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The Last Hero: A Life of Henry Aaron
This definitive biography of Henry (Hank) Aaron--one of baseball's immortal figures--is a revelatory portrait of a complicated, private man who through sports became an enduring American icon.
"Beautifully written and culturally important." --The Washington Post
"The epic baseball tale of the second half of the 20th century." --Atlanta Journal Constitution
After his retirement in 1976, Aaron's reputation only grew in magnitude. But his influence extended beyond statistics. Based on meticulous research and extensive interviews The Last Hero reveals how Aaron navigated the upheavals of his time--fighting against racism while at the same time benefiting from racial progress--and how he achieved his goal of continuing Jackie Robinson's mission to obtain full equality for African Americans, both in baseball and society, while he lived uncomfortably in the public eye.
"Beautifully written and culturally important." --The Washington Post
"The epic baseball tale of the second half of the 20th century." --Atlanta Journal Constitution
After his retirement in 1976, Aaron's reputation only grew in magnitude. But his influence extended beyond statistics. Based on meticulous research and extensive interviews The Last Hero reveals how Aaron navigated the upheavals of his time--fighting against racism while at the same time benefiting from racial progress--and how he achieved his goal of continuing Jackie Robinson's mission to obtain full equality for African Americans, both in baseball and society, while he lived uncomfortably in the public eye.
600 pages, Hardcover
Published May 11, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 206 reviews
July 6, 2021
This biography is - at its core - a story about the heart of Hank Aaron. At times Aaron was a prickly man prone to sulking while he played in the shadow of his contemporary Willie Mays and in a small media market. While Aaron did not have the dazzling play making ability of Mays, Aaron was the better hitter. Interestingly Aaron and Mays grew up in Mobile Alabama and played against one another in high school.
Aaron signed a contract with the Negro Leagues at the age of sixteen and did not complete high school. He would become the last Hall of Famer to have played in the Negro Leagues. After two years there he was signed by the Braves in the Major Leagues and made his debut at 19 when Bobby Thompson broke his ankle.
Aaron won the MVP in 1957 in his third year, the same year the Braves won the World Series. He went on to make the All Star team for 20 of 21 years. Of course Aaron is best remembered as the home run king who broke Babe Ruth’s record. Most people still recognize him as the all time home run leader due to the asterisk of the steroids era.
Aaron was never particularly close to other players nor those in the Hall of Fame community. He was prideful of his achievements and had his share of fans. Later in life he improved his image and relationship with Cooperstown when he spoke out against Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens and their alleged steroid use. He indicated that no one could ever hit 70 home runs (legally).
5 stars. This bio is exceptionally good at character study. I felt like I came away really knowing Hank Aaron and that is not easy to do. Respect is all Aaron ever wanted.
Aaron signed a contract with the Negro Leagues at the age of sixteen and did not complete high school. He would become the last Hall of Famer to have played in the Negro Leagues. After two years there he was signed by the Braves in the Major Leagues and made his debut at 19 when Bobby Thompson broke his ankle.
Aaron won the MVP in 1957 in his third year, the same year the Braves won the World Series. He went on to make the All Star team for 20 of 21 years. Of course Aaron is best remembered as the home run king who broke Babe Ruth’s record. Most people still recognize him as the all time home run leader due to the asterisk of the steroids era.
Aaron was never particularly close to other players nor those in the Hall of Fame community. He was prideful of his achievements and had his share of fans. Later in life he improved his image and relationship with Cooperstown when he spoke out against Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens and their alleged steroid use. He indicated that no one could ever hit 70 home runs (legally).
5 stars. This bio is exceptionally good at character study. I felt like I came away really knowing Hank Aaron and that is not easy to do. Respect is all Aaron ever wanted.
October 20, 2017
I picked up the audible book from the library. It's long! Part of it could have been cut for in my opinion. I don't see how it related to Henry, sure it was baseball but I don't want to hear all baseball statistics for that time period. Just what matters. There just seemed to be too much of it. Just give the important ones.
Rtc
Rtc
March 27, 2018
This was truly an excellent book. Henry Aaron is now my hero. Baseball, something I've never given much thought to except back in jr high when I had a crush on a boy named Brett, a boy who saw the world through a baseball mitt. Wow. I think there will be parts of this book that will stick with me for a long time. I will now be one who wishes for the good ol' days of baseball. I loved the insight into the history of US racial struggles. This book is up there with Hidden Figures as deep and profound. I highly recommend this book. Struggle through the baseball stats and descriptions because the rest of the book will change your world.
July 27, 2010
Aaron's characteristic aloofness cripples this book from the outset. He's so carefully guarded his persona and image that Bryant is forced to dwell on his statistics and his contributions to African-American baseball, but these aspects have been covered elsewhere, and so feel pedantic and one-sided here. Bryant does his best with a difficult subject, and has certainly compiled a workable body of research, even if his vanilla writing doesn't really carry all of it efficiently. But again, the subject remains distant, so far out of reach on a pedestal that we never engage with his story. One almost feels Aaron's resentment at being scrutinized, even at this distance. The detachment of the text is thus a major tradeoff: we sense the reserve of Aaron himself, but we never get to know him beyond the usual hard-knock life story, the flash of his wrists and the home-run record. A letdown, not all (or even mostly) Bryant's fault, but a letdown nonetheless.
May 26, 2021
Howard Bryant's The Last Hero recalls the life of Hank Aaron, the baseball player whose racial struggles and longstanding home run record cast a long shadow over both the sport and American society. Bryant shows that Aaron, born in Mobile to a poor Black family, felt the impact of race and class alike from the start, forging his identity through his talent for baseball. Through his long career with the Milwaukee, then Atlanta Braves, Aaron was often hard for fans and reporters to warm up to; he was reserved with the media and had strained relationships with his white teammates, some of whom had little reticence about dropping racial slurs and insults in his presence. For the casual baseball fan who knows Aaron as another noble Santa Claus figure, it's gratifying to read about his outspokenness on Civil Rights, his willingness to confront racists and his refusal to apologize either for his identity or his opinions. Which served him well down the home stretch of his record-breaking run, when he regularly received threats from racist fans, standoffishness from the MLB and skeptical aspersions from the press. Even after leaving the league he remained a public figure, from an unsuccessful managing stint with the Brewers to a business career and a long term as the elder statesman of baseball (there's an engaging chapter about his strained relationship with Barry Bonds, who bested Aaron's record under a cloud of steroid controversy). Bryant ably shows how Aaron navigated the treacherous shoals surrounding his career, making his mark as an important figure who refused to compromise. An invigorating, insightful work of biography.
