Roberto Clemente

Children's Literature - Leslie Greaves Radloff

Part of the "Great Hispanic Heritage" series, this birth-to-grave biography of baseball great and the first Hispanic American to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, Roberto Clemente, provides information about everything his childhood in Puerto Rico to his untimely death in 1972 while on a mercy mission delivering help for earthquake survivors in Nicaragua. Young readers may not fully understand the impact that Clemente had on the game of baseball, nor grasp the reasons why he was well-respected and liked by fans and players, but using the formula of the series, the authors try to bring insights into the person of Clemente. Many pictures are included, along with an index, glossary, timeline, and suggestions for further reading. The titles in this series are heavy on text, though it is broken up by photographs and textboxes with information shedding more light on the subject. Readers will find that he was private, not given to much talk, caring, and, seemingly, a family man. They also will learn about the government corruption in the countries hit by the earthquake that made giving and getting aid to people in need all but impossible. Readers will be surprised to find that the magnificent sum of $5,000 for the first year in baseball was Clemente's pay, along with a $10,000 bonus, a huge amount of money in the early 1950s, and for someone whose father had earned less than $50 a month as foreman of a sugarcane company. This series for older students in junior high or high fills the need for information about the contributions of Hispanic Americans. Reviewer: Leslie Greaves Radloff