Hank Aaron and the Home Run That Changed America

by Tom Stanton

Baseball has witnessed more than 125,000 home runs. Many have altered the outcome of games, and some have decided pennants and become legend. But no dinger has had greater impact than Hank Aaron's 715th home run. His historic blast on April 8, 1974, lifted him above Babe Ruth on the all-time list, an achievement that shook not only baseball but our nation itself. Aaron's magnificent feat provoked bigotry and shattered prejudice, inspired a generation, emboldened a flagging civil rights movement, and called forth the demons that haunted Aaron's every step and turned what should have been a joyous pursuit into a hellish nightmare.

In this powerful recollection, Tom Stanton penetrates the myth of Aaron's chase and uncovers the compelling story behind the most consequential athletic achievement of the past fifty years. Three decades after Hank Aaron reached the pinnacle of the national pastime, and now as Barry Bonds makes history of his own, Stanton unfolds a tale rich with drama, poignancy, and suspense to bring to life the elusive spirit of an American hero.

Genres: Baseball, Sports, Nonfiction, Biography, History

249 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Dear Readers:

I feel fortunate to have been writing professionally since age 18, beginning back in the final year of Jimmy Carter's presidency, when I sported a poorly executed, Peter Frampton-inspired perm. Decades on, my hair is gone, but writing remains central to my life. I've been a reporter, editor, publisher and, more recently, an author and journalism professor (Go University of Detroit Mercy Titans!). If you know me for my books, it's likely for the Tiger Stadium memoir The Final Season, the Quill Award finalist Ty and The Babe or the feverishly publicized Hank Aaron and the Home Run That Changed America. My forthcoming book is Terror in the City of Champions, a true story set in mid-1930s Detroit.

OK, enough of the formal stuff. Some things you might be interested to know:

* Elton John's music has been a big part of my life since "Bennie and the Jets," which is no excuse for accidentally setting off one of his legendary tantrums backstage one evening. (My fault.)

* I drink too many ... Tim Hortons Ice Caps.

* The three biggest thrills to come my way due to book writing: going with Elmore Leonard to a Detroit Tigers baseball game, hearing Alec Baldwin read an excerpt from one of my books on television and receiving an unexpected phone call from one of my favorite authors, Pat Conroy.

* My eternally kind wife and I care for four feral cats -- Pumpkin, Sox, Frisco and Panther -- who dictate our schedule.

* When I travel, I inevitably wind up searching out bookstores and libraries. (We probably have that in common.)

* One of my uncles, Edward Stanton, was a photographer in Detroit in the 1930s, and his shots of black Detroit can be found here: http://reuther.wayne.edu/image/tid/1983

Reviews

[Deacon Tom F. (Recovering from a big heart attack) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Home Run

This is an incredible book that clearly brings to light bot Hank Aaron’s achievements but also the trials he had to endure on the way.

Hank brought out the ugliness of racial prejudice in haters. How? He was successful!

Great book.

[Viktor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember being 10 years old watching Hank Aaron on TV launch that historic 715th home run. I danced around the living room. Since I named my only son after Mr. Aaron, I clearly have a special place in my heart for him. While I heartily recommend Mr. Aaron autobiography, this book fills in the background of that book. Where the auto-bio is singularly focused on Aaron, Stanton is free to cast a wider net, yet still keeping it about the 715th. It spends a chapter on Willie Mays vs Aaron, for instance. He talks about other players who were thought to be "The One" who beat the Babe, one of whom was Aaron's manager during the chase years.

From this distance, it's easy to forget just how bigoted baseball fans were (and don't remind how bigoted some still are), and how close in years the time was to when Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. Mr. Robinson figures in here as the man who took most of the arrows that would allow Aaron and others a safer journey. Still Aaron took his hits, too. If fact, I think a bio of Jackie Robinson might be up next on my list.

All in all, a terrific book. And at 220 pages or so, succinct.

[Chris Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable read of Aaron's chase of the all-time home run record. Stanton provides great detail and insight of what went on behind the scenes and puts the reader into the time period. Since I am a fan of this era, I found it to be a good read.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember this happening, nice to know everything behind the scenes since I was in my teens at the time.

[Ken Heard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well-written book that encapsulates the time and era of Henry Aaron's home run race in the early 1970s. Tom Stanton covers it all: the strife of the times, the horrendous racism that Aaron, a baseball legend, had to endure during his drive to catch and pass Ruth as the home run leader, the other players during Aaron's tenure, Commissioner Bowie Kuhn's ineptness, the rivalry between Aaron and Mays and the family stress the Aarons went through.

