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Hank Greenberg: The Hero Who Didn't Want To Be One
From the prizewinning Jewish Lives series, the remarkable life story of the first Jewish superstar athlete, by New York Times best-selling author Mark Kurlansky
One of the reasons baseball fans so love the sport is that it involves certain physical acts of beauty. And one of the most beautiful sights in the history of baseball was Hank Greenberg's swing. His calmly poised body seemed to have some special set of springs with a trigger release that snapped his arms and swept the bat through the air with the clean speed and strength of a propeller. But what is even more extraordinary than his grace and his power is that in Detroit of 1934, his swing—or its absence—became entwined with American Jewish history. Though Hank Greenberg was one of the first players to challenge Babe Ruth's single-season record of sixty home runs, it was the game Greenberg did not play for which he is best remembered. With his decision to sit out a 1934 game between his Tigers and the New York Yankees because it fell on Yom Kippur, Hank Greenberg became a hero to Jews throughout America. Yet, as Kurlansky writes, he was the quintessential secular Jew, and to celebrate him for his loyalty to religious observance is to ignore who this man was.
In Hank Greenberg Mark Kurlansky explores the truth behind the slugger's legend: his Bronx boyhood, his spectacular discipline as an aspiring ballplayer, the complexity of his decision not to play on Yom Kippur, and the cultural context of virulent anti-Semitism in which his career played out.
What Kurlansky discovers is a man of immense dignity and restraint with a passion for sport who became a great reader—a man, too, who was an inspiration to the young Jackie Robinson, who said, "Class tells. It sticks out all over Mr. Greenberg."
One of the reasons baseball fans so love the sport is that it involves certain physical acts of beauty. And one of the most beautiful sights in the history of baseball was Hank Greenberg's swing. His calmly poised body seemed to have some special set of springs with a trigger release that snapped his arms and swept the bat through the air with the clean speed and strength of a propeller. But what is even more extraordinary than his grace and his power is that in Detroit of 1934, his swing—or its absence—became entwined with American Jewish history. Though Hank Greenberg was one of the first players to challenge Babe Ruth's single-season record of sixty home runs, it was the game Greenberg did not play for which he is best remembered. With his decision to sit out a 1934 game between his Tigers and the New York Yankees because it fell on Yom Kippur, Hank Greenberg became a hero to Jews throughout America. Yet, as Kurlansky writes, he was the quintessential secular Jew, and to celebrate him for his loyalty to religious observance is to ignore who this man was.
In Hank Greenberg Mark Kurlansky explores the truth behind the slugger's legend: his Bronx boyhood, his spectacular discipline as an aspiring ballplayer, the complexity of his decision not to play on Yom Kippur, and the cultural context of virulent anti-Semitism in which his career played out.
What Kurlansky discovers is a man of immense dignity and restraint with a passion for sport who became a great reader—a man, too, who was an inspiration to the young Jackie Robinson, who said, "Class tells. It sticks out all over Mr. Greenberg."
192 pages, Hardcover
First published March 29, 2011
6 people are currently reading
203 people want to read
About the author
Mark Kurlansky
68 books1,981 followersMark Kurlansky is an American journalist and author who has written a number of books of fiction and nonfiction. His 1997 book, Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World (1997), was an international bestseller and was translated into more than fifteen languages. His book Nonviolence: Twenty-five Lessons From the History of a Dangerous Idea (2006) was the nonfiction winner of the 2007 Dayton Literary Peace Prize.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
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May 4, 2021great story of jewish life in the 20's-40's. early jews to america. great reading. love the sports angle
March 24, 2013
A quick, but interesting biography of Hank Greenberg--the first major Jewish baseball star. The book focuses quite a bit on the contrast of Greenberg’s own secularism with his fame as Jewish athlete. Greenberg was a hero to Jews in America in the 30s and 40s (and beyond), not just for being a great baseball player but for sitting out a regular season game against the Yankees because it fell on Yom Kippur. This was not from a need for religious observance, but from a connection to his family and culture. For many, this is perplexing: if he wasn’t religious, why would he care about playing on Yom Kippur. A similar question arises a generation later when Sandy Koufax does the same thing. It points to the difficult and complex nature of what it means to be a Jew in America…far beyond this review and the book. Kurlansky is not out to try to solve that enigma.