October 27, 2025
Great biography that also happens to be a social history as well as a pretty good overview of the American Civil Rights movement.
October 30, 2012
Hank Aaron is an American hero, and he deserves respect. He also deserves a decent biography by a man who doesn't smother his subject with an avalanche of faint praise, backhanded compliments, and and endless stream of defensive apologies from the author. Howard Bryant tries so hard to make Henry Aaron into a transcendent figure, and yet the harder he tries the more Hank just looks like a nice, not-too-bright guy who hit a lot of home runs. Mind you, I'm sure there's more to Mr. Aaron than that. But Howard Bryant is not the man to tell you so.
This book is long and dull. You learn nothing about Henry Aaron's real personality. You get a lot of black history, but no insight into how it formed this one individual's character. Bryant keeps saying things like, "Henry wanted change, and he was angry about how America was. But just because he felt things deeply doesn't mean he was prepared to speak out." That's fine for an ordinary guy. But if you're trying to sell Henry Aaron as a hero (the last hero, no less) you've just got to come up with something out of the ordinary for proof. (Aside from hitting 755 homeruns, that is.) Howard Bryant just can't do it. So he keeps apologizing, over and over, making Hank look smaller and smaller as the book drags on for hundreds of pages.
To make matters worse, Bryant keeps bringing up two other black baseball legends, Jackie Robinson and Willie Mays. Every time Bryant describes Jackie in action, whether defying whites off the field or on, the book comes to life. This author has a great book in him all right -- but he needs a subject he genuinely admires. That would be Jackie, not Hank.
As for Willie Mays, it gets even stranger. Apparently Willie Mays beat Henry Aaron up, or stole his lunch money, or dissed him in some mysterious, unstated way. Now Henry Aaron hates Willie. But we never really find out why. Howard Bryant just goes out of the way to echo Aaron, that Willie is mean, selfish, a two-faced jerk, whatever. A little quote or two from Willie might have been nice. Or from Willie's family. Or from Tallullah Bankhead!
Altogether, this was such a tedious, badly written book that it really made me want to read Henry Aaron's autobiography, I HAD A HAMMER.
Because it had to be better than this.
This book is long and dull. You learn nothing about Henry Aaron's real personality. You get a lot of black history, but no insight into how it formed this one individual's character. Bryant keeps saying things like, "Henry wanted change, and he was angry about how America was. But just because he felt things deeply doesn't mean he was prepared to speak out." That's fine for an ordinary guy. But if you're trying to sell Henry Aaron as a hero (the last hero, no less) you've just got to come up with something out of the ordinary for proof. (Aside from hitting 755 homeruns, that is.) Howard Bryant just can't do it. So he keeps apologizing, over and over, making Hank look smaller and smaller as the book drags on for hundreds of pages.
To make matters worse, Bryant keeps bringing up two other black baseball legends, Jackie Robinson and Willie Mays. Every time Bryant describes Jackie in action, whether defying whites off the field or on, the book comes to life. This author has a great book in him all right -- but he needs a subject he genuinely admires. That would be Jackie, not Hank.
As for Willie Mays, it gets even stranger. Apparently Willie Mays beat Henry Aaron up, or stole his lunch money, or dissed him in some mysterious, unstated way. Now Henry Aaron hates Willie. But we never really find out why. Howard Bryant just goes out of the way to echo Aaron, that Willie is mean, selfish, a two-faced jerk, whatever. A little quote or two from Willie might have been nice. Or from Willie's family. Or from Tallullah Bankhead!
Altogether, this was such a tedious, badly written book that it really made me want to read Henry Aaron's autobiography, I HAD A HAMMER.
Because it had to be better than this.
February 3, 2021
I really liked this book on Henry Aaron by Howard Bryant. I had already read a couple times, "If I Had a Hammer" by Aaron himself and thought it couldn't get much better than that, but I wanted to also read a biography on him to see if anything was missing. My conclusion is the two books compliment each other very well. Read both of them, Aaron's first if you have the chance. Bryant's book does a great job of moving the pace of the story and taking a little longer during the times I really wanted to learn more about such as the 1956,57 and 58 teams in Milwaukee, why the Braves left Milwaukee and Aaron's reaction to that, the 1969 season for Aaron and the Braves, and of course his 1973 and 1974 seasons, the later being the one when he broke the all-time home run record. In this book, Bryant doesn't go heavily into Aaron's upbringing in Alabama and he doesn't dive into the horrible nasty letters Aaron received when attempting to break the home run record. As a bonus, the book had a few chapters, but not too much, on his retirement and what he thought about Barry Bonds breaking his record. A very well-written, well-researched good read. I recommend to any baseball fan, even if you read his other book.
January 22, 2021
I’ve said this before but I love a good sports bio but especially a great baseball one that covers more than just baseball. Henry Aaron definitely fits the bill.
The author does a fantastic job explaining why Henry Aaron was the way he was. Because of that, you do begin to understand him and why he did the things he did or said. Racism and segregation are explored throughout the book and unfortunately are a part of Henry’s life.
The author also sets up the Bonds Home run chase very well. There is a quote from a sociologist at the end of the book that was just excellent in summing up the difference between the two men. I won’t spoil it here so read the book.
Needless to say, Henry Aaron, home run champ.
The author does a fantastic job explaining why Henry Aaron was the way he was. Because of that, you do begin to understand him and why he did the things he did or said. Racism and segregation are explored throughout the book and unfortunately are a part of Henry’s life.
The author also sets up the Bonds Home run chase very well. There is a quote from a sociologist at the end of the book that was just excellent in summing up the difference between the two men. I won’t spoil it here so read the book.
Needless to say, Henry Aaron, home run champ.
Read
July 24, 2011The author includes enough baseball for the baseball enthusiasts without drowning the reader in He does an astute job of studying Henry Aaron's character -- the strengths and the weaknesses thereof. Sometimes the stories within the story, like the Braves' move to Atlanta, are at least as interesting as the main character himself.
July 30, 2022
"When the history of the great ones is written, the words are never merely a mundane compendium of numbers. Somewhere, there must be a singular feat that stands as a calling card. Just being good everyday by itself does not merit a ticket to Olympus. It is the reason why there is a difference between stars and superstars."(p.230 "The Last Hero")
I once read in a sports magazine many moons ago on Henry Aaron an article lamenting the lack of "superstars" in major league baseball. The following assessment of Henry Aaron was given: "He's a star; but he's not a superstar." Henry Aaron was widely regarded as merely "a very good player"; certainly, no Mays or Mantle. Today, we realize that was an inaccurate assessment of one of the greatest players the game has ever known. While Mays and Mantle got the national attention, Henry Aaron quietly went about his business, year in and year out; and business was good. For fifteen out of twenty-three seasons in the big leagues, Aaron pounded out 30 or more home runs; eleven times he had over 100 runs batted in, while accumulating a lifetime batting average of 305 and was the first to break Babe Ruth's home run record. Henry did all of this when black baseball players faced pervasive racism playing Major League Baseball in the 40's,50's and 60's.
