El Beisbol: Travels Through the Pan-American Pastime

Rating:
Summary: Insightful & enjoyable mix of travel & cultural reportage.
Review: An attempt to find symbiosis between baseball, latino politics, and his personal journey. He conveyed a weak attempt on all fronts. Don't waste your valuable time. Just go for the Clemente autobiography.

Rating:
Summary: A true strikeout
Review: An attempt to find symbiosis between baseball, latino politics, and his personal journey. He conveyed a weak attempt on all fronts. Don't waste your valuable time. Just go for the Clemente autobiography.

Rating:
Summary: Plenty to enjoy here
Review: I found the first review entirely too severe. There were lots of amusing anecdotes, only a few familiar, as well as colorful characters and good local flavor. I agree that the political elements were less successful, but overall, El Beisbol is a worthy part of my baseball library.

Rating:
Summary: Insightful & enjoyable mix of travel & cultural reportage.
Review: This book truly brings the world of Latin baseball to life. Mixing history, travel writing, sports enthusiasm & politics, Krich documents the (declining) importance of baseball in the Latin American countries closest to the US & its influence. He struggles on occasion because he alternately refutes & repeats stereotypes about Latinos, players & nonplayers alike. Some reference material (e.g. a reading list, maps, etc.) would make the book more useful, but overall it is both amusing & insightful, notably on the politics of baseball in US-Nicaraguan relations. Students in my Latin American history class have shown a keen interest in it. It should be brought back into print!