Kurlansky tries to do justice the Greenberg “myth”: he is not out to debunk or discredit Greenberg, but he also wants to get the story correct. The game with the Yankees was not one that really mattered (it was a regular season game and the Tigers had all but wrapped up the pennant), and though hurt, Greenberg said he would have played on Yom Kippur the following year against the Cubs during the World Series. (One wonders what would have happened to the Greenberg narrative had he played.) Kurlansky’s point is that Greenberg was a complex guy who balanced his love of baseball and his desire to win with his commitments to his family/roots and his recognition of the role he played in the public eye as a famous Jew. It was a struggle that he dealt with his whole life, and only in his later years did he, by most accounts, become comfortable in his role as a Public Jew. Kurlansky quotes Greenberg’s unpublished autobiography: “I find myself wanting to be remembered not only as a great baseball player, but even more as a great Jewish ballplayer. I realize now, more than I used, to how important a part I played in the lives of a generation of Jewish kids…” (143).
After his playing days, Greenberg moved over to the management and ownership side of the game. He lived a full life beyond baseball. Kurlansky writes “baseball was not the goal of Greenberg’s life; it was just a tool for achieving his goal” (143).
Kurlansky tries to do justice the Greenberg “myth”: he is not out to debunk or discredit Greenberg, but he also wants to get the story correct. The game with the Yankees was not one that really mattered (it was a regular season game and the Tigers had all but wrapped up the pennant), and though hurt, Greenberg said he would have played on Yom Kippur the following year against the Cubs during the World Series. (One wonders what would have happened to the Greenberg narrative had he played.) Kurlansky’s point is that Greenberg was a complex guy who balanced his love of baseball and his desire to win with his commitments to his family/roots and his recognition of the role he played in the public eye as a famous Jew. It was a struggle that he dealt with his whole life, and only in his later years did he, by most accounts, become comfortable in his role as a Public Jew. Kurlansky quotes Greenberg’s unpublished autobiography: “I find myself wanting to be remembered not only as a great baseball player, but even more as a great Jewish ballplayer. I realize now, more than I used, to how important a part I played in the lives of a generation of Jewish kids…” (143).
After his playing days, Greenberg moved over to the management and ownership side of the game. He lived a full life beyond baseball. Kurlansky writes “baseball was not the goal of Greenberg’s life; it was just a tool for achieving his goal” (143).
June 23, 2011
As with any good biography, the charachter is interesting and gives the author a foundation from which he explores the times of the charachter. In this case that included growing up Jewish in the early 20th century and being invloved in the world of sports.
April 7, 2023
RICK “SHAQ” GOLDSTEIN SAYS: “HALL OF FAMER WHO BATTLED ANTI-SEMITISM WITH HIS INNER STRENGTH AND HIS BAT”
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Hank Greenberg the son of immigrant Jewish parents grew up and played Major League Baseball during what was perhaps the time of the worst American anti-Semitism. Though his parents were Orthodox Jews, Hank was not a religious man. In the 1930’s he went on to become the biggest of stars as a Detroit Tiger… coincidentally in the backyard of one of America’s worst anti-Semites… and a pal of Hitler’s… Henry Ford… he always said he wanted to be judged as a ballplayer and not as a “JEWISH BALLPLAYER”. Whether he wanted to be or not… he was a hero to an American nation of Jews, both young and old. His parents were emblematic of the typical mindset of Jewish parents who originally thought playing baseball was an embarrassment, as compared to striving to get an education as a doctor, lawyer, or other skilled profession. But when Hank became a legend in Detroit, for among other things coming close to the infamous Babe Ruth’s single season homerun record of sixty, when he hit fifty-eight in 1938… even his parents became proud of him, not only as an individual ballplayer… but as proof of what a Jewish person could accomplish in America. So whether Hank wanted to or not… he was a hero to Jewish people throughout the land.
