Sammy Sosa

Children's Literature - Sharon Oliver

This very interesting biography from "The Great Hispanic Heritage" series gives an excellent portrait of Sosa, warts and all. Instead of beginning with Sosa's childhood, the first chapter skips right to 1998 and Sosa's near-miss at setting a new home run record, the high point of his career. The end of this first chapter also informs the reader of an incident in 2003, when Sosa broke a bat and it was discovered that the bat was lined with cork, a violation of baseball rules, which led to a suspension for Sosa. A brief mention is also made in this opening chapter of the 1994 baseball strike and its impact on the national pastime (the strike is discussed in detail later). In chapter 2, we begin at Sosa's beginning, with his childhood in the Dominican Republic. Sosa managed to overcome poverty and the effects of childhood malnutrition to work his way up to major league baseball. Sosa's career is detailed throughout the book, with quotes from other players and managers lending some color to the story. What's nice about this biography is that Sammy Sosa comes across as a real person instead of a "sports hero." Sosa's life had its ups and downs like everyone else and that makes the story even more compelling. Sosa was a man who should never have made it into the major leagues, and, by doing so, not only did he become a hero to his hometown, but he also showed every poor kid that there is an opportunity if you make it for yourself. An excellent addition for sports or biography collections.