In the mood for baseball? Let Jackie Robinson's memorable biography start the season. Rampersad, who also wrote Arthur Ashe's biography, Days of Grace, presents an insightful portrait. He follows Robinson from his early life and success as a college athlete to the Negro Baseball Leagues and his breaking of baseball's color barrier in 1947 with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Exploring relationships with people who influenced Robinson, like Dodgers owner Branch Rickey and Martin Luther King, Jr., this biography gives an approachable historical context for listeners. Levar Burton's voice reflects a sense of awe. His obvious admiration of Robinson keeps him from effectively presenting the nuances of some of Rampersad's observations. The audio format makes the biography appeal to audiences who might not otherwise get around to reading the book--but admirers of Robinson should seek out Rampersad's full text.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 1997
Duration: 4 hrs
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
More books have been written about baseball than any other sport, and audiobooks such as this allow the genre to flourish. Former pitcher Ron Darling, now a broadcaster, had a distinguished career, primarily with the New York Mets. Darling has met just about everyone in the sport for nearly four decades and demonstrates his knowledge and connections with the anecdotes in this entertaining memoir. Narrator Malcolm Hillgartner's relaxed delivery sounds as though he is in the broadcast booth with Darling. Like most audio sports memoirs, this book succeeds because of the narrator's engaging style. Hillgartner recognizes that even the duller moments in baseball are bolstered by the legacies of so many who have played the game, and were fortunate to have crossed paths with the author.
Pub Date: April 2, 2019
Duration: 7 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781721342457
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Willie Mays's baseball life was a long and rich one, worthy of multiple biographies. Known as a five-tool player--he could run, field, throw, hit, and hit for power--Mays enjoyed a long career. The tag-team narration here fits wonderfully: Larry Herron speaks in a serious and deep tone that is commanding, with appropriate doses of emotion. Julian McWilliams uses a higher voice for Mays who, in fact, does have a slightly high voice. Often, when people are quoted--like President Obama--imitations are used and fit seamlessly within the story. Off- and on-the-field anecdotes are interspersed with brief pieces of advice and mini-mantras from the baseball great.
Pub Date: May 12, 2020
Duration: 11 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781250240231
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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