Clemente (Abridged): The Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero Audiobook

" There were parts of this book that didn't interest me and I found myself easily laying it down and reading something else. It took me over 2 weeks to finish because until the last third I didn't have that urge to know what happened next. I found the baseball part a little boring and enjoyed the personal stuff. Those who know me will be shocked to know I found anything about baseball boring. Perhaps it was because he played for the Pirates which is one of my least favorite team or perhaps it was because so much of the baseball took place in the Winter league in Puerto Rica. Whatever! I think Clemente can easily be called a hero but the title suggests that he is the 'last hero' which I disagree with. There are many sports figures out there that are doing so much good for their communities. "

" A great biography that portrays the difficulty minority players had when baseball first became integrated and also shows what a great person Clemente was. The description of the events surrounding his death is one of the most memorable things I've read this year. "

" THE best sports book I've ever read - and on one of the classiest guys to ever play ANY game. "

" A great, complete retelling of Clemente's life. The only negative is how Maraniss glosses over the prejudice that Clemente faced as just a part of the time. Maraniss excuses his predecessors, the journalists of Clemente's generation, far to easily and tries to pass it off as Clemente's fiery temper and a flaw in his character. "

" Pretty well-written for a biography...I usually find them boring. The way Maraniss sets the scene, though, the reader almost feels as if he or she is in Forbes Field cheering on the faithful Bucs in the 1960 World Series. A great book about a greater player. "

" I'm a sucker for bios. Clemente seems like a d-bag. "

" An incredible character study into one of baseball's all time greats. A tragedy and great loss in his death. There is no telling what he could have taught future generations of latino baseball players. "

" A hagiography which diminishes Clemente's greatness by overpraising him. Vastly inferior to the author's earlier work on Vince Lombardi. "

" I wasn't sure I would finish this biography after the first chapter or two, it seemed fairly standard fair, but the book deepend and matured as it followed the great outfielder's life. I was profoundly moved by the last half of the book. "

" Excellent bio of a one-of-a-kind player who lost his life way too soon. Even if you are not a baseball fan, this is enough non-baseball material to keep you interested. "

" Reads too much like a history book - too slow "

" As a Clemente fan, growing up as a boy, I had no idea what it was like for him until reading this book. Great insight on what ball players go through as an outsider. "

" Perhaps the best sports biography I have read. Hero is a word thrown around far too carelessly when it comes to sports figures, but Clemente truly earned it. "

" Unos de los mejores relatos acerca de Roberto Clemente "

" Who knew he was so cranky with the press? "

" Clemente's passion for baseball and for being the best comes alive in this book. It is an inspiring story. And for a baby boomer who grew up in the Pittsburgh area while Roberto was in the outfield, the book if full of memories and familiar names. "

" Excellent book. A new perspective, and I think sometimes overlooked perspecive, of race in sports and America, from a latin american viewpoint. A fantastic ballplayer and a special man, who was killed trying to help others who were suffering. fortunate f. "

" sports bios in general lost their intrigue for me when i was about...12. i haven't read another since Clemente, but this is reason enough to not give up on the genre altogether. as with many bios, it's the life outside of the life we already know that matters. "

" I only gave this book 2 stars because I found the actual baseball parts of the book rather boring. I am more interested in Roberto Clemente the person, so those are the sections that I found the most appealing. "

" Don't read that many bios but this one is great! What a life, what a story and it is well told. "

" clemente is one of my heroes. "

" Moving. A quick read that circles Clemente's greatness without ever quite settling on it (in large part b/c you had to see Clemente to understand just how great a ball player he was). Best is the extensive look into the circumstances surrounding his death (totally preventable). "

" A great sports story of one my favourite baseball heros. I really enjoyed this book. "

" An excellent, in-depth book about one of the greatest outfielders to play the game. He had a cannon for an arm and swung a bat as long as a bed slat. He made me want to be just like him, not just as a baseball play but as a person, too. "

" Roberto Clemente is in my all-time top 5 for favorite baseball players. This book was terribly boring. I cannot recommend it. "

" Amazing. By far the best book on Clemente out there! "

" A glowing, though not haggiographic, biography of the baseball legend. "

" A great sports story of one my favourite baseball heros. I really enjoyed this book. "

" A great book about a great man! "

" So far this is a good book talks about how Clemente saved baseball, and his history as hes on his journey to become the greatest and how he dies doing good for the world. "

" Great book. Thoroughly enjoyed it, as will any baseball fan "

" the man finally gets the bio he deserves "

" Fascinating! Arguably the greatest baseball player ever. And I knew nothing about him until I read this book. A must read for all baseball fans. "

" Clemente was one of my favorite baseball players from childhood even though I really knew very little about him. This well researched and written bio fills in the details as to why he was a great athlete and a better human being. "

" A hagiography which diminishes Clemente's greatness by overpraising him. Vastly inferior to the author's earlier work on Vince Lombardi. "

" I'm so glad I read this book. It tells the tale of one of the nicest men to ever live. In many ways Clemente's story parallels that of Jackie Robinson. The story of his death is so tragic. But the story of his life is a lesson in how to live with pride and class. "