What do you think?
Rate this book
Chief Bender's Burden: The Silent Struggle of a Baseball Star
The greatest American Indian baseball player of all time, Charles Albert Bender was, according to a contemporary, “the coolest pitcher in the game.” Using a trademark delivery, an impressive assortment of pitches that may have included the game’s first slider, and an apparently unflappable demeanor, he earned a reputation as baseball’s great clutch pitcher during tight Deadball Era pennant races and in front of boisterous World Series crowds. More remarkably yet, “Chief” Bender’s Hall of Fame career unfolded in the face of enormous prejudice. Winner of the 2009 Seymour Medal, this skillfully told and complete account of Bender’s life is also a portrait of greatness of character in the face of incredible pressure.
With a journalist’s eye for detail and a novelist’s feel for storytelling, Tom Swift takes readers on Bender’s improbable journey—from his early years on the White Earth Reservation, to his development at the Carlisle Indian School, to his big break and eventual rise to the pinnacle of baseball. The story of a paradoxical American sports hero, one who achieved a once-unfathomable celebrity while suffering the harsh injustices of a racially intolerant world, Chief Bender’s Burden is an eye-opening and inspiring narrative of a unique American life.
With a journalist’s eye for detail and a novelist’s feel for storytelling, Tom Swift takes readers on Bender’s improbable journey—from his early years on the White Earth Reservation, to his development at the Carlisle Indian School, to his big break and eventual rise to the pinnacle of baseball. The story of a paradoxical American sports hero, one who achieved a once-unfathomable celebrity while suffering the harsh injustices of a racially intolerant world, Chief Bender’s Burden is an eye-opening and inspiring narrative of a unique American life.
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
8 people are currently reading
77 people want to read
About the author
Tom Swift
7 booksTom Swift is an award-winning journalist and freelance writer. He lives in Minnesota."
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 1, 2009
I struggled to like (and to finish) this book. Charles Albert Bender, born on Minnesota's White Earth Reservation to an Ojibwe mother and white father and, essentially, raised at the Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania, was an outstanding pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics and the first native-born Minnesotan inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Given my love of baseball, Minnesota and history, this should have been my favorite book of all time.
Unfortunately, Swift adopts a narrative structure that is often clunky and confusing, and he frequently gets bogged down by details that only a card-carrying member of SABR (Society for American Baseball Research) could appreciate. (And, yes, Swift is a card-carrying member of SABR.)
Throughout most of the book, he tries to intersperse the chronological narrative of Bender's life with Game 1 of the 1914 World Series, a critical turning point in Bender's career. Perhaps with a better editor, Swift could have made this work, but I don't think this approach did the book any favors. It made for a confusing and choppy read, especially when there's a string of chapters in the middle of the book that deal with important games, World Series or otherwise. As Swift kept switching back and forth between 1914 and previous years, I started to get a little lost and distracted. Which World Series game are we in now?, I often found myself wondering.
This narrative structure also frequently interrupts an engrossing bit of storytelling. Swift is, in fact, an excellent storyteller, but it felt like every time he'd get on roll he made himself stop and go back to the 1914 World Series. He'd just start getting me hooked back into the 1914 narrative and then, bam, he'd force me to step away and look at something else. If he had used a stronger hand to weave the disparate elements together, this might have worked. Instead, it just frustrated me.
Where Swift does excel, however, is in his portrayal of the unique challenges Bender faced as an American Indian, especially a famous American Indian, in the early 20th century. I was stunned by the relentless stereotyping of Bender that occurred in the contemporary media. He never just "won" a game, he "scalped" his opponents or was "on the warpath." Even his obituary in 1954 carried the headline, "Chief Bender answers call to Happy Hunting Ground."
Bender went off to Indian Boarding School the year after the massacre at Wounded Knee. I had to remind myself of that fact often to understand the world in which he lived. Swift is careful to present Bender within the context of his time when it would have been easy to condemn everyone and everything around him. And, at times, it would have been easy to condemn Bender's behavior, too. But Swift deftly navigates the landscape of the early 20th century to create a sympathetic but realistic portrait of Bender in his own time.
Much has changed since Bender's day, and the racism he endured is at least socially unacceptable today. Or, is it? I just take one look at Chief Wahoo, the grotesque caricature of an Indian that is the mascot for the Cleveland Indians, and I'm not so sure.
Unfortunately, Swift adopts a narrative structure that is often clunky and confusing, and he frequently gets bogged down by details that only a card-carrying member of SABR (Society for American Baseball Research) could appreciate. (And, yes, Swift is a card-carrying member of SABR.)
Throughout most of the book, he tries to intersperse the chronological narrative of Bender's life with Game 1 of the 1914 World Series, a critical turning point in Bender's career. Perhaps with a better editor, Swift could have made this work, but I don't think this approach did the book any favors. It made for a confusing and choppy read, especially when there's a string of chapters in the middle of the book that deal with important games, World Series or otherwise. As Swift kept switching back and forth between 1914 and previous years, I started to get a little lost and distracted. Which World Series game are we in now?, I often found myself wondering.
This narrative structure also frequently interrupts an engrossing bit of storytelling. Swift is, in fact, an excellent storyteller, but it felt like every time he'd get on roll he made himself stop and go back to the 1914 World Series. He'd just start getting me hooked back into the 1914 narrative and then, bam, he'd force me to step away and look at something else. If he had used a stronger hand to weave the disparate elements together, this might have worked. Instead, it just frustrated me.
Where Swift does excel, however, is in his portrayal of the unique challenges Bender faced as an American Indian, especially a famous American Indian, in the early 20th century. I was stunned by the relentless stereotyping of Bender that occurred in the contemporary media. He never just "won" a game, he "scalped" his opponents or was "on the warpath." Even his obituary in 1954 carried the headline, "Chief Bender answers call to Happy Hunting Ground."
Bender went off to Indian Boarding School the year after the massacre at Wounded Knee. I had to remind myself of that fact often to understand the world in which he lived. Swift is careful to present Bender within the context of his time when it would have been easy to condemn everyone and everything around him. And, at times, it would have been easy to condemn Bender's behavior, too. But Swift deftly navigates the landscape of the early 20th century to create a sympathetic but realistic portrait of Bender in his own time.
Much has changed since Bender's day, and the racism he endured is at least socially unacceptable today. Or, is it? I just take one look at Chief Wahoo, the grotesque caricature of an Indian that is the mascot for the Cleveland Indians, and I'm not so sure.
October 4, 2015
You learn a lot about Chief Bender and his career in this book. That's the main pro.
As for cons .... This has a choppy narrative structure. Author Tom Swift keeps jumping to/from the 1914 World Series to various moments in his life. I get the theory of what Swift intends to do. He's using the Series as a turning point in his career - it's a hook to base his narrative upon; a way to draw the reader in. That's the goal. The execution is lacking, though. Instead of getting a sense of building to something, we just get a series of interruptions. The flow is all messed up.
Also, Bender himself remains something of an enigma. He was a private man, and while you can use newspaper accounts to get a sense of his career and his times, there is really no clear path into the inner man himself. So you learn about him - but you never get a sense you know him that well.
As for cons .... This has a choppy narrative structure. Author Tom Swift keeps jumping to/from the 1914 World Series to various moments in his life. I get the theory of what Swift intends to do. He's using the Series as a turning point in his career - it's a hook to base his narrative upon; a way to draw the reader in. That's the goal. The execution is lacking, though. Instead of getting a sense of building to something, we just get a series of interruptions. The flow is all messed up.
Also, Bender himself remains something of an enigma. He was a private man, and while you can use newspaper accounts to get a sense of his career and his times, there is really no clear path into the inner man himself. So you learn about him - but you never get a sense you know him that well.
March 4, 2019
A well-researched book on a player who has largely been forgotten. This book is what I would consider to be very niche or for a very select audience. It definitely is not intended for general audiences or even very casual baseball fans. Rather, it is intended for serious baseball historians especially those who are fascinated by the deadball era or the history of the Philadelphia Athletics.
The writing is very much on the technical side and can be dry at times but that's usually the case with big research efforts like this one here. Would have liked to see more on the relationship with his wife as that was rarely discussed. The way the story is told can be confusing as it basically starts from Game 1 of the 1914 World Series (In which Bender started and his last game with Philadelphia) and then goes into flashback mode throughout.
But in general this is an excellent book and one worth reading if this is a subject matter that interests you.
The writing is very much on the technical side and can be dry at times but that's usually the case with big research efforts like this one here. Would have liked to see more on the relationship with his wife as that was rarely discussed. The way the story is told can be confusing as it basically starts from Game 1 of the 1914 World Series (In which Bender started and his last game with Philadelphia) and then goes into flashback mode throughout.
But in general this is an excellent book and one worth reading if this is a subject matter that interests you.
May 7, 2020
Bender is a fascinating subject so I was very glad to find a book about him. The author did tackle some tough subjects with integrity. Thoroughly researched. However, it did not dive deep enough for me. At the end, I wanted to know more. Perhaps the historical record does not reveal more. Some of the wording and phraseology was awkward. Still a worthwhile read.
October 18, 2022
Coherence and cohesion is an issue
July 12, 2023
Excellent story of one of the outstanding pitchers of the deadball era who was also one of the most successful Native American baseball players.
June 18, 2009
Did Charles "Chief" Bender encounter "immeasurable prejudice" during his days as a star pitcher during baseball's "Dead Ball Era"?
I'm not going to argue against the existence of racism. I'm not going to argue against it's taking a toll on people.
But author Tom Swift fails to make a compelling argument that such things affected Bender and his career. For every trial and tribulation faced in his professional life - frequent injuries, occasional drinking binges, up and down seasons - Swift attempts to frame it around racism without a shred of evidence to support his claims.
This book gave me a lot of information about Charles "Chief" Bender, a star pitcher of the "Dead Ball Era" of baseball - commonly defined as the period from 1901 to 1920, although maybe better limited to only the first decade of the 20th century.
Unfortunately, it also disappointed me in several areas.
My primary complaint is that I think the author came up with his title, "Chief Bender's Burden", before actually researching the subject matter. He was set on writing about the struggles that Bender, a Native American, faced as a public figure in the 20th century and evidence to the contrary be damned. Indeed, Swift's thesis is not well defended at all.
Let me reiterate that this is no way an argument against Native Americans having been given a tough shake in the United States.
Bender (who was half Native American; his mother an Ojibwe and his father German) received a better education than most, made a nice buck by pitching in the Major Leagues, was routinely featured in periodicals associated with hobbies that he excelled at (notably, trapshooting and golf), had a large circle of loving and supportive friends, and was
married for nearly 50 years to the same woman.
I'm sure quite a few people from early 20th century America would've loved to have suffered such a "burden".
The author routinely serves up quotes from Bender himself saying that he never felt his life had been more difficult because he was a Native American, contradicting Swift's thesis. However, the author routinely goes on to dismiss Bender's quotes, saying that the pitcher was only trying to be polite and wouldn't have dared speak the truth. In short, Bender's words are twisted by the author to try and make them fit into the subject of his book. There's no way to disprove what Swift is saying, but the burden of proof is on him.
Repeatedly throughout the book, you find the following theme. Bender is described as having some Problem. Swift arguest that the Problem was a result of racism. Swift admits to haveing no empirical evidence to back this claim up and instead tells the reader that it's just common sense.
One of Swift's attempts at evidence is to point out the jeering that Bender received from opponent's dugouts during the game, where he was subjected to yells along the lines of "Go out there and get that Indian!" Shocking, I know.
However, riding your opponent from the dugout (termed "bench jockeying") was a veritable art form in early 20th century baseball. This was not anything uncommon for Bender to be subjected to. There is plenty of literature out there where you can read about players being jeered for all manners of things. Heritage and ethnicity? Sure. But a half-Native American wasn't subject to it any more than an early 20th century ball player of German, Italian, or Irish heritage. Not to defend it, but this was quite simply a part of the game back then, first popularized by longtime Baltimore Orioles and New York Giants' Hall of Fame manager John McGraw.
In yet another case of not understanding (or purposefully distorting) history, the author makes a big deal of an incident when a young Bender was not moving fast enough for his father's taste and was shoved to the ground. In 2009, that's a lawsuit waiting to happen. In the late 19th century? That seems pretty ordinary. Seems to me that in bygone eras, fathers were a bit more physically abusive with their children. To point this out as some remarkable occurrence seems another attempt by Swift to be grasping at straws.
Also, as other reviewers have noted, during the first 2/3rd of the book, Swift goes in and out of Bender's history. One page we're in 1914. The next page we're in 1901, Then 1911. Then back to 1914. I really struggled to find a good reason for putting the book together that way. A straight up chronological biography would've served the subject matter perfectly fine.
On the positive side, if you're a big fan of Bender or just curious to learn more about him, you're sure to find this book a valuable resource. I was just beyond disappointed in Swift's approach. An historical author should keep an open mind and be willing to embrace the evidence for what it is, not distort it to try and fit their beliefs.
I'm not going to argue against the existence of racism. I'm not going to argue against it's taking a toll on people.
But author Tom Swift fails to make a compelling argument that such things affected Bender and his career. For every trial and tribulation faced in his professional life - frequent injuries, occasional drinking binges, up and down seasons - Swift attempts to frame it around racism without a shred of evidence to support his claims.
This book gave me a lot of information about Charles "Chief" Bender, a star pitcher of the "Dead Ball Era" of baseball - commonly defined as the period from 1901 to 1920, although maybe better limited to only the first decade of the 20th century.
Unfortunately, it also disappointed me in several areas.
My primary complaint is that I think the author came up with his title, "Chief Bender's Burden", before actually researching the subject matter. He was set on writing about the struggles that Bender, a Native American, faced as a public figure in the 20th century and evidence to the contrary be damned. Indeed, Swift's thesis is not well defended at all.
Let me reiterate that this is no way an argument against Native Americans having been given a tough shake in the United States.
Bender (who was half Native American; his mother an Ojibwe and his father German) received a better education than most, made a nice buck by pitching in the Major Leagues, was routinely featured in periodicals associated with hobbies that he excelled at (notably, trapshooting and golf), had a large circle of loving and supportive friends, and was
married for nearly 50 years to the same woman.
I'm sure quite a few people from early 20th century America would've loved to have suffered such a "burden".
The author routinely serves up quotes from Bender himself saying that he never felt his life had been more difficult because he was a Native American, contradicting Swift's thesis. However, the author routinely goes on to dismiss Bender's quotes, saying that the pitcher was only trying to be polite and wouldn't have dared speak the truth. In short, Bender's words are twisted by the author to try and make them fit into the subject of his book. There's no way to disprove what Swift is saying, but the burden of proof is on him.
Repeatedly throughout the book, you find the following theme. Bender is described as having some Problem. Swift arguest that the Problem was a result of racism. Swift admits to haveing no empirical evidence to back this claim up and instead tells the reader that it's just common sense.
One of Swift's attempts at evidence is to point out the jeering that Bender received from opponent's dugouts during the game, where he was subjected to yells along the lines of "Go out there and get that Indian!" Shocking, I know.
However, riding your opponent from the dugout (termed "bench jockeying") was a veritable art form in early 20th century baseball. This was not anything uncommon for Bender to be subjected to. There is plenty of literature out there where you can read about players being jeered for all manners of things. Heritage and ethnicity? Sure. But a half-Native American wasn't subject to it any more than an early 20th century ball player of German, Italian, or Irish heritage. Not to defend it, but this was quite simply a part of the game back then, first popularized by longtime Baltimore Orioles and New York Giants' Hall of Fame manager John McGraw.
In yet another case of not understanding (or purposefully distorting) history, the author makes a big deal of an incident when a young Bender was not moving fast enough for his father's taste and was shoved to the ground. In 2009, that's a lawsuit waiting to happen. In the late 19th century? That seems pretty ordinary. Seems to me that in bygone eras, fathers were a bit more physically abusive with their children. To point this out as some remarkable occurrence seems another attempt by Swift to be grasping at straws.
Also, as other reviewers have noted, during the first 2/3rd of the book, Swift goes in and out of Bender's history. One page we're in 1914. The next page we're in 1901, Then 1911. Then back to 1914. I really struggled to find a good reason for putting the book together that way. A straight up chronological biography would've served the subject matter perfectly fine.
On the positive side, if you're a big fan of Bender or just curious to learn more about him, you're sure to find this book a valuable resource. I was just beyond disappointed in Swift's approach. An historical author should keep an open mind and be willing to embrace the evidence for what it is, not distort it to try and fit their beliefs.
February 25, 2017
Unless you (like me) are a hard-core fan of the history of baseball, the story of Chief Bender is one that will likely never cross your path. This is a shame and should be corrected, as author Tom Swift tells us the incredible story (both on the baseball field and off it) of a man who endured through times and circumstances most of us have either long forgotten or never knew existed in the first place.
To start with, "Chief Bender's Burden" has enough "baseball stuff" for the MLB history junkies like myself to get their "fix". Not many people have either the inclination or the patience to read books about early-1900s baseball, but for those who do they really hit the jackpot here. All the old names and stories are "back again" here told from the perspective of Bender's experiences.
However, the book is also an engaging treatise on the life of Mr. Bender outside the white lines. For example...
-His rough upbringing and transition from Minnesota Indian Reservation to Carlisle Indian Preparatory School.
-His constant stereotyping as nothing more than Indian
-His battles with alcohol and other health maladies
What truly makes the book great, though, is that author Swift sets up the narrative in this fashion: The book starts with Bender pitching the opening game of the 1914 World Series for Connie Mack's Philadelphia Athletics. The reader is teased that this single game is the downfall of Bender (or that at least something bad is going to happen), but then it takes the entire unraveling of Bender's life story to truly understand the meaning of the events on that day. It is a very interesting way to spin a biography and really serves to keep the reader engaged from beginning to end.
Overall, this is one of the better baseball history books I have ever read. It is never boring and author Swift's engaging writing style made the pages fly by. Read it for the baseball history or read it for an incredible human-interest piece. Either way, you won't regret it.
To start with, "Chief Bender's Burden" has enough "baseball stuff" for the MLB history junkies like myself to get their "fix". Not many people have either the inclination or the patience to read books about early-1900s baseball, but for those who do they really hit the jackpot here. All the old names and stories are "back again" here told from the perspective of Bender's experiences.
However, the book is also an engaging treatise on the life of Mr. Bender outside the white lines. For example...
-His rough upbringing and transition from Minnesota Indian Reservation to Carlisle Indian Preparatory School.
-His constant stereotyping as nothing more than Indian
-His battles with alcohol and other health maladies
What truly makes the book great, though, is that author Swift sets up the narrative in this fashion: The book starts with Bender pitching the opening game of the 1914 World Series for Connie Mack's Philadelphia Athletics. The reader is teased that this single game is the downfall of Bender (or that at least something bad is going to happen), but then it takes the entire unraveling of Bender's life story to truly understand the meaning of the events on that day. It is a very interesting way to spin a biography and really serves to keep the reader engaged from beginning to end.
Overall, this is one of the better baseball history books I have ever read. It is never boring and author Swift's engaging writing style made the pages fly by. Read it for the baseball history or read it for an incredible human-interest piece. Either way, you won't regret it.
June 8, 2016
I like baseball books. I especially like books about "old time" baseball. I appreciate those who stand against prejudice. Tom Swift certainly writes about "old time" baseball since Chief Bender's career was set in the first two decades of the 20th Century and Bender handled prejudice with aplomb. It just didn't work for me. The book seemed wordy and slow, even when recounting exciting World Series games. I did not find the "psychological" analysis very convincing. Fascinating time and man, neither of which came to life for me.
July 31, 2010
Other than wishing that Swift had done more to show the racism Charles Bender struggled with all his life, I enjoyed this look at baseball during the Deadball Era through the life of one Hall-of-Fame pitcher. Swift has researched Bender's life and accomplishments meticulously but he also immersed himself in the baseball culture and wider society of Bender's times. Fascinating book.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews