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

Having seen Clemente play in the latter years of his career, this book enlightened me not only about his early years in Puerto Rico, but also about his early years in Pittsburgh. A most thorough book, it is a must read for any sports fan.

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... Read Full Review

I still recall where I was (family living room) and who I was with (my Dad) when we heard the news of Roberto Clemente's tragic death. As a pre-teen boy, at the time all I knew of Clemente was his batting average and his bullet arm. Then, as details trickled out concerning the events surrounding his death--his mission of mercy to people in need, I learn more and more about Clemente the man. Maraniss does a superb job telling... Read Full Review

I was carrying an advance copy of this book on the Washington Metro and several people stopped to ask me how they could get it. They won't be disappointed. At times Maraniss can be a little wordy like when he takes a page and a half to list all the players on some labor committee and he takes a long time to get to the end, and when he does get to the end, it turns into an NTSA report. I have written a full review at [...]... Read Full Review

Roberto Clemente's legend as El Magn?fico, the dazzling talent, angry activist, and humble humanitarian who died a martyr, has transcended into near-mythology. Clemente's frenetic life mirrored his athletic intensity. Whether throwing curve balls on the field or to the media, Clemente's cannon arm and quick wit never failed him. It takes a towering talent to tackle a complicated subject like Clemente. Pulitzer Prize winning... Read Full Review