Play Harder is a phenomenal book about the history of African-Americans in organized baseball. The prose is exceptional, and there are pictures and beautiful artwork throughout.

While this book discusses all the star Negro Leaguers and famous African-American and Afro-Latino players, there Is still a lot I learned. Frederick Douglass and his family's association with the early days of "Base Ball" was incredibly enlightening.

I would liken Play Harder to a coffee table book, which is still comprehensive in history. For those who don't have the attention span or the time to read a 500-page tome about African-American baseball, this book provides a thorough foundation and maintains visual appeal. I would recommend it to baseball fans of all ages.

This book is well-deserving of five stars. I highly recommend that librarians, whether at public libraries or school libraries, consider purchasing it.

Thank you, Ten Speed Press, for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an unbiased review. Out of respect for the publishing house's request, I will not post this review to GoodReads until after the book is released.

Thank you, Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press, for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I just finished Play Harder: The Triumph of Black Baseball in America, by Gerald Early and the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

This book will be released on April 29, 2025.

One of the great things about history books and baseball books (and this is both) is all of the little tidbits of information that they include. Among the examples from this book was how much of a baseball fan, and promoter of the game, that Frederick Douglass was

This book covers both the Negro Leagues, the integration of the majors and the decades of star black players since. Among the many greats who were covered were Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, Rube Foster, Jackie Robinson, Reggie Jackson, Hank Aaron, Dave Winfield, Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey Jr., Curt Flood, Dick Allen and many others. There was also coverage of the lesser known important figures, such as Bud Fowler, Sol White and Ed Bolden (the only character in the book that I was not already familiar with).

I give this book an A.

Goodreads and NetGalley require grades on a 1-5 star system. In my personal conversion system, an A equates to 5 stars. (A or A+: 5 stars, B+: 4 stars, B: 3 stars, C: 2 stars, D or F: 1 star).

This review has been posted at NetGalley, Goodreads and my blog, Mr. Book’s Book Reviews

I finished reading this on November 16, 2024. But, at the request of the publisher, the review will not be posted at my blog or at Goodreads until the week of the book's publication.