If you're an Aaron fan (he's my favorite player), you've read the other books about him, including Howard Bryant's perfect bio and Aaron's "I Had a Hammer," and you know much of the stories already. I was impressed, though, with the game recaps and decisions that lead to April 8, 1974, when he hit The Home Run.

[Andrew Backs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tom Stanton has written a pretty solid book. He has provided a in depth look at the immortal Hank Aaron as he chases the mystical number of 714, the number of career homeruns for perhaps baseballs most celebrated player, Babe Ruth. What I really found intriguing about the story are the personalities of the two legends. You have the brash, outspoken Babe Ruth who lived a life of excess clashing against the stoic, mild-manner Hank Aaron. There is also the different career paths led by each man. Ruth, starting as a pitcher in Boston and then traded to New York made baseball a spectacle in cities deep in baseball lore. Having been in the mecca of the American media, Ruth became a super-hero, a mythical god performing Herculean feats in front of thousands of Yankee fans. Ruth's nicknames almost match the number of his homeruns. Compare that to Hank Aaron. He played in the Midwest in front of home crowds in Milwaukee until the team packed up and moved to Atlanta. Even during the stretch run of his chase, Aaron played to paltry crowds in his home stadium. In Atlanta Stadium many crowds never surpassed 10,000 people to watch a piece of American history. Aaron had to fight just to keep his name in front of his other contemporaries like Johnny Bench, Willie Mays, and Roberto Clemente. Ruth was held to no one. Aaron was the model of consistency. Hardly without flash or flamboyance, he somehow upheld his homerun totals as he neared the age of 40 while keeping up his lifetime .300 average. These two men who stood atop the baseball mountain certainly took different routes seeking their baseball immortality.

What is at the forefront of this book, however, is the swirling issue of race that had surrounded Aaron's chase. Following in the footsteps of Jackie Robinson and Larry Doby, Hank Aaron had entered baseball at a time where African-Americans were just beginning to ingrain themselves into the Major Leagues. Aaron carried the burden of his brothers as they passed the torch to him. Jackie Robinson himself implored Aaron to speak out against injustices by reminding him that he was now on a pedestal where he can make a difference.

I think the book does a great job of capturing the times and really getting into the darker side of the homerun chase. While we remember Aaron's shot of Al Downing, we may forget that the man chasing the record faced a challenge that many of us could never survive. Hate mail, death threats, bomb threats tried to slow Hank, but his resiliency pushed him past all the negativity to that magical night in 1974.

Baseball fans of all ranges will really get into this book. I think this story will also resonate with readers interested in the Civil Rights movement and those interested in studying race in sports. Overall, this is a quality book that is well researched and reads like a script. I think at times the transistions are sloppy as they aren't just written in chronological order. A little background with the people, places, and issues of the time will definitely help readers keep track of the extensive list of names and references. I'd recommend this book to most readers.

[Noah Pesak · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book “Hank Aaron and the Home Run That Changed America” is hands down one of the most interesting books I have ever read. This book has a mixture of emotions such as dismalness and exhilarating. The book takes you through Hank Aaron's life and how he gave shocked the world and gave people hope. The plot of this book takes place in from the 1940s-1970s so expect a lot of discrimination throughout the book. Even though in the beginning of the book it might start off slow and gloomy, as you read on it gets better and better and the suspense builds up. The climax is astonishing and the results at the end of the book will really make you glad you read it. I personally thought this book had a great life story. It actually made me a huge fan of Hank Aaron and gave me a boost of self esteem that I can do whatever I want if I work hard.
My favorite part of the whole book is when Mr.Aaron gave hope and inspiration to not only every African American in the U.S., but for everyone in the world who thinks they don’t have what it takes to achieve there dream. Even though I loved every part about this book, there was one thing I didn’t really find amusing. At first I didn’t really like it when it explained what the KKK did to Hank Aaron and his family. If you don’t know who the KKK is, they are a group of people who strongly dislike African Americans. At the end of the book though. I realized the suspense wouldn’t have been intense if they just included all of the cheerful parts of Hank’s life. With this being said, if you are skeptical and right on the line of deciding whether or not you should read this book, I think it is definitely worth it.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fairly good baseball book, but that title! Haven't we had enough things that changed America or the World? After all, realistically, we know most of them didn't. Enough of my gripes: the book is actually an interesting account of Hank Aaron's life, leading up to his breaking Babe Ruth's all time home run record (a record now superseded during the steroid era). Aaron did it the hard way--by consistently hitting a lot of home runs in a lot of seasons. The run-up to the record was marred by racist threats (as late as 1973-74!), and Aaron had to have protection while he was trying to keep his head and hit a few more homers.

