Hammerin' Hank: The Life of Hank Greenberg

Is a Jewish sports superstar an oxymoron? Oh, No! says this bright picture book biography of baseball great Hank Greenberg. The text bursts with sound information from a strong Jewish point of view. The introduction states the theme of prejudice against outsiders. As the story moves chronologically through Greenberg's life, youngsters meet a genuine American hero whose hard work and love of baseball disprove attitudes that Jews were not real Americans. He succeeds despite anti-Semitism and encourages other minorities with similar problems on the playing field. Elementary school readers will eagerly follow Greenberg's career path and applaud his determination to follow his dream to become a baseball player despite his Orthodox parents' disapproval. From the local park in his Bronx neighborhood, through college games, minor league teams and finally the big-time majors, Greenberg worked at his game: he was not a natural athlete. He practiced his way into the Most Valuable Player award: the first Jew ever so honored; and into the Baseball Hall of Fame: the first Jew inducted and still one of only two Jews there! Greenberg helped his team though long seasons and World Series championships, but he did not play on Yom Kippur. Readers will learn of his life outside baseball (marriages, children, wartime army service, other jobs). Stylized, colorful, primitive art supports the serious fact filled text. The unusual illustrations attract attention to the biography as they deliver Jewish culture and mid-20th century Americana. The book includes a rich amount of reference for a picture book: statistics, career records, chronology, bibliography and a glossary which casually (and amusingly) mixes Jewish and sports terms as they appear in alphabetical order. The international Association of Jewish Libraries chose this as one of 2007's fourteen notable books for younger readers. Hammerin' Hank introduces today's young readers to yesterday's hero in a way that piques their interest and makes them proud to be Jews. Reviewed by Ellen Cole.

Mother-daughter team, McDonough and Zeldis (The Life of Benjamin Franklin, Peaceful Protest: The Life of Nelson Mandela, and Anne Frank) team-up to offer readers a picture book biography of Hank Greenberg, "a baseball player who was tall, strong, and handsome" and who also "happened to be Jewish." With quotes from Greenberg and others interspersed within the text, McDonough details his childhood in New York City and the Bronx, his experiences playing basketball at NYU, his career playing baseball for the Detroit Tigers, his decision to serve in the US Army during World War II, and his ownership of the Chicago White Sox. She also recounts the anti-Semitism that Greenberg faced from fans and players, his decision to play on Rosh Hashanah but not on Yom Kippur, and his encounter with Jackie Robinson. The bright, folk-art paintings in bold, garish colors, match the setting and mood created by the text. And, caricatures of other Jewish baseball players, like Moe Berg, Sandy Koufax, Shawn Green, and Gabe Kapler are cleverly included, in baseball card style, on the end pages. The appendix includes Hank Greenberg's vital statistics, a chronology of his life, a glossary, and a bibliography, rounding out this wonderfully accessible introduction to baseball's first Jewish superstar.