Rating: 
Summary: Goes Beyond Baseball
Review: The Henry Aaron story is one of the few that transcends the realm of sports. It really should become part of our national consciousness. He is a symbol of American identity. H is book tells it like it is. One thing that Henry Aaron does not muse upon-- he graciously lets others draw these conclusions --is that he leads by example much more than by words. His remarkable abilities are underscored by a sense of grace, modesty, consistency, and decency that have few parallels in sports, especially compared to today's fallen heroes. "I Had A Hammer" touches upon his modest-but-hardworking background, and emphasizes the strength and cohesiveness of his family. Indeed, Aaron makes it clear that he is a product of the values instilled in him by his father, mother, and older siblings as much as anything else. And if his current position on race issues seem a bit extreme now and then, well, read the book and you'll understand why he sees things the way he does. It wasn't so long ago that he was the victim of crude, stinging racism-- REAL, in-your-face racism, not subtle, ambiguous, or imagined! He bore a tremendous burden successfully. He pays significant homage to Jackie Robinson, and he has exemplified the same spirit through and through. Of course, he had support from good people-- white and black --and his book acknowledges this, too. Henry Aaron is our perfect American symbol of triumph over oppression. I was lucky to spend some time with him at a Harvard Commencement a few years ago (he was aptly elected as Class Day speaker for Harvard), and the entire Harvard community was thrilled and awed by his gentle grace. (As I shook his hand, for some reason it flashed through my mind that this hand hit seven home runs off the great Sandy Koufax!). Henry Aaron is, as Ted Turner says, a "right thinker" and he deserves even more credit and acknowledgment than he receives. In an era of flash, unbridled arrogance and conspicuous consumption, Aaron shows us the true path to respect, recognition, and character. He is the Zen Master of American sports.
Rating:
Summary: Beyond just another sports biography
Review: This is a terrific autobiography that transcends the classification of sports writing. It is written in a style and format that that is compelling and informative. The typical sports biographies tell a series of funny and dramatic inside stories around memorable moments in sports history that the subject participated in. When well done, the reader gets what he or she is looking for and then some. When poorly done we get some stale jokes, old stories and an inept attempt at describing the true meaning of courage. In "I Had a Hammer" Henry Aaron and Lonnie Wheeler have given us a glimpse at a young black man growing up in the Deep South to become the greatest home run hitter of all time. In the odyssey we see the elements of society alternately denigrate and celebrate this gifted athlete. We are given these insights through the co-writer's preambe to each chapter and the personal recollections of key players in the life and career of Hank Aaron. This array of perspectives is excellently done and gives the book a good flow. What gives it the greatest impact is the candid personal recollections of Mr. Aaron. He is outspoken in his contempt for the elements of racism that followed (or is it lead) him every step of the way to the top. Yet he is forgiving of many who may have slurred his race in the past and then later learned to overcome their biased opinions. Much of that transition came through their experiences with him and other early black major league ball players. This is a book about our nation's racial attitudes as seen through the experiences of the author. Don't be mistaken, this is still an excellent book for the sports fan. The casual fan will come away with a greater sense of sports history. The Braves fan will really enjoy some of the historic events recreated in the middle chapters. The Milwaukee fan need only read the last paragraph of chapter 7 and a tear or two will likely fall. The Atlanta fan will come away with a challenge to accept the validity of Aaron's view of his experiences in that city. Some will and some won't. However, all sports fans will come away with an excellent education on race relations in America from the 1930' to very recent years. They will gain this insight not through a lecture by the authors but by the very human expressions of a man telling his own compelling story.
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Summary: The Hammering Home Run King, Baseball Odyssey & Sport Legend
Review: `I Had a Hammer':The Hank Aaron Story, is quite a remarkable book. Mr. Aaron had a magnificent career as one of the greatest baseball players of all time, yet he was not as flamboyant and luminous as other figures in the game that most fans are accustomed to remembering such as Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams, Ty Cobb, Stan Musial, Joe DiMaggio or even Babe Ruth. Aaron was a methodical productive hitter that was a reliable back bone of the Braves organization going back to it's Milwaukee days. He was the man who hit the game winning hit that propelled the Braves into the 1957 World Series, and I later years the only man to break Babe Ruth's home run record making him still the all-time home run king in Baseball. What is sometimes over-shadowed by his home run title is the fact that he was also a very all around hitter throughout his career. Aaron had 2297 RBI's, 240 stolen bases, 98 triples, 624 doubles, 2174 runs, 3771 hits out of 3298 games he played and batted .305 in his career. Incredible all around numbers, and a man any coach would die for in their starting line-up. This story tells much of the untold story of Aaron's career which he candidly lays out in detail for the reader. The high pressure racism he experienced from his early days in the negro leagues, the South Atlantic League and throughout his days as an Atlanta Brave. The flood of death threats and hate mail for his sole `crime' of being a black man approaching Babe Ruth's record. The book is beautifully presented and is extraordinarily engrossing in it's dignified manner in which Aaron breaks his long year's of silence portraying a tale of an illustrious career and a thrilling American triumph. Mr. Aaron is a legend, and this is more than just any other sports biography. I strongly recommend this book to anyone, as it shines a light on our country's history that is seldom told. I found this to be an astonishing tale about the baseball odyssey who hit the glorious and impossble 715 in more ways than one.
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