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A review by wescovington
The Last Hero: A Life of Henry Aaron by Howard Bryant
Henry Aaron ("Hank" was more or less just the name used to refer to him as a baseball player) should be a larger than life figure with all of his accomplishments in baseball. When he broke Babe Ruth's career home run record in 1974, it was one of the most exciting moments in this young baseball fan's life (I was 8 at the time.)
However, the home run record seems to define Aaron in just one small part of his life, and for just one part of his career. Bryant tries to flesh out the whole person that Henry Aaron was and is.
Born in Mobile, Alabama, Aaron grew up in a much different setting for African-American from other stars like Jackie Robinson and Don Newcombe. Aaron was immediately branded as a simple country boy, who had a funny swing, and didn't seem to try very hard.
Aaron's Southern upbringing is continually brought up by Howard Bryant, whose previous book, "Juicing the Game" examined steroid use in baseball. Prior to that, Bryant wrote "Shut Out" a story about the Boston Red Sox shameful record on signing black players.
Bryant almost manages to paint a complete portrait of Aaron's life and his place in the civil rights movement (which Aaron believed in strongly, although he was not perceived as being outspoken on the topic) to Aaron's disappointment at seeing Barry Bonds break his home run record.
The only part that Bryant didn't address was whether or not Aaron used performance-enhancing drugs (namely amphetamines) during his playing career. Greenies (which were mentioned as being available in the Atlanta Braves clubhouse like they were in a candy jar) were the drug of choice in the 1960s and 1970s. However, players from that era either do not mention them or do not feel that they gained an advantage from them.
However, the home run record seems to define Aaron in just one small part of his life, and for just one part of his career. Bryant tries to flesh out the whole person that Henry Aaron was and is.
Born in Mobile, Alabama, Aaron grew up in a much different setting for African-American from other stars like Jackie Robinson and Don Newcombe. Aaron was immediately branded as a simple country boy, who had a funny swing, and didn't seem to try very hard.
Aaron's Southern upbringing is continually brought up by Howard Bryant, whose previous book, "Juicing the Game" examined steroid use in baseball. Prior to that, Bryant wrote "Shut Out" a story about the Boston Red Sox shameful record on signing black players.
Bryant almost manages to paint a complete portrait of Aaron's life and his place in the civil rights movement (which Aaron believed in strongly, although he was not perceived as being outspoken on the topic) to Aaron's disappointment at seeing Barry Bonds break his home run record.
The only part that Bryant didn't address was whether or not Aaron used performance-enhancing drugs (namely amphetamines) during his playing career. Greenies (which were mentioned as being available in the Atlanta Braves clubhouse like they were in a candy jar) were the drug of choice in the 1960s and 1970s. However, players from that era either do not mention them or do not feel that they gained an advantage from them.