Hank Aaron and the Home Run That Changed America

Like author Tom Stanton, I was a little boy when Henry Louis Aaron was closing in on baseball's crown jewel record: Babe Ruth's 714 home runs. I lived in Forest Park, Georgia, about 12 miles south of Atlanta Stadium, and I had the good fortune to be able to see about a half dozen of Mr. Aaron's home runs in person. I played with the other boys in our neighborhood, and when the Braves were playing we always had the radio on. We could talk and joke and laugh through the rest of the game, but our voices would hush when Milo Hamilton would tell us "Aaron is on deck". Hank would come to the plate and our room would erupt with joy if we got to hear Milo's typical home run call. "There's a long drive.... It's going back.... WAY back.... It's OUT of here! Home Run number 683 for Henry Aaron!" Anyway - I had to begin this review by admitting what a HUGE hero Hank Aaron is in my life. All that being said, this book is both very informative and disappointingly bland. It was good to hear the names of those Braves from the past - in particular Aaron progeny Dusty Baker and Ralph Garr. Darrell Evans and Davey Johnson who joined Aaron as the only 3 teammates in history to hit 40 home runs the same year. (1973, the year before historic #715). Eddie Matthews, who was once Hank's teammate, the two teammates with the most life-time home runs, then served as Hank's manager during the years that make up the bulk of the book. Hall of Fame teammates Phil Niekro and Warren Spahn. Hall of Fame opponents like Bob Gibson, Tom Seaver and Don Sutton. Most enlightening were the details of the paths Hank followed behind Jackie Robinson as a ground-breaking African-American excelling in the National Pasttime. Most heart-breaking were the tales of hate mail and death threats that he received every day. To right-thinking people it is inconceivable that a man could receive death threats only because he was doing his job as well as any person had ever done it. The four stars are because I didn't come close to receiving the same thrill that this same material could have given me if presented properly. Stanton is a terrific researcher, but his writing style feels clinically cold. If America is a country of "Tall Tales" and our best legends are the real living ones, then certainly Hank Aaron must be one of America's Greatest Heroes by any definition. Stanton says as much in this book, but there's what you say, then there's how you say it. Nonetheless, this is the best record I know of covering these events, and I'd call it "required reading" for anyone wanting to know about Hammering Hank.

It's simply unbelievable to think that the years 1973 and 1974, years after the progress of the civil rights movement, saw Hank Aaron come under fire of severe racial hatred and prejudice. His crime? He went after the "sacred" all-time home run record of Babe Ruth. Death threats, tinged with racial slurs, to himself and his family followed him as he slowly approached home run number 715. Some ugly undercurrents of American society simultaneously emerged. This book recounts Aaron's journey from an underrated baseball star of the 1950s and 1960s to an undisputed baseball legend. It even harkens back to Babe Ruth's days of fast and reckless living as he slammed 714 home runs throughout the 1920s and 1930s. This record was thought by many to be completely untouchable (and termed "The Mountain"). So who was this Henry "Hank" Aaron, a not so celebrated but extremely well-rounded player, from the Braves to suddenly come out of almost nowhere to challenge the sport's demi-god? People finally began to notice as Aaron snuck up on the all-time record. By the time he reached number 700 a country-wide media craze exploded. Aaron found himself caught in the middle complete with body guards, a private secretary, appearances on television shows, magazines, hordes of fan mail, and, most significantly, horrific hate mail. Even Babe Ruth's widow didn't seem too enthusiastic about Aaron's increasing home run numbers. Even more unbeliveable, the baseball commissioner at the time, Bowie Kuhn, didn't personally congratulate Aaron on #700. And on top of that, the book even records that, as Aaron went for the big record, Atlanta fans showed up in increasingly smaller numbers to home games. But eventually they redeemed themselves. And we all know how the story ends, but this book provides many details for those of us who weren't, or couldn't be, there. This book will interest not only baseball fans, but fans of popular culture in general. After all, Aaron's record represents one of the biggest pop culture events of the past 40 years (which has resurfaced with Barry Bonds). The ugly underneath and Aaron's eventual triumph in the face of this adversity will inspire anyone. This book represents one of those great sports books that goes beyond sports to show its impact on society in general. By his perserverance, Hank Aaron opened roads for many people in popular culture. This fact has gone underappreciated for too long. And this book attempts to fill this gap by showcasing the accomplishments of Hank Aaron that will likely outlast even his incredible baseball records.