"The Last Hero" is an excellent read if you enjoy the deeper side of the game. A history of the integration of baseball after Jackie Robinson. Bryant covers are the inequalities and indignities that African Americans ball players suffered, having to stay in different more run-down motels then the white players, white players getting better food and better contracts. Even within the teams there was wide ranging prejudice. Aaron got through all of this in his quiet workman like way. That story had to be told but at times it felt a bit preachy about race relations at that troubled time. While that cannot be ignored if one is going to write about Aaron, some parts of the book felt more like the author’s take on social issues instead of how they affected Aaron and his fellow black baseball players. They were interesting, but for this reader, those segments took something away from the big story.
Still, this is a wonderful book, mostly due to the excellence of the writer, Howard Bryant. The subject, Hank Aaron, may not be the most charismatic man who ever played baseball, but he is clearly one of the most important and most influential. I really feel like this book gave me a greater breadth and depth of understanding who Henry Aaron was as a baseball player and is as a person. The writing flowed well. The book covered a lot of subject matter. Bryant really gives the reader a vision of what it was like to be African American in the deep south and trying to break out of that environment. The book stops before Henry's death, and I hope someday Mr. Byrant will follow up and update this book. Other than that, it was very well done. A 4-base hit.
I once read in a sports magazine many moons ago on Henry Aaron an article lamenting the lack of "superstars" in major league baseball. The following assessment of Henry Aaron was given: "He's a star; but he's not a superstar." Henry Aaron was widely regarded as merely "a very good player"; certainly, no Mays or Mantle. Today, we realize that was an inaccurate assessment of one of the greatest players the game has ever known. While Mays and Mantle got the national attention, Henry Aaron quietly went about his business, year in and year out; and business was good. For fifteen out of twenty-three seasons in the big leagues, Aaron pounded out 30 or more home runs; eleven times he had over 100 runs batted in, while accumulating a lifetime batting average of 305 and was the first to break Babe Ruth's home run record. Henry did all of this when black baseball players faced pervasive racism playing Major League Baseball in the 40's,50's and 60's.
"The Last Hero" is an excellent read if you enjoy the deeper side of the game. A history of the integration of baseball after Jackie Robinson. Bryant covers are the inequalities and indignities that African Americans ball players suffered, having to stay in different more run-down motels then the white players, white players getting better food and better contracts. Even within the teams there was wide ranging prejudice. Aaron got through all of this in his quiet workman like way. That story had to be told but at times it felt a bit preachy about race relations at that troubled time. While that cannot be ignored if one is going to write about Aaron, some parts of the book felt more like the author’s take on social issues instead of how they affected Aaron and his fellow black baseball players. They were interesting, but for this reader, those segments took something away from the big story.
Still, this is a wonderful book, mostly due to the excellence of the writer, Howard Bryant. The subject, Hank Aaron, may not be the most charismatic man who ever played baseball, but he is clearly one of the most important and most influential. I really feel like this book gave me a greater breadth and depth of understanding who Henry Aaron was as a baseball player and is as a person. The writing flowed well. The book covered a lot of subject matter. Bryant really gives the reader a vision of what it was like to be African American in the deep south and trying to break out of that environment. The book stops before Henry's death, and I hope someday Mr. Byrant will follow up and update this book. Other than that, it was very well done. A 4-base hit.
May 10, 2022
Henry Aaron does seem like one of the least understood all-time baseball greats, and Howard Bryant does an admirable job at finding the depth and nuance of his subject. Context is important, and Bryant pulls a lot in, perhaps too much in places but I enjoyed it all nonetheless. I appreciated how early on Henry’s nickname, Hank, is addressed. I never knew how little Henry enjoyed his nickname, going so far as to ignore the “strangers” who called him that (Dusty Baker excluded).
Aaron embodies each of these in his life, some throughout and some during different seasons of his life: quiet and steady, reluctant trailblazer, advocate, family man, both failed and successful entrepreneur, confident yet sensitive, humble, and so many more. I came into this book respectful of Aaron the player and Aaron the man. These feelings have only increased.
Growing up in Mobile, Alabama, Aaron rose up to play briefly in the Negro Leagues before a meteoric (somehow quietly meteoric?) rise through the minor leagues to Milwaukee Braves stardom. He broke through in 1954, seven years after Robinson, and the same year as Brown v. Board of Education. He lived segregation, in childhood and during Spring Trainings in Florida (“People always talked about how we handled living while America was changing. Hell, we were the ones who changed America.”).
Aaron embraced the city of Milwaukee with its complicated attitudes towards racial integration before the Braves relocated to Atlanta. “Playing in Atlanta meant confronting the south all over again, with its contradictions and its conditions. It meant being reduced once more to a person with no rights and no dignity. That had been hard enough when he was a kid, when he knew no better. But in 1966…He was famous and accomplished, and angered that in the south, all he had produced could be taken away by a teenage store clerk or an average housewife, just because they were White and he was not.” Yet Atlanta became his home, the place where records were broken and post-career baseball opportunities materialized (with a brief segue with the Milwaukee Brewers).
Howard Bryant’s biography of Henry Aaron may not be perfect, but it is likely the most authoritative. Well worth the read!
Aaron embodies each of these in his life, some throughout and some during different seasons of his life: quiet and steady, reluctant trailblazer, advocate, family man, both failed and successful entrepreneur, confident yet sensitive, humble, and so many more. I came into this book respectful of Aaron the player and Aaron the man. These feelings have only increased.
Growing up in Mobile, Alabama, Aaron rose up to play briefly in the Negro Leagues before a meteoric (somehow quietly meteoric?) rise through the minor leagues to Milwaukee Braves stardom. He broke through in 1954, seven years after Robinson, and the same year as Brown v. Board of Education. He lived segregation, in childhood and during Spring Trainings in Florida (“People always talked about how we handled living while America was changing. Hell, we were the ones who changed America.”).
