Greatness in the shadows : Larry Doby and the integration of the American League /

Branson's (law, Univ. of Pittsburgh; No Seat at the Table) first foray into sportswriting examines the racial integration of modern baseball and sets out to explain why Larry Doby (1923-2003), who became the American League's first black player months after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in the National League, has received so little recognition. Through a series of interwoven minibiographies of trailblazing team owners including Branch Rickey and Bill Veeck, and notable players such as Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Satchel Paige, and, of course, Robinson and Doby, the author convincingly argues that other players' celebrity status kept the relatively reserved Doby out of the spotlight and deprived him of due recognition. In a wide-ranging work that offers more insight and context than Joseph Thomas Moore's Larry Doby: The Struggle of the American League's First Black Player, the author articulates sound reasoning and important information. Unfortunately, his awkward and overwhelmingly repetitive and self-referential prose is a frustrating distraction. VERDICT Despite its style flaws, this deep dig into sports lore is sure to appeal to baseball fans and sports and social historians.-Douglas King, Univ. of South Carolina Lib., Columbia © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.