New American Library
Hardcover, 2013
Paperback, 2014
Nonfiction, 392 pages
Baseball during the Great Depression of the 1930s galvanized communities and provided a struggling country with heroes. Jewish player Hank Greenberg gave the people of Detroit—and America—a reason to be proud.
But America was facing more than economic hardship. Hitler’s agenda heightened the persecution of Jews abroad while anti-Semitism intensified political and social tensions in the U.S. The six-foot-four-inch Greenberg, the nation’s most prominent Jew, became not only an iconic ball player, but also an important and sometimes controversial symbol of Jewish identity and the American immigrant experience.
Throughout his twelve-year baseball career and four years of military service, he heard cheers wherever he went along with anti-Semitic taunts. The abuse drove him to legendary feats that put him in the company of the greatest sluggers of the day, including Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx, and Lou Gehrig. Hank’s iconic status made his personal dilemmas with religion versus team and ambition versus duty national debates.
Hank Greenberg is an intimate account of his life—a story of integrity and triumph over adversity and a portrait of one of the greatest baseball players and most important Jews of the twentieth century.
What they’re saying about Hank Greenberg: The Hero of Heroes:
“Rosengren pens a textured tale–of Henry Greenberg, the Moses of Baseball; Hankus Spankus, the home run king and Hall of Famer; and Hank himself, steadfast son, teammate, and father. This is a book for those who don’t know this Hero of Heroes and, much more, for those who think they do.”
–Larry Tye, New York Times bestselling author of Satchel: The Life and Times of an American Legend
“John Rosengren’s book is the best and most important biography ever written about Hank Greenberg. Rosengren gives us not just a ballplayer, but a man of passion, intellect, character, and substance. In this well-written, deeply sensitive, and thoroughly researched account, Greenberg’s achievements as an athlete and a human being are fully realized.”
–Glenn Stout, author of Fenway 1912
“John Rosengren’s copious research offers new insights into the hurdles that Hank Greenberg faced, as well as his tenacity as a player and bravery during World War II that made him the hero of heroes.”
–Aviva Kempner, director of The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg
“Such nachas I have for both Hank Greenberg and John Rosengren. This is one of the greatest stories in sports history, and John has told it in a riveting and entertaining way. And you don’t even have to be a huge sports fan to enjoy it (I’m not). Because the book is also a tale of religion, war, assimilation, fame, money, and family.”
–A. J. Jacobs, New York Times bestselling author of The Year of Living Biblically
“John Rosengren brings one of baseball’s most important players to full and vivid life, getting beyond the Jewish icon and the superstar slugger to reveal the man behind the myth; the guy, not the Golem. The book is an important addition to the canon of baseball biography.”
–Robert Weintraub, author of The House that Ruth Built
Reviews & Media
“Hank Greenberg was the first nationally known Jewish athlete. When he joined the Detroit Tigers in 1933, the team was just another also-ran, chasing the powerful New York Yankees. But in 1934, led by Greenberg’s slugging, the Tigers won the pennant, though they lost the World Series. In 1935 the Tigers won the World Series. As Rosengren recounts this remarkable life story, we come to see how Greenberg bore more than the burden of athletic performance. He was a symbol of the Jewish community. Some in the community felt he should honor the Sabbath by not playing; others felt he should at least honor the High Holidays. Non-Jews vehemently argued that Greenberg should eschew all in favor of playing every time there was a game. Additionally, Greenberg was the target of virulent anti-Semitism. The discrimination wasn’t the same or as pervasive as the insults Jackie Robinson would endure 15 years later, but it was every bit as much a fabric of American life. Greenberg only had nine complete seasons as a Major Leaguer, but his place in the Hall of Fame is indisputable. He lost one season to injury and nearly four more to military service during WWII. (He served 45 months, the longest of any Major League player.) Rosengren’s text covers Greenberg’s youth, his playing and military careers as well as his years as a Major League executive. This is a serious, carefully researched biography of an important historical figure who was also a famous athlete.” –Wes Lukowsky for Booklist
“Greenberg became an icon for American Jews and filled that role with dignity, going about his business effectively and fighting when treated unjustly… Rosengren’s well-written book is recommended to all fans.”—Library Journal
“Rosengren has researched and written a first-rate biography of a professional athlete who was also an interesting human being off the playing field–and interesting in part because an entire religion looked to him to ameliorate its unhappy history of persecution.” –Minneapolis Star Tribune
“If you only read one book on the Jewish baseball great, this is the one to pick.” –Jewish Book Council
“Rosengren’s book is an evocative portrait of Detroit, and baseball, in the 1930s and 1940s, but it’s also a portrait of how the Jewish people and baseball interacted.” –Newsday