The author does a good job of highlighting Hank’s absolute modesty… when along with bashing balls out the park in magnificent quantities… he also became the highest paid active player in baseball… and to that period of time… the second highest paid in history behind the one and only Babe Ruth. It is also emphasized how hard working Greenberg was in his pursuit of his baseball dreams. Additionally, it’s also made clear that he faced more prejudicial hate of any player before Jackie Robinson. And like Robinson in years to come he had his own version… in most cases… of turning the other cheek.
“HE NEVER USED ANTI-SEMITISM AS AN EXCUSE BECAUSE HE UNDERSTOOD THAT TO DO SO WOULD DIMINISH HIM, THAT THE PEOPLE WHO HATED HIM WANTED TO MAKE HIM SMALL, THAT IF HE COULD JUST KEEP HIS COMPOSURE, THEY WOULD BE THE ONES TO SHRINK. THAT IS AN INSPIRING IDEA, AN EXAMPLE OF HOW TO DEFEAT BIGOTRY, AND IT IS WHY HANK GREENBERG, ALL SIX FOOT FOUR OF HIM, WAS A GIANT.”
Though that was his mantra… there were a number of times that Hank took matters into his own hands. Whether with teammates he physically confronted in the clubhouse… or opponents on the field. Coincidentally, his last year in baseball, with the National League Pittsburgh Pirates, was in 1947 the year Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. The kindness that Hank Greenberg the ballplayer and human being showed to Jackie Robinson… was remembered by Jackie for the rest of his life. When Hank broke into baseball the veterans treated the rookies like they didn’t exist… let alone a Jewish rookie. Hank never forgot that, and always treated young teammates with respect and worked with them to help them improve their game. One such young ballplayer was seven-time-National-League-homerun-king Ralph Kiner, who said Greenberg was the most influential person in his life… and on September 4, 1986 when Greenberg died, Kiner said “IT WAS THE WORST DAY OF MY LIFE.”
Since this is a relatively short book, one-hundred-forty-eight-small-pages, not counting bibliography and index… the author does not… and cannot… go into great season by season detail as most sports books do. Additionally, due to its brevity, other portions of his life are also shortchanged detail wise. But what this extremely talented writer does make clear in the space given… is the conundrum… that the inner soul of Hank Greenberg was until the day he died. Hank, a highly intelligent… and at times volatile individual… didn’t want to have to carry the weight of the pride and hopes of the Jewish people when he played. And yet at the end… (and to me the last ten to fifteen pages are the best of the book) he couldn’t fully comprehend why he had changed… but… now he did want to be remembered as a great Jewish ballplayer. “I REALIZE NOW, MORE THAN I USED TO, HOW IMPORTANT A PART I PLAYED IN THE LIVES OF A GENERATION OF JEWISH KIDS WHO GREW UP IN THE THIRTIES.”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hank Greenberg the son of immigrant Jewish parents grew up and played Major League Baseball during what was perhaps the time of the worst American anti-Semitism. Though his parents were Orthodox Jews, Hank was not a religious man. In the 1930’s he went on to become the biggest of stars as a Detroit Tiger… coincidentally in the backyard of one of America’s worst anti-Semites… and a pal of Hitler’s… Henry Ford… he always said he wanted to be judged as a ballplayer and not as a “JEWISH BALLPLAYER”. Whether he wanted to be or not… he was a hero to an American nation of Jews, both young and old. His parents were emblematic of the typical mindset of Jewish parents who originally thought playing baseball was an embarrassment, as compared to striving to get an education as a doctor, lawyer, or other skilled profession. But when Hank became a legend in Detroit, for among other things coming close to the infamous Babe Ruth’s single season homerun record of sixty, when he hit fifty-eight in 1938… even his parents became proud of him, not only as an individual ballplayer… but as proof of what a Jewish person could accomplish in America. So whether Hank wanted to or not… he was a hero to Jewish people throughout the land.
