The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars and Motor Kings

by William Brashler

This marks the twentieth anniversary of the publication of a classic of baseball fiction. William Brashler's novel is the story of a black barnstorming ball club in 1939, before Jackie Robinson broke baseball's unofficial color barrier. It was made into a popular film in 1976 that starred James Earl Jones, Billy Dee Williams, and Richard Pryor. This edition includes a new preface by the author and an introduction by Peter Bjarkman that sets the novel in the context both of scholarly literature on the Negro Baseball Leagues and of sports fiction.

Genres: Baseball, Sports, Fiction

280 pages, Paperback

First published August 3, 1976

About the author

aka Crabbe Evers with Reinder Van Til.

William Brashler worked for Lerner Newspapers, Chicago, Ill.,as a reporter, from 1971-73; He began his freelance writing career in 1972 and still lives in the Chicagoland area.

Reviews

[Thom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Haven't seen the film; always looking for baseball books in the early spring. This one was not bad.

Written in the 1970s, the subject was less seen then than now. For me the most enjoyable part was the baseball, though the descriptions were pretty sparse. I imagine for the film that will mean a handful of plays per game - we'll see.

Bingo's gambling was set up to be the turning point, but in the end it wasn't. Other reviews mention a happy ending, but it is more unresolved than anything else - good for some characters, less for others. In the end, I'm glad I read the book, but wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in order to prepare for an upcoming exhibit put together by the American Library Association and the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum (Cooperstown, NY) entitled "Pride and Passion: The African-American Baseball Experience."

The novel tells the story of a team that quits from being under the thumb of a tyrannical Negro League owner and spends the 1939 season barnstorming around the Midwest playing an exciting brand of baseball.

Many of the characters in the book are modeled on actual Negro League stars, and the book directly confronts the racism the team experiences in small town America. The author conveys a love of baseball, the feelings of the times while writing in a richly descriptive manner with a liberal dose of humor.

The novel was made into a moveie starring James Earl Jones, Billy Dee Williams and Richard Pryor.

[Matthew McElroy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has been a few years since I read this one, but it is a pretty good story about one of the touring baseball teams during the Jim Crow era. I don't know how much fiction is out there about the Negro Leagues or the touring era of baseball, but this is an enjoyable read. I will try to give it a re-read and update my recommendation.

At some point, I'm going to have to check out the movie which I think has an All-Star cast of Richard Pryor, James Earl Jones and Billy Dee Williams. So of course, no one has heard of it.

[Michael Davis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't feel like the author was particularly fond of baseball and that showed in the book

[Bob Box · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in 1975. Ex African American baseball players travel the South playing exhibition games raising racial tension. Drama with a lot of comedic moments.

[Vincent Lombardo · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not care for the style and the story moved too slowly.

[Noah Gittell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than the movie.

[John Desmond · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent story about a fictional Negro league baseball team told in a straightforward style. I recommend it.

[Theophilus (Theo) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful story. Adventure, mystery, and sports with some comedy thrown. A story with heroes and villains (not all easily identifiable). The trials and tribulations of a group of African American baseball players in 1939 who decide to breakaway from their overbearing and greedy manager to start their own team and barnstorm throughout the Midwest. And, a happy ending.