I was born in 1981. I became a Braves fan in 1989. Throughout my youth and the many division titles of the Braves, I heard many stories about Hammerin' Hank from broadcasters, former teammates, colleauges etc. I never paid much attention to them other than how many homers he hit. As I eased into college, I started listening to the issues surrounding Aaron's story. I heard about the racism and threats the man had to deal with on a daily basis during his chase, but I knew that I never had the full story. I'm two years out of school and have finally gotten around to reading about one of the most underrated and talented players to set foot on a baseball field. I still don't know the full story, but Tom Stanton has given me a wonderful starting point. Stanton is magnificent. The reviewers' opinions are not hype but have substance. He does an excellent job of presenting the story from several vantage points. After reading, I knew what the press was thinking, what the men, such as Matthews and Baker, saw in their teammate. The view from a national standpoint versus the people of Atlanta. This is one aspect where Stanton stands out from most authors. He captures the mentality of the Atlanta fans then and, since I follow the Braves, relate them to the way they are today. He really is able to capture the essence of Atlanta baseball fans and the city. To me this aspect was important in understanding the day to day of Aaron's life without making the story slow. I can't say enough about this book. Bottom line, if you want a genuine take on Aaron's background and chase after the record, this book has as much substance as Hank has class.

The subtitle of this book, "The Home Run That Changed America," may seem a bit lofty to those born too soon to remember this record-breaking blow. But in these pages, Tom Stanton does a fine job of interweaving the story of Henry Aaron's chase of baseball's most hallowed record with the tale of the impact of that pursuit on the larger society. Stanton's love for the game shines through in this narrative, as does his sense of shame for those elements of the public who greeted Aaron's achievement not with praise, but scorn and hatred.The narrative begins in the fall of 1972 with Aaron among those in attendance at the funeral of Jackie Robinson, the man who broke the color barrier in modern baseball. The bulk of the book tells the story of the 1973 season, which saw Aaron surpass Willie Mays for second place on the career home run list and finally fall one short of Ruth's magic total of 714. Over the course of that season Aaron had to endure the ravages of age (he was thirty-nine), a steadily intensifying media circus, and most disheartening of all, a vocal stream of hatred and abuse, most (if not all) of it racially motivated.The retrospective distance of three decades makes it clear that if anyone was prepared to endure this great strain, it was Henry Aaron. While other players in bigger media markets like Mays and Mickey Mantle had captured the public's imagination with flashier performances, Aaron had been toiling away in Milwaukee and Atlanta, steadily building up career totals that would place him in the first rank of baseball's Hall of Fame...and humanity's as well.Aaron came back for the 1974 season determined to put the quest for the record behind him as quickly as possible. This couldn't come without controversy, either. Atlanta officials found themselves embroiled in conflict with then-Commissioner Bowie Kuhn when they threatened to hold Aaron out of the opening three games at Cincinnati so he could achieve the record at home. Under pressure from Kuhn, the Braves played Aaron in Cincinnati, where he tied the record. Fittingly, though, he saved the blast that put him alone in the baseball universe for the home fans. Appropriately, this is where Stanton's narrative ends. There's a brief afterword on what's happened to Aaron and the other key players (including a young acolyte of Aaron's, Dusty Baker) in the decades since. But the heart of the story is in that year and a half recounted in these pages....when, as Stanton puts it, Aaron placed an exclamation mark on Jackie Robinson's great achievement and helped further erode the barriers standing in the way of full equality for all Americans.--William C. Hall

One of the best books I've ever read in any genre. A great book about the greatest Brave and the best player of all time. Hank Aaron wasn't just a homerun hitter he was a great all around player. He was great in the field, had an awesome arm, could hit for average, and obviously hit for power. I would love to see Mr.Stanton write a book on Warren Spahn next, could be another classic. I highly recommend this book for not only Braves fans or Hank Aaron fans but baseball fans and fans of the human spirit.