The author does a good job of highlighting Hank’s absolute modesty… when along with bashing balls out the park in magnificent quantities… he also became the highest paid active player in baseball… and to that period of time… the second highest paid in history behind the one and only Babe Ruth. It is also emphasized how hard working Greenberg was in his pursuit of his baseball dreams. Additionally, it’s also made clear that he faced more prejudicial hate of any player before Jackie Robinson. And like Robinson in years to come he had his own version… in most cases… of turning the other cheek.
“HE NEVER USED ANTI-SEMITISM AS AN EXCUSE BECAUSE HE UNDERSTOOD THAT TO DO SO WOULD DIMINISH HIM, THAT THE PEOPLE WHO HATED HIM WANTED TO MAKE HIM SMALL, THAT IF HE COULD JUST KEEP HIS COMPOSURE, THEY WOULD BE THE ONES TO SHRINK. THAT IS AN INSPIRING IDEA, AN EXAMPLE OF HOW TO DEFEAT BIGOTRY, AND IT IS WHY HANK GREENBERG, ALL SIX FOOT FOUR OF HIM, WAS A GIANT.”
Though that was his mantra… there were a number of times that Hank took matters into his own hands. Whether with teammates he physically confronted in the clubhouse… or opponents on the field. Coincidentally, his last year in baseball, with the National League Pittsburgh Pirates, was in 1947 the year Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. The kindness that Hank Greenberg the ballplayer and human being showed to Jackie Robinson… was remembered by Jackie for the rest of his life. When Hank broke into baseball the veterans treated the rookies like they didn’t exist… let alone a Jewish rookie. Hank never forgot that, and always treated young teammates with respect and worked with them to help them improve their game. One such young ballplayer was seven-time-National-League-homerun-king Ralph Kiner, who said Greenberg was the most influential person in his life… and on September 4, 1986 when Greenberg died, Kiner said “IT WAS THE WORST DAY OF MY LIFE.”
Since this is a relatively short book, one-hundred-forty-eight-small-pages, not counting bibliography and index… the author does not… and cannot… go into great season by season detail as most sports books do. Additionally, due to its brevity, other portions of his life are also shortchanged detail wise. But what this extremely talented writer does make clear in the space given… is the conundrum… that the inner soul of Hank Greenberg was until the day he died. Hank, a highly intelligent… and at times volatile individual… didn’t want to have to carry the weight of the pride and hopes of the Jewish people when he played. And yet at the end… (and to me the last ten to fifteen pages are the best of the book) he couldn’t fully comprehend why he had changed… but… now he did want to be remembered as a great Jewish ballplayer. “I REALIZE NOW, MORE THAN I USED TO, HOW IMPORTANT A PART I PLAYED IN THE LIVES OF A GENERATION OF JEWISH KIDS WHO GREW UP IN THE THIRTIES.”
November 23, 2017
Short biography of the Detroit Tiger first baseman who almost broke Babe Ruth's single-season home run record. Kurlansky's book focuses on the effect that Greenber's celebrity had on his fellow Jews and his often uncomfortable reaction to it.
November 10, 2025
Like the Branch Rickey bio that I read this could have had greater meat. Still, it’s an account of a great ball player and a great man.
