How can the final director and editor not check all this? Did EVERYONE not realize that 99% of the purchasers of this book would be historical baseball fans? There are, literally, probably over 25 mispronunciations that then get repeated again and again and it destroyed my enjoyment of the story. But then, all of the sudden, toward the end even more recent names like Gary Gaetti were mangled.
I had even forgiven the mispronunciations from Sisler to Schoendinst (although how can you not know that Bradenton, Florida is BRAY-den-ton not BRAD-en-ton? Frustrating!). I love Henry Aaron and the book itself was fascinating. He's a terrific narrator but these misreads, as already said by other reviews, make the book almost grating.
But how can Random House or ANY publishing house not provide someone who apparently does not know baseball well with pronunciations of FAMOUS men and CITIES? I do not blame Hoffman.
GREAT STORY but blame the producers for misreadsĭominic Hoffman is easy to listen to.
Eloquently written, detailed, and penetrating, this is a revelatory portrait of a complicated, private man who through sports became an enduring American icon. But his influence extends beyond statistics, and at long last here is the first definitive biography of one of baseball’s immortal figures.īased 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.īryant 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.īryant 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. In the 34 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 30 home runs per season 15 times, becoming the first player in history to hammer 500 home runs and three thousand hits).
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