jfranco77's review against another edition
3.0
A few random thoughts that don't necessarily pertain to the story itself, but sum up most of what you need to know about the book.
-This book feels very long. There is a lot of content, which is OK. But it just feels long. Part of that is that the title says "1948" but you get to the end of the 1948 season and the book is only 60% done. The book continues into the 1949 season and even beyond, in order to track the Barons and Willie Mays further down the road. It makes sense that it works that way, it was just a bit strange at first.
-This is as much a book about Piper Davis as it is about Willie Mays. That's fine; it might actually be a good thing since there are other books about Mays and Piper might actually be a more interesting character. The book is at its best when it is talking about Piper and his relationships with his players.
-Klima spends a lot of time speculating about what might have happened behind the scenes, or describing the back-alley transactions that did happen. Some of this is interesting, a lot of it isn't; some of it has been described in other places, some of it hasn't. This book is intended to be about everything that happened to get Mays to the major leagues. But the book is stronger when it talks about the players than when it talks about the front office.
-A lot of the book's content is just a compilation of other interviews and other stories. It's great that someone did it, and put together the story of Willie Mays. I just feel like the book could have been more focused, and maybe the wide variety of source material made it difficult to hone in on the key story.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. You get a clear picture of what the Negro Leagues were like in the late 40s, from the fading attendance to the simultaneous clamor for and institutional fear of getting these players to the major leagues. You get a feel for everything that surrounded Mays, and how everyone helped him and even sheltered him along the way. You get a feel for how special everyone thought Mays was, and how amazing he was even at a young age. If you're looking for a thorough background, this book is a good place to start.
-This book feels very long. There is a lot of content, which is OK. But it just feels long. Part of that is that the title says "1948" but you get to the end of the 1948 season and the book is only 60% done. The book continues into the 1949 season and even beyond, in order to track the Barons and Willie Mays further down the road. It makes sense that it works that way, it was just a bit strange at first.
-This is as much a book about Piper Davis as it is about Willie Mays. That's fine; it might actually be a good thing since there are other books about Mays and Piper might actually be a more interesting character. The book is at its best when it is talking about Piper and his relationships with his players.
-Klima spends a lot of time speculating about what might have happened behind the scenes, or describing the back-alley transactions that did happen. Some of this is interesting, a lot of it isn't; some of it has been described in other places, some of it hasn't. This book is intended to be about everything that happened to get Mays to the major leagues. But the book is stronger when it talks about the players than when it talks about the front office.
-A lot of the book's content is just a compilation of other interviews and other stories. It's great that someone did it, and put together the story of Willie Mays. I just feel like the book could have been more focused, and maybe the wide variety of source material made it difficult to hone in on the key story.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. You get a clear picture of what the Negro Leagues were like in the late 40s, from the fading attendance to the simultaneous clamor for and institutional fear of getting these players to the major leagues. You get a feel for everything that surrounded Mays, and how everyone helped him and even sheltered him along the way. You get a feel for how special everyone thought Mays was, and how amazing he was even at a young age. If you're looking for a thorough background, this book is a good place to start.
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