[Marybeth Lapilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Baseball Fan or not this is worth reading.

I am ready adding this book to my disabled husband. He picked this book, I started reading it to him and we both got so involved in it. Being New Yorkers we both watched Mr Aaron. Reading about the back story of his life was amazing. We knew he was an awesome player, but hearing about all he went thru because of his race was something we never knew. He lived with fear everyday and still did his job. I really recommend this book to everyone, it gave us a new perspective on what people l e of other races live with.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad read at all on the journey Aaron made over the last few years of his career. The writing was a bit scattered at times, but overall it provided a nice in-depth storyline of the chase for the home run record.

A little disappointed, too, in the lack of support the city of Atlanta showed Aaron as he was nearing the number. 5,000 people at a game when he's hitting 700, 701, etc? I guess some things never change.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

You don't have to be a baseball fan. But it does help. I don't remember the chase, except for the last 2 homers. Then cable didn't make it to our house til years after. And the Pirates were the team.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting biography of Hank Aaron's chase to beat Babe Ruth's record of 714 home runs; additional side stories of the racism that existed, the threats on his life and those of his family and the mention of other baseball contemporaries and their relationships to Aaron,

[Alshia Moyez · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was good. I enjoyed it. And the writing was pretty good; I could tell the author had a background in either journalism or some other kind of writing.

[Sara Moser · Rating 3 out of 5]

I never planned to read a book about Hank Aaron, and I'm so glad I did.

[David Barney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great sociological look at Aaron's record setting home run record.

[Dean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes fascinating account of the year Hank Aaron spent finishing his pursuit of the MLB home run record.

[Lance · Rating 5 out of 5]

First book I read on my then brand new Nook. Great book on a historic home run.

[Edward Morton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book it great info on what hank aaron had to go through to try to break the Home Run record

[Ellison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written almost as a newspaper article this begins with the passing of Jackie Robinson and mentions his impact on the sport. From there it chronicles his attempt to hit his 715th career home run in 1973 to become the all-time home run king. He faces hate mail, hate speech, and fatigue. Death threats and concerns about kidnapping.

He has to endure the off season then accomplishes the goal in 1974, some are shown to be the small men that they are. B/W images. Movie?

[Allan Beatty · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love baseball and looked forward to getting some insights on Henry Aaron and his home run chase. I did learn some things and parts were interesting, but mostly not. To be fair I just think Aaron was a bit boring. Good family man, kept in shape, not much of a partier. It also was depressing to read about all the racism and hate he had to put up with.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a fan of Hank Aaron, and a person who watched him break Ruth’s record, there was really nothing in this book that I didn’t already know. It wasn’t easy for Aaron, but he made it look easy. I enjoyed the trip down memory lane.

[Don Kyser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tom Stanton is simply put an excellent writer. He is a masterful story teller. This book is thoroughly engaging and enlightens the reader not only about Aaron but of our society.

[Michael Lortz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wrote a review on my website:

https://theserioustip.blogspot.com/20...

[Linda L Isler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great behind-the-scenes look at the life of Hank Aaron, primarily during his quest to beat Babe Ruth's home run record. Well written and thoughtful.

[Malloy Tootle]

Topic: Sports History, Biography | Page Count:

[Tom Jokic · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is very good for the first three quarters and then gets even better at the end with the extraordinary description of the record breaking home run. Excellent story.

[Lee Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book by Tom Stanton in the gest of it is about breaking the color barrier for good in Major League Baseball and baseball in general. Also it is about Hank Aaron and his journey to breaking the home run record held by Babe Ruth, which is broken by Barry Bonds in 2007.
I gave this book two stars because it was a very slow paced book. It also gave you a lot of facts. The author dragged everything on for pages and that made the book kind of boring. But it also had interesting facts and stories in that I have never heard.

[Tom Stanton]

My third book.

[David-jacky Breech · Rating 5 out of 5]

If Tom Stanton writes a baseball book, any baseball fan will love it.

[Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book because im a big baseball fan and its about history