Aaron embraced the city of Milwaukee with its complicated attitudes towards racial integration before the Braves relocated to Atlanta. “Playing in Atlanta meant confronting the south all over again, with its contradictions and its conditions. It meant being reduced once more to a person with no rights and no dignity. That had been hard enough when he was a kid, when he knew no better. But in 1966…He was famous and accomplished, and angered that in the south, all he had produced could be taken away by a teenage store clerk or an average housewife, just because they were White and he was not.” Yet Atlanta became his home, the place where records were broken and post-career baseball opportunities materialized (with a brief segue with the Milwaukee Brewers).
Howard Bryant’s biography of Henry Aaron may not be perfect, but it is likely the most authoritative. Well worth the read!
August 1, 2023
This is a great biography of Henry Aaron. There's a lot that the author brings to light particularly Aaron's philanthropical side, especially him visiting the home for mentally challenged children in the 1950s-60s when in Milwaukee. Also, there's great detail about his relationship with the Atlanta Braves. The author also pulls no punches in regard to Aaron's bitterness to just about everything.
With that said, there's a few things I disliked. The author bogs down with game-by-game analysis during Aaron's pennant-winning Milwaukee teams in the mid- to late-1950s. This is a trope of sports biographies and I hate it. Funnily enough, the same author doesn't do this in his biography of Rickey Henderson.
Also, there's some odd, sloppy writing here. Often, I was forced to go back and re-read paragraphs because I didn't understand what happened or who said what. In the middle of an anecdote, the author shifts to the future or past for a tangent that does little and then rounds back to the original story. The author also spends a lot of words profiling non-Aaron characters. It'd be hard to tell Aaron's story without Jackie Robinson or Willie Mays. I'm just unsure if we need that many words about them. And I don't know if we need that many words about Rico Carty.
Finally, I find the author's attitude toward Barry Bonds interesting. Bonds is introduced in the second to last chapter in regards to his relationship to Aaron and his chase to break the career home run mark, set by Aaron. Knowing what I know about Bonds, I couldn't help but see a lot of Aaron in him. Two black men in America, with an insane amount of talent, who refused to bow their heads and be silent. Both men tend to demand respect more than anything else. Two outspoken men, who often battled with the media, the biases and public perception. Two man eerily aware of their legacies and how that defines them. The author exalts Aaron but derides Bonds. I think the reason Bonds and Aaron did not get along is because they were the same person. The author's attitude toward Bonds is only weird because Bonds seems like the exact person he'd write a book about.
With that said, there's a few things I disliked. The author bogs down with game-by-game analysis during Aaron's pennant-winning Milwaukee teams in the mid- to late-1950s. This is a trope of sports biographies and I hate it. Funnily enough, the same author doesn't do this in his biography of Rickey Henderson.
Also, there's some odd, sloppy writing here. Often, I was forced to go back and re-read paragraphs because I didn't understand what happened or who said what. In the middle of an anecdote, the author shifts to the future or past for a tangent that does little and then rounds back to the original story. The author also spends a lot of words profiling non-Aaron characters. It'd be hard to tell Aaron's story without Jackie Robinson or Willie Mays. I'm just unsure if we need that many words about them. And I don't know if we need that many words about Rico Carty.
Finally, I find the author's attitude toward Barry Bonds interesting. Bonds is introduced in the second to last chapter in regards to his relationship to Aaron and his chase to break the career home run mark, set by Aaron. Knowing what I know about Bonds, I couldn't help but see a lot of Aaron in him. Two black men in America, with an insane amount of talent, who refused to bow their heads and be silent. Both men tend to demand respect more than anything else. Two outspoken men, who often battled with the media, the biases and public perception. Two man eerily aware of their legacies and how that defines them. The author exalts Aaron but derides Bonds. I think the reason Bonds and Aaron did not get along is because they were the same person. The author's attitude toward Bonds is only weird because Bonds seems like the exact person he'd write a book about.
August 10, 2011
Like many young baeball fans of the 1970s, one of my favorite players was Hank Aaron (the others were Al Kaline and Roberto Clemente). I was at just the right age to be excited about his breaking of Babe Ruth's all-time home run record, and watched live on April 8, 1974, when he took Al Downing deep for number 715. At that time he was the toast of America, but it was no secret, as revealed in Howard Bryant's fine biography of Aaron, The Last Hero, that it was a trying time for the man.
Henry Aaron (those who knew him never called him Hank), was from Mobile, Alabama. He had little formal baseball training, but despite that he dreamed of being a pro player. He didn't even play high school ball, instead honing his skills by hitting bottle caps with sticks. He signed with the Negro Leagues team the Indianapolis Clowns, and thus, before he retired in 1976, was the last active Major Leaguer who had played in those leagues.
Aaron was the first black player in the notoriously intolerant South Atlantic, or Sally, League, where he played for Jacksonville. He was such a good hitter that it was hard to keep him on the farm, and he ended up on the Milwaukee Braves in 1954.
Bryant covers those early years closely. The Braves, who had just moved over from Boston, were starting to form a good nucleus. I was interested to read how teams were shaking the dust and contemplating movement. The St. Louis Cardinals thought about moving to Houston (!), and Bill Veeck of the Browns wanted to move to Milwaukee, but ended going to Baltimore. If the Braves' ownership had hung on, they might have ended up staying in Boston and the Red Sox would have moved, as the latter would start on a several-year period of doldrums. Imagine how baseball would be different today without the Red Sox in Boston!
The Braves would end up in the World Series in 1957 and 1958, both times playing the Yankees. In '57 Aaron was MVP and they won, in '58 they would be one of the few teams that would blow a 3-1 game lead.
As the book goes on after that, though, the tone shifts from a seasonal diary to a more general approach to the man. The Braves, who would move to Atlanta in 1966, would go to the postseason only once more while Aaron was on the team (in 1969). Instead, Bryant focuses on Aaron's place in baseball history, and the most elusive subject of all--Aaron himself.
Bryant was able to interview Aaron for the book but he is the most incomplete character of the story. Bryant, in fact, goes off on tangents that at times made me forget the main subject of the book, particularly a chapter that is more about Jackie Robinson than Aaron. The truth appears to be that Aaron was a closed figure to most of the world, and very few people got to know him. After his career ended, many thought he was bitter or angry. He would be forever compared to Willie Mays, and Aaron always thought he was a better hitter.
The chapter detailing his chase of Ruth is terrific. Aaron snuck up on the record--it was thought Mays had the best chance, but tailed off at the end of his career. It was only after Aaron passed the 500-homer mark that people started taking him seriously. In 1973, at 39 years old, he hit 40 homers and ended the season one shy of Ruth. Death threats had already started pouring in, and he had his own security detail. On the first day of the 1974 season, in his first at bat, Aaron hit number 714 off of Jack Billingham in Cincinnati. The Braves' management, fearful he would set the record on the road, ordered manager Eddie Matthews to leave him on the bench, which prompted the ire of commissioner Bowie Kuhn (Aaron would have a long-time enmity for Kuhn).
