BOOK REVIEW: SATCHEL: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF AN AMERICAN LEGEND

Larry Tye brilliantly scribes the must-have baseball autobiography of the year with Satchel: The Life and Times of An American Legend. Until now, there hasn’t been a definitive autobiography of one of baseball’s most dynamic characters. Tye not only clears up some of Paige’s exclusive accomplishments, but he also paints a somewhat sorrow picture of Paige’s life on and off the field. Paige, who was inducted in the Baseball Hall-of-Fame in 1971, dealt with various racial and social issues throughout his baseball career, yet still managed to become one of the most talked about figures in the history of the game. By reading this book, you’ll learn about Paige’s charismatic personality and his one-of-a-kind antics that have become embedded into baseball’s lore. For example, Paige would call-in his outfielders to the infield before striking out his opponents. During practice, willing teammates would stand at the plate with a cigarette in their mouth as Paige would display his pinpoint accuracy by hitting the cigarette to the ground. Baseball fanatic or not, anyone who passes up reading this book is doing themselves a disservice. One can’t read this book without thinking how someone as colorful as Satchel Paige would perform on and off the baseball field today.
- Review by MLBHomeRun.com