Hank Aaron: Home Run Hero

by Jessica Morrison

In the days before performance-enhancing substances, the great Hank Aaron hit a career-record 755 home runs, a mark he held for 33 years. Born in Mobile, Alabama, Hammerin' Hank began his baseball career in the Negro Leagues when black players were still banned from Major League Baseball. The last Negro League player to make the move into the big leagues, Hank played for 23 years in Milwaukee and Atlanta and made the All-Star team in both the National and American Leagues for 20 straight years. Today, his remarkable talent and his fine character have made him one of the most highly regarded athletes in sports.

112 pages, Library Binding

First published August 1, 2010

Reviews

[Gail Sacharski · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for my grandson's Literacy assignment to help him with his assignment, but I had my own interest in this story. Henry Aaron played for the Milwaukee Braves, my home team, & I was lucky enough to see/attend games in which he played. Although, at the time, I was pretty young & knew who he was because of his great playing & popularity, no one realized what an amazing sports figure he would become & the staggering records & achievements he would accumulate. This book, aside from being a biography of Aaron, also interweaves the theme of the racial tensions of the time--on the day Hammerin' Hank hit a home run in St. Louis to win the National League pennant & send the Milwaukee Braves to the World Series & was carried off the field by his white & black teammates as a hero, a group of African-American students were being refused entry to Little Rock High School & had to return the next day protected by armed National Guard troops amidst angry white mobs screaming threats & taunts. Aaron completed his great feat in 1957, just ten years after Jackie Robinson was signed to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking the color barrier in the sport of baseball. Aaron played against & with Robinson & was honored to receive advice from him on the difficulties he would face as a minority in a white-dominated sport & how to handle himself through those difficulties. As Hank Aaron's fame & accomplishments grew, he also became aware of the role he played as a traiblazer in the changes he wanted to see in civil rights. This book was very good & contained much information of which I was unaware. It also brought back a lot of memories of following Hank's career. He has always been one of my "hometown heroes" & I enjoyed learning more about him.

[Meryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read about one of the greatest ball players of all time, Hank Aaron. Picked up this up after Hammerin' Hank's passing on January 22, 2021. Could I have just skimmed the Wikipedia page to learn about his life and legacy? Sure. But where is the fun in that?