Me and Hank: a Boy and His Hero, Twenty-Five Years Later
- List Price: $24.00
- Binding: Hardcover
- Publisher: Free Press
- Publish date: 01/01/2000
Description:
When Sandy Tolan was nine years old, his hero left town. Henry Aaron and the Milwaukee Braves moved to Atlanta in 1966, but Tolan continued to follow Aaron's career from afar. In 1973, as Aaron was closing in on the greatest record in sports -- Babe Ruth's 714 career home runs -- he became the target of racist hate mail and death threats. Back in Milwaukee, Tolan wrote Aaron a letter of his own, saying, "Don't listen to them, Mr. Aaron. You're my hero". The his astonishment, he got a letter back. The boy's devotion to Aaron was captured for life.
Expand description
Twenty-five years later Tolan set out for Atlanta to meet his hero. Me and Hank is his moving account of what happens when childhood dreams meet up with the truth about baseball, heroism, and race. Tolan introduces us to Aaron's family and teammates, as well as civil rights leaders who recall Aaron's courage and dignity, and fans who illustrate the dramatic impact that an inspiring individual can have. Weaving those bittersweet reflections with his own, Tolan explores the landscape between a hero's aspirations and the reality of his struggle. His evocative and poignant book drives home why Aaron remains the standard against whom all other sluggers are measured -- as a player and as a man.
Please Wait