But on that Monday night in Atlanta three days later Aaron did set the record at home. Bryant chooses to quote Vin Scully's eloquent call of the moment: "It is over. And for the first time in a long time that poker face of Aaron shows the tremendous relief...What a marvelous moment for baseball. What a marvelous moment for Atlanta and the state of Georgia. What a marvelous moment for the country and the world. A black man is getting a standing ovation in the Deep South for breaking a record of an all-time baseball idol. And is a great moment for all of us, and particularly for Henry Aaron."
Of course, underlying the Aaron story is what Philip Roth called the "human stain," race. Aaron battled racism, as did all black players in those days, when they couldn't stay in the same hotels that their white teammates stayed in. Aaron, who today is 77 years old, covered the period from when blacks couldn't play in the big leagues to when the stadium in Mobile, in which he wasn't allowed to attend or to play, now bears his name. It is an American story, and no matter how often it is told is resonates with the courage of those who defied the odds and achieved greatness.
Bryant ends the book with the spot Aaron was put in with regard to Barry Bonds breaking his record. It was a no-win situation--if Aaron showed any petulance, it would be seen as sour grapes, but to embrace it would have been a denial of Bonds' obvious cheating (Aaron hated cheating--Gaylord Perry and his spitball was a long-time nemesis). Aaron had no love for Bonds, and would not travel around with him as he passed milestones, but did finally tape a congratulatory message for him on the night Bonds hit home run 756.
The book, which is at times as serious as an autopsy, is well-written but occasionally sloppily copy edited. In one sentence, two different dates are listed for Aaron's second marriage. Bryant is thorough, but he has the uphill battle of trying to decipher a man who will not be solved. I think this passage says it best: "At virtually every major stage in Henry Aaron's professional life, a familiar pattern would develop, predictable as a 3-0 fastball: He would excel on the field and somehow become wounded off of it, slowly burning at yet another personal slight. It was only after he'd walked out the door, embarking on the next chapter of his life, that he would be rediscovered, the people he'd left behind realizing, too late, that the world without him seemed just a bit simpler. The reassessment would always be the same: Henry Aaron was a treasure after all. He carried himself with such dignity! And the people who wanted to celebrate him anew and be close to him and tell him how much he had touched them would always wonder why he appeared to live at a certain remove, and why he did not seem particularly overjoyed by their sudden and heartfelt acknowledgment."
In Tiger Stadium one day in 1975 or 1976 I had the chance to see Henry Aaron in person, while he played for the Milwaukee Brewers, and he hit a home run. The Tigers won the game, but I think I was more thrilled about seeing a bit of history.
Henry Aaron (those who knew him never called him Hank), was from Mobile, Alabama. He had little formal baseball training, but despite that he dreamed of being a pro player. He didn't even play high school ball, instead honing his skills by hitting bottle caps with sticks. He signed with the Negro Leagues team the Indianapolis Clowns, and thus, before he retired in 1976, was the last active Major Leaguer who had played in those leagues.
Aaron was the first black player in the notoriously intolerant South Atlantic, or Sally, League, where he played for Jacksonville. He was such a good hitter that it was hard to keep him on the farm, and he ended up on the Milwaukee Braves in 1954.
Bryant covers those early years closely. The Braves, who had just moved over from Boston, were starting to form a good nucleus. I was interested to read how teams were shaking the dust and contemplating movement. The St. Louis Cardinals thought about moving to Houston (!), and Bill Veeck of the Browns wanted to move to Milwaukee, but ended going to Baltimore. If the Braves' ownership had hung on, they might have ended up staying in Boston and the Red Sox would have moved, as the latter would start on a several-year period of doldrums. Imagine how baseball would be different today without the Red Sox in Boston!
The Braves would end up in the World Series in 1957 and 1958, both times playing the Yankees. In '57 Aaron was MVP and they won, in '58 they would be one of the few teams that would blow a 3-1 game lead.
As the book goes on after that, though, the tone shifts from a seasonal diary to a more general approach to the man. The Braves, who would move to Atlanta in 1966, would go to the postseason only once more while Aaron was on the team (in 1969). Instead, Bryant focuses on Aaron's place in baseball history, and the most elusive subject of all--Aaron himself.
Bryant was able to interview Aaron for the book but he is the most incomplete character of the story. Bryant, in fact, goes off on tangents that at times made me forget the main subject of the book, particularly a chapter that is more about Jackie Robinson than Aaron. The truth appears to be that Aaron was a closed figure to most of the world, and very few people got to know him. After his career ended, many thought he was bitter or angry. He would be forever compared to Willie Mays, and Aaron always thought he was a better hitter.
The chapter detailing his chase of Ruth is terrific. Aaron snuck up on the record--it was thought Mays had the best chance, but tailed off at the end of his career. It was only after Aaron passed the 500-homer mark that people started taking him seriously. In 1973, at 39 years old, he hit 40 homers and ended the season one shy of Ruth. Death threats had already started pouring in, and he had his own security detail. On the first day of the 1974 season, in his first at bat, Aaron hit number 714 off of Jack Billingham in Cincinnati. The Braves' management, fearful he would set the record on the road, ordered manager Eddie Matthews to leave him on the bench, which prompted the ire of commissioner Bowie Kuhn (Aaron would have a long-time enmity for Kuhn).
But on that Monday night in Atlanta three days later Aaron did set the record at home. Bryant chooses to quote Vin Scully's eloquent call of the moment: "It is over. And for the first time in a long time that poker face of Aaron shows the tremendous relief...What a marvelous moment for baseball. What a marvelous moment for Atlanta and the state of Georgia. What a marvelous moment for the country and the world. A black man is getting a standing ovation in the Deep South for breaking a record of an all-time baseball idol. And is a great moment for all of us, and particularly for Henry Aaron."
Of course, underlying the Aaron story is what Philip Roth called the "human stain," race. Aaron battled racism, as did all black players in those days, when they couldn't stay in the same hotels that their white teammates stayed in. Aaron, who today is 77 years old, covered the period from when blacks couldn't play in the big leagues to when the stadium in Mobile, in which he wasn't allowed to attend or to play, now bears his name. It is an American story, and no matter how often it is told is resonates with the courage of those who defied the odds and achieved greatness.
Bryant ends the book with the spot Aaron was put in with regard to Barry Bonds breaking his record. It was a no-win situation--if Aaron showed any petulance, it would be seen as sour grapes, but to embrace it would have been a denial of Bonds' obvious cheating (Aaron hated cheating--Gaylord Perry and his spitball was a long-time nemesis). Aaron had no love for Bonds, and would not travel around with him as he passed milestones, but did finally tape a congratulatory message for him on the night Bonds hit home run 756.
The book, which is at times as serious as an autopsy, is well-written but occasionally sloppily copy edited. In one sentence, two different dates are listed for Aaron's second marriage. Bryant is thorough, but he has the uphill battle of trying to decipher a man who will not be solved. I think this passage says it best: "At virtually every major stage in Henry Aaron's professional life, a familiar pattern would develop, predictable as a 3-0 fastball: He would excel on the field and somehow become wounded off of it, slowly burning at yet another personal slight. It was only after he'd walked out the door, embarking on the next chapter of his life, that he would be rediscovered, the people he'd left behind realizing, too late, that the world without him seemed just a bit simpler. The reassessment would always be the same: Henry Aaron was a treasure after all. He carried himself with such dignity! And the people who wanted to celebrate him anew and be close to him and tell him how much he had touched them would always wonder why he appeared to live at a certain remove, and why he did not seem particularly overjoyed by their sudden and heartfelt acknowledgment."
In Tiger Stadium one day in 1975 or 1976 I had the chance to see Henry Aaron in person, while he played for the Milwaukee Brewers, and he hit a home run. The Tigers won the game, but I think I was more thrilled about seeing a bit of history.
June 29, 2020
I read this for a look at the systemic racism that is still prevalent in today's society. I chose this over I Had A Hammer, thinking it would be a more well-rounded view. Got some good stuff on baseball integration and some of the early black star players. I agree with others that Henry is just not that forthcoming, and the author struggled to describe his view of the game. Bryant keeps referencing the racist hate mail of the early 70s that was covered so extensively in I Had A Hammer; I thought he should have gone more in depth with that, shown more letter examples so that we could understand that mindset more. Having grown up south of Milwaukee, I did learn much about that city's history, both good and bad.
The Last Hero could have had about 100 pages edited out. I still prefer Bob Gibson's memoir Stranger to the Game for its unflinching look at how baseball used to be played.
The Last Hero could have had about 100 pages edited out. I still prefer Bob Gibson's memoir Stranger to the Game for its unflinching look at how baseball used to be played.
September 5, 2020
I am a very discerning long-biography reader (this is my 3rd of 500+ pages - Steven Jobs and Charles Schulz are the 2 others). But I think if you choose to read this, when you're done, you'll feel it was worth it.
This book is well-researched and well-reported, as Howard got great access to Aaron and those necessary to tell a complete story. The length of the book is a necessity. And if you're a big baseball fan, I think that reading a Hank Aaron bio is important at this time.
This book has plenty of good baseball detail to it, but its strength is in telling the emotional story of Aaron - you learn a lot about him as a person and about everything he had to deal with. If you're a modest baseball fan, you're probably familiar with the stories of Aaron receiving hate mail - but there is so much to know beyond that, including his relationships with his friends, his teammates, and his manager.
Full disclosure: I worked on baseball coverage at ESPN when Howard was there and we correspond through social media a little bit (that doesn't impact the review).
This book is well-researched and well-reported, as Howard got great access to Aaron and those necessary to tell a complete story. The length of the book is a necessity. And if you're a big baseball fan, I think that reading a Hank Aaron bio is important at this time.
This book has plenty of good baseball detail to it, but its strength is in telling the emotional story of Aaron - you learn a lot about him as a person and about everything he had to deal with. If you're a modest baseball fan, you're probably familiar with the stories of Aaron receiving hate mail - but there is so much to know beyond that, including his relationships with his friends, his teammates, and his manager.
Full disclosure: I worked on baseball coverage at ESPN when Howard was there and we correspond through social media a little bit (that doesn't impact the review).
March 1, 2024
(4.5/5)
Pretty easily the best biography I've ever read, sports or otherwise. I'm in awe of how Bryant manages to turn one of the most nondescript (off the field at least) players in baseball history into a completely fascinating and three dimensional figure. That combined with the book's ability to include engrossing tangents on subjects as far reaching as socialism in Milwaukee, race relations in Mobile, car dealerships in Atlanta, and so much more is masterful. To examine the entire life of one of the most underrated players in baseball history would have been good enough, but to frame it as more or less synonymous with America in the 19th century is the work of a writer with unparalleled craft and ambition. Bravo.
Pretty easily the best biography I've ever read, sports or otherwise. I'm in awe of how Bryant manages to turn one of the most nondescript (off the field at least) players in baseball history into a completely fascinating and three dimensional figure. That combined with the book's ability to include engrossing tangents on subjects as far reaching as socialism in Milwaukee, race relations in Mobile, car dealerships in Atlanta, and so much more is masterful. To examine the entire life of one of the most underrated players in baseball history would have been good enough, but to frame it as more or less synonymous with America in the 19th century is the work of a writer with unparalleled craft and ambition. Bravo.
November 22, 2017
Really enjoyed this book! Great for history fans and baseball fans. If you are not into baseball, I would pass. But as a baseball fan and Milwaukee native, I loved this!
January 26, 2021
4 stars.
January 7, 2025
Very good. A lot of obscure words and complicated sentence structure though.
partially-read
December 7, 2021Henry Aaron - a quiet black kid growing up in the deep south (Mobile, Alabama) playing baseball in the same town as future major leaguers Billy Williams & Willie McCovey, whose early life is an enigma because he changed the narrative so often. A very private man who excelled at his only real passion in life: baseball.
September 11, 2021
I'm not particularly knowledgeable about baseball or a big fan, but I enjoyed this biography about Henry "Hank" Aaron, one of baseball's greatest legends. Henry Aaron was undoubtedly one of the most talented players to ever play the game. He had 755 home runs, beating the record set by Babe Ruth, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He only got one World Series title, but he played at an All-Star caliber throughout his career. Hank Aaron also helped pave the way for black players in the world of baseball. While Jackie Robinson opened the door for black players in major league baseball, Hank Aaron and Willie Mays established a legacy of powerful performance that took the door off its hinges.
While I didn't particularly enjoy the baseball portions of the book, I did enjoy the look into Aaron's character as a man and his life outside of the sport. He was a strong leader, a pillar of stoic strength, and a man with a strong moral compass. A loving husband and father and compassionate friend. He may have seemed cold and distant on the outside, but his inner life was rich with color and strength as an individual. He was someone who walked with a quiet confidence in their own abilities and knew their worth and potential. A lot can be learned from the life and career of Hank Aaron and I think this book is a strong illustration of that life.
While I didn't particularly enjoy the baseball portions of the book, I did enjoy the look into Aaron's character as a man and his life outside of the sport. He was a strong leader, a pillar of stoic strength, and a man with a strong moral compass. A loving husband and father and compassionate friend. He may have seemed cold and distant on the outside, but his inner life was rich with color and strength as an individual. He was someone who walked with a quiet confidence in their own abilities and knew their worth and potential. A lot can be learned from the life and career of Hank Aaron and I think this book is a strong illustration of that life.
December 1, 2021
Enjoyable biography of one of the great men of baseball, both on and off the field. Bryant does an excellent, in-depth job of painting the picture of Aaron’s early life and career. My one criticism, and it’s not fatal, is that his digressions are long and meandering, sometimes unnecessarily so. Some of the potshots at Jackie and even Mays seemed gratuitous and unnecessary, as one does not need to dim the stars of either of those two - phenomenal ball players and trailblazers both - to make Aaron’s shine brighter. But still one of the better baseball bios you’ll find.
December 28, 2024
Another excellent book by Howard Bryant. The road to 755 was lined with people who did not want a black man to surpass Babe Ruth's record 714. Aaron struggled with racism for much of his life, from his childhood in Mobile AL through his 22 year major league career. It's difficult to imagine the blatant hatred and racism Aaron experienced, not to mention the black people who had neither Aaron's popularity or wealth. Bryant details all of this to give a sobering portrait of a very private man who was almost tortured by fame. Racial issues became a cause for Aaron, and he used his position after retirement as a philanthropist. I look forward to reading Bryant's Full Dissidence: Notes from an Uneven Playing Field.
February 14, 2021
From the Washington DC Pubic Library:
Summary: In the thirty-four years since his retirement, Henry Aaron's reputation has only grown in magnitude: he broke existing records (rbis, total bases, extra-base hits) and set new ones (hitting at least thirty home runs per season fifteen times, becoming the first player in history to hammer five hundred home runs and three thousand hits). But his influence extends beyond statistics, and at long last here is the first definitive biography of one of baseball's immortal figures.
Based on meticulous research and interviews with former teammates, family, two former presidents, and Aaron himself, The Last Hero chronicles Aaron's childhood in segregated Alabama, his brief stardom in the Negro Leagues, his complicated relationship with celebrity, and his historic rivalry with Willie Mays--all culminating in the defining event of his life: his shattering of Babe Ruth's all-time home-run record.
Bryant also examines Aaron's more complex second act: his quest to become an important voice beyond the ball field when his playing days had ended, his rediscovery by a public disillusioned with today's tainted heroes, and his disappointment that his career home-run record was finally broken by Barry Bonds during the steroid era, baseball's greatest scandal.
Bryant reveals how Aaron navigated the upheavals of his time--fighting against racism while at the same time benefiting from racial progress--and how he achieved his goal of continuing Jackie Robinson's mission to obtain full equality for African-Americans, both in baseball and society, while he lived uncomfortably in the public spotlight. Eloquently written, detailed and penetrating, this is a revelatory portrait of a complicated, private man who through sports became an enduring American icon.
Summary: In the thirty-four years since his retirement, Henry Aaron's reputation has only grown in magnitude: he broke existing records (rbis, total bases, extra-base hits) and set new ones (hitting at least thirty home runs per season fifteen times, becoming the first player in history to hammer five hundred home runs and three thousand hits). But his influence extends beyond statistics, and at long last here is the first definitive biography of one of baseball's immortal figures.
Based on meticulous research and interviews with former teammates, family, two former presidents, and Aaron himself, The Last Hero chronicles Aaron's childhood in segregated Alabama, his brief stardom in the Negro Leagues, his complicated relationship with celebrity, and his historic rivalry with Willie Mays--all culminating in the defining event of his life: his shattering of Babe Ruth's all-time home-run record.
Bryant also examines Aaron's more complex second act: his quest to become an important voice beyond the ball field when his playing days had ended, his rediscovery by a public disillusioned with today's tainted heroes, and his disappointment that his career home-run record was finally broken by Barry Bonds during the steroid era, baseball's greatest scandal.
Bryant reveals how Aaron navigated the upheavals of his time--fighting against racism while at the same time benefiting from racial progress--and how he achieved his goal of continuing Jackie Robinson's mission to obtain full equality for African-Americans, both in baseball and society, while he lived uncomfortably in the public spotlight. Eloquently written, detailed and penetrating, this is a revelatory portrait of a complicated, private man who through sports became an enduring American icon.
November 25, 2012
This biography of Henry Aaron was well balanced between a review of his baseball career that will appeal to both the casual and serious baseball fan and an analysis of Aaron's private life, especially as it was impacted by the racial issues.
My generation started following Henry Aaron after he had playing for years, well after baseball was starting to be integrated and after the civil rights movement of the early sixties. So we didn't really appreciate that Henry Aaron grew up in the deep south and started his career in the height of segregation. The race issues and their impact of course continued, for example during spring training Aaron's wife could not sit with the white wives and the social life was limited. The analysis here was great.
It's also a great story of his rivalry with Willie Mays and Roberto Clemente, his two World Series against the Yankees(whose dynasty stopped largely because the Yankees didn't accept Black players as readily as National League teams) and I loved the suspense of various pennant races
A great chapter on his passing Babe Ruth as the all time home run champion and the pressure he faced during the chase. And the class and dignity in which Henry Aaron handled the travesty of Barry Bonds "breaking" Henry Aaron's home run record. The latter part of the book also outlines Aaron's success in business and in community involvement.
I finished the book with an understanding of the dignity and integrity in Henry Aaron's life, I recommend it
My generation started following Henry Aaron after he had playing for years, well after baseball was starting to be integrated and after the civil rights movement of the early sixties. So we didn't really appreciate that Henry Aaron grew up in the deep south and started his career in the height of segregation. The race issues and their impact of course continued, for example during spring training Aaron's wife could not sit with the white wives and the social life was limited. The analysis here was great.
It's also a great story of his rivalry with Willie Mays and Roberto Clemente, his two World Series against the Yankees(whose dynasty stopped largely because the Yankees didn't accept Black players as readily as National League teams) and I loved the suspense of various pennant races
A great chapter on his passing Babe Ruth as the all time home run champion and the pressure he faced during the chase. And the class and dignity in which Henry Aaron handled the travesty of Barry Bonds "breaking" Henry Aaron's home run record. The latter part of the book also outlines Aaron's success in business and in community involvement.
I finished the book with an understanding of the dignity and integrity in Henry Aaron's life, I recommend it
November 12, 2016
FINALLY! I feel like this book took me much to long to read - mostly because I just wasn't a fan of the writing - Bryant just didn't make me feel excited about reading his book.
Let me make a full disclosure - I made a challenge to myself - to read all the biographies in my library. As I walked down the aisle to the beginning, I saw alot of political names.. I was dreading coming to those names. I got to the beginning and found this book - Henry Aaron. I was not happy, because if there is one sport I care nothing about, it's baseball. And, this book is 600 pages about one baseball player.
After finishing this book, I am more appreciative of learning about who Henry Aaron was as a person and a player than I am of actually reading this book. I felt that the author sometimes went on and on about other players, sometimes there was no real connection made by the author or myself, as the reader, to Aaron. Also, I hated the play by plays of certain games - but that could be more because I am not a sports person than anything. The last thing that really got under my skin, was the flashbacks. Bryant would fully describe something and then flashback to an earlier time and describe something in detail. I don't understand why he did that - sometimes it confused me because it invovled player or important people and as an outsider, I really didn't know who they were.
So all in all - I felt this book would have been more impactful if the author stayed completely on topic - Henry Aaron - and stopped trying to be overly fancy with writiing a biography.
Let me make a full disclosure - I made a challenge to myself - to read all the biographies in my library. As I walked down the aisle to the beginning, I saw alot of political names.. I was dreading coming to those names. I got to the beginning and found this book - Henry Aaron. I was not happy, because if there is one sport I care nothing about, it's baseball. And, this book is 600 pages about one baseball player.
After finishing this book, I am more appreciative of learning about who Henry Aaron was as a person and a player than I am of actually reading this book. I felt that the author sometimes went on and on about other players, sometimes there was no real connection made by the author or myself, as the reader, to Aaron. Also, I hated the play by plays of certain games - but that could be more because I am not a sports person than anything. The last thing that really got under my skin, was the flashbacks. Bryant would fully describe something and then flashback to an earlier time and describe something in detail. I don't understand why he did that - sometimes it confused me because it invovled player or important people and as an outsider, I really didn't know who they were.
So all in all - I felt this book would have been more impactful if the author stayed completely on topic - Henry Aaron - and stopped trying to be overly fancy with writiing a biography.
December 18, 2014
Hank Aaron has a rightful place in sports history, but his legacy should be far greater. In many ways, he was hampered by his time, place, and personality. He came into his own during the last gasp of the Negro League, after Jackie Robinson broke the initial barrier, and had to share the spotlight with Willie Mays - a much more colorful, media-friendly personality. Unlike Jackie, Henry came from the deep South, and he was always much warier (rigthfully so) about the media portraying him as a dumb black country rube. So he kept to himself, and the media favored Willie, Frank Robinson, Ernie Banks, and the rest of the "second wave" African-American baseball players. His reticence and mild sarcasm was interpreted as aloofness, ingratitude, and smug superiority. Then, 20 years after he finally breaks Babe Ruth's all-time home run record, the steroid era makes a mockery of the concept of celebrating home run volume - first, in the McGwire/Sosa race, then as juiced players continue to shatter previous season records, culminating in Barry Bonds, Willie Mays' godson, seizing Henry's crown in 2007 and leaving us with a collective bad taste in our mouth.
Henry may not have been the flashiest personality, but he deserves to be celebrated for his accomplishments. And this book is just as interesting as any I've read on Ruth, Ali, or McEnroe.
Henry may not have been the flashiest personality, but he deserves to be celebrated for his accomplishments. And this book is just as interesting as any I've read on Ruth, Ali, or McEnroe.
May 26, 2019
An interesting take on the life of Hammerin' Hank Aaron.. Although he was surpassed by 'Steroid Baroid" Bonds, he remains baseball's sentimental Home run King. This biography delves into the baseball career of Aaron but also into the racial implications of his life and baseball. It paints Aaron as a bitter man at times due to racial injustices from the Sports establishment. The author writes that the hate mail and death threats in his pursuit of the Babe's magic 714 homers left a huge scar on hiss personality and life long into his retired years.
One sad note was the rapid decline in Aaron's skills and home run numbers once he passed Ruth. Over his career he averages 37 HRs per year. In 1973 he banged 40 homers. He broke Ruth's record in early April 1974. In the years 1974, 1975 and 1976 he totaled 42. (20 in 1974, 12 in 1975, 10 in 1976). The book is well documented and has all of Aaron's career stats and numbers.
As a white male, it infuriates me when some "celebrity" or self righteous and pompous ass cuts in front of me in line. I can only imagine how the prejudice of the deep South in the 1940s, 50s and 60s affected black Americans. I don't know how you can ever forget that less than human treatment if you've experienced it every day, day-in-and-day-out.
One sad note was the rapid decline in Aaron's skills and home run numbers once he passed Ruth. Over his career he averages 37 HRs per year. In 1973 he banged 40 homers. He broke Ruth's record in early April 1974. In the years 1974, 1975 and 1976 he totaled 42. (20 in 1974, 12 in 1975, 10 in 1976). The book is well documented and has all of Aaron's career stats and numbers.
As a white male, it infuriates me when some "celebrity" or self righteous and pompous ass cuts in front of me in line. I can only imagine how the prejudice of the deep South in the 1940s, 50s and 60s affected black Americans. I don't know how you can ever forget that less than human treatment if you've experienced it every day, day-in-and-day-out.
March 16, 2011
Great overview of Aaron and his life. When you consider that the book starts in the 1930's and goes through Bonds breaking Aaron's record, you really get a sense for how much life Henry has lived. It's remarkable that he did so much both within and outside of baseball. In particular, it was interesting to get an insight into how the home run chase really was, how he actually felt like he lost something during it. The context was also fascinating. It was cool to see Aaron in the context of the civil rights movement and segregation, as well as to see the friendships and animosities in the Braves' clubhouse. Also illuminating to see how Atlanta embraced the Braves and how Aaron was a figurehead of the new era of baseball: The first black superstar playing on the first Southern baseball team.
And I never thought about it, but he is sort of the last hero. Aaron was the last of his generation, the last truly great player from the golden age of baseball.
And I never thought about it, but he is sort of the last hero. Aaron was the last of his generation, the last truly great player from the golden age of baseball.
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