Hank Greenberg - Hero of Heroes by John Rosengren

There are many layers to this book that made for fascinating reading.  As a baseball fan I enjoyed the quality of the baseball stories and the feeling for baseball in the 1930 - 1949 era.  Greenberg is a Hall of Famer, one of the pantheon of legends, now gone and almost forgotten.  But true baseball fans should celebrate his statistical prowess - his 330 home runs does not seem like much in the steroid era, but it was an amazing feat that put him in the top three for lifetime homers in his era.

But the reality of statistics has to be weighed with the shadow of war and 4 1/2 years at the point where most players have their peak he was in the military and did not touch a bat.  His career was pre-war and post war when he came back from this long lay off and put a finishing touch on his legend.

However, even that is not the true story.  What is significant is our terrible penchant for racism and bias in this free nation.  He was the first and greatest Jewish baseball player and he paid for that position by withstanding some of the most vitriolic and awful bench jockeying and fan behavior.  His exploits were always slightly tainted in the press if he had an off day, which all players do, by denigrating his Jewishness.

He was to the Jewish people what Jackie Robinson was to the African American.  Their paths crossed on the basepaths at the end of Greenberg's career and the beginning of Jackie's.  Jackie ran in to Greenberg, knocking him down.  This could have been a race riot if it had been anyone else, but Greenberg's lighter skin was tempered by what he had suffered and as a result when Jackie apologized Greenberg was forgiving and even encouraging to the young star.  They became friends, although in later years Hank was saddened that he did not do more for the "negro players" when he was active in the game.

This is a story of a many who was successful in everything he did, but not a man who was necessarily happy.  The chip he had on his shouldered could create issues, but overall he was a man who controlled his own emotions and has moved on with the dignity of accomplishment.

It is well worth reading