September 21, 2024
The writer Mark Kurlansky’s biography of Hank Greenberg was published in 2011. The book is for Yale University Press and the Leon D. Black Foundation's Jewish Lives series. Hank Greenberg, who played professional baseball mainly for the Detroit Tigers, was one of his generation's most famous Jewish athletes in the United States in the 1930s. The book explores Greenberg’s relationship with his Judaism. The book also explores what Jewish fans expected of Greenberg. The book's first chapter is about the secular Hank Greenburg, who decided not to play baseball during Yom Kippur and observed Yom Kippur in 1934 during the pennant race with the New York Yankees, partly to please Jewish fans. Kurlansky writes that, ironically, it was probably the only time Greenberg observed Yom Kippur (Kurlansky 1). The decision was big news in the press and among baseball fans. The book also covers Greenberg’s life and personality. The rest of the book covers Greenberg’s life in chronological order. Greenburg was not the first baseball player who happened to be Jewish in the United States, but he was the most prominent (Kurlansky 14). The book also argues that it is not an accident that Greenberg was the manager of the first American League team with a Black player, the Cleveland Indians. The book also briefly explores the story of Jewish professional athletes in the United States until Greenburg's career in the 1930s. Kurlansky’s book is a short but well-done biography of Hank Greenberg.
October 21, 2014
Hank Greenberg played baseball for the Detroit Tigers. He had a beautiful swing and at one time was in the running to break Babe Ruth’s single-season home run record. What he is most well known for however, is the game he didn’t play in 1934 because it fell on Yom Kippur. With that act he became a hero to the Jewish people. He was uncomfortable with that label. He didn’t want to be known as “the Jewish ballplayer”, he wanted to be known as a ballplayer that just happened to be Jewish.
This book is part biography and part history lesson. We learn what kind of man Hank Greenberg was, how he dedicated himself to being the best ballplayer he could, even though at the time it wasn’t considered an honorable profession. His mother called him, my son the bum ball player.
Kurlansky writes about his childhood in the Bronx, how he wasn’t exposed to a lot of racism there, but when he began to play ball in Detroit he was called names. He advised other Jewish rookies to “Change their name.” to avoid problems and be more successful. Hank Greenberg set an example for others in how to deal with small-minded people. And while he stated that Jackie Robinson had to deal with more racism than he did, Jackie Robinson said of him: “Class tells. It sticks out all over Mr. Greenberg.”
This book is part biography and part history lesson. We learn what kind of man Hank Greenberg was, how he dedicated himself to being the best ballplayer he could, even though at the time it wasn’t considered an honorable profession. His mother called him, my son the bum ball player.
Kurlansky writes about his childhood in the Bronx, how he wasn’t exposed to a lot of racism there, but when he began to play ball in Detroit he was called names. He advised other Jewish rookies to “Change their name.” to avoid problems and be more successful. Hank Greenberg set an example for others in how to deal with small-minded people. And while he stated that Jackie Robinson had to deal with more racism than he did, Jackie Robinson said of him: “Class tells. It sticks out all over Mr. Greenberg.”
September 5, 2011
This book is primarily a short, excellent look at one aspect of Greenberg's life. The book provides a general overview of his playing career and life before and after baseball, but that story is also available from other sources. The book does not pretend to be a comprehensive biography. Instead, the book provides excellent insight into Greenberg's personality and identity. I enjoyed the fresh angle, which contributes to the story of an admirable man who had to balance his fame and adoration with his desire to live his own life.
January 18, 2016
Obviously you're not going to pick up this book unless you are either Jewish or a big fan of baseball. I am a big fan of Jewish baseball so this was right up my alley. Just a great read on a truly fascinating life. For a Jewish kid (I guess I'm a man now) that grew up in NY on the more reform/conservative side of things, I really found myself sympathizing with Greenberg and simply agreeing with many of his convictions. It was really interesting read, I'm glad my father told me to.
February 21, 2013
Part of the "Jewish Lives" series. Does a good job of portraying what it was like to be a Jew in the U.S. before WWII and after. The linear story that eventually leads to Jackie Robinson ,draws on the parallels, was well done and moving.....Hank was complex, not religious, almost anti religion but the Shoah made him a strident Zionist.
September 21, 2011
It was a good read, just realize while it is a biography, it focuses on the religion much more than his career. As a Jewish baseball fan, I found it fascinating.
December 10, 2011
A warm book about an intriguing hero with many facets to his personality. Light on detail, but easy to read as a result.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews