I Had a Hammer: The Hank Aaron Story

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Harper Collins, Mar 17, 2009 - Biography & Autobiography - 380 pages
I Had a Hammer: The Hank Aaron Story is an intimate memoir by a baseball legend—and a fascinating social history of twentieth-century America.

The Classic New York Times Bestseller

The man who shattered Babe Ruth's lifetime home run record, Henry "Hammering Hank" Aaron left his indelible mark on professional baseball and the world. But the world also left its mark on him.

With courage and candor, Aaron’s revelatory life story recalls his struggles and triumphs in an atmosphere of virulent racism. He relives the breathtaking moment when, in the heat of hatred and controversy, he hit his 715th home run to break Ruth's cherished record—an accomplishment for which Aaron received more than 900,000 letters, many of them vicious and racially charged. And his story continues through the remainder of his milestone-setting, barrier-smashing career as a player and, later, Atlanta Braves executive—offering an eye-opening and unforgettable portrait of an incomparable athlete, his sport, his epoch, and his world.

“Elegant, uncomplaining, and inspiring, I Had a Hammer is a true American treasure about a true sustainable hero.” —New York Times–bestselling author Douglas Brinkley

“Beautifully written. This book covers so many bases, it is virtually impossible to consider it just another sports biography.” —New York Times Book Review

“[Hank Aaron’s] book is written with the same authority with which he wielded his bat.” —San Francisco Chronicle
 

Contents

Dedications Introduction
The day I left Mobile Alabama to play ball
Herbert Aaron and his teenage
When Jackie Robinson joined
In 1953 the major leagues
America met Henry Aaron and civil rights
There is a scene from the television
By 1960 the few black players
They called it the city too busy to hate
At first it was all about base hits
There were a few things if only
The record brought Hank Aaron into
The man played in the major leagues
Career Stats
Acknowledgments

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About the author (2009)

Lonnie Wheeler was born in 1952 in St. Louis, Missouri. After graduating from the University of Missouri, he worked for several newspapers including the Anderson Independent in South Carolina, the Clarion Ledger in Mississippi, and the Cincinnati Enquirer. He eventually transitioned into magazine work and writing books. His fist two books, The Cincinnati Game and Bleachers: A Summer in Wrigley Field, were published in 1988. His other works include I Had a Hammer, Stranger to the Game, and Long Shot.

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