human beings inflict on each other! Learned a lot about more barriers in the field of sports and got to know a courageous man.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews