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.From the Hardcover edition.

Product Description: In the small town of Cahill, Georgia, back in the forties and fifties, things were different. Still, Phillip Graham is shocked when he discovers that the town's sheriff and its deputies are members of the Ku Klux Klan. Asked to join, he adamantly refuses...read more

Product Description: From the respected sports journalist and author of Shut Out comes a groundbreaking history of steroid use in major league baseball Despite enjoying an era of unprecedented prosperity and on-field accomplishments, Major League Baseball is in crisis as its greatest players find themselves defending their achievements instead of celebrating them...read more

Product Description: Reflections Along the Pathways of Life is a compilation of Mr. Bryant's thoughts, ideas and real life experiences.   He points out many issues that are common to us all and in some cases he offers alternatives and solutions for the reader to consider

Analyzes how racism has impacted baseball in Boston, Massachusetts, chronicling the polices and personality of the Yawkey family and the Boston press, and noting what the author calls the city's prevalence of racial intolerance in spite of its historical ideals. Reprint.