A review by wellhemay
The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America by Joe Posnanski
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
One of the best books I've read. It reads like an oral history of the negro leagues from both Buck and his friends and former teammates. But the book truly has heart and soul; Buck is larger than life and wonderfully humble all at once. He's a good hugger, a grandson of a slave, one of the most determined men in his career, a charismatic speaker, a kind face to sad people and hopeful children. The sort of man anyone could call their hero.
The author does a fantastic job of never getting in the way of the story as he travels and talks with Buck. The book is a neutral ground where he and Buck meet, and what grows in the soil there is some of the most passionate storytelling I've ever read. The men of the Negro Leagues played damn good ball, and they were treated like shit, but Buck always made it clear they had a good time anyway. Baseball will do that for a person.
The author does a fantastic job of never getting in the way of the story as he travels and talks with Buck. The book is a neutral ground where he and Buck meet, and what grows in the soil there is some of the most passionate storytelling I've ever read. The men of the Negro Leagues played damn good ball, and they were treated like shit, but Buck always made it clear they had a good time anyway. Baseball will do that for a person.