Satchel Paige's America (Alabama Fire Ant) [Paperback]

William Price Fox (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

In 1970, on a magazine assignment, Fox spent a week with baseball Hall-of-Famer Leroy "Satchel" Paige, who took a shine to the young writer and shared his remarkable life with uncommon frankness. Paige came to the major leagues in 1948 at the age of 42, after many years in the Negro Leagues, where his triumphs attained an almost mythic stature. Fox and Paige wandered through Paige's adopted hometown of Kansas City, from KFC to Midas Muffler to barbecue joints. Paige was uneasy with being recorded and didn't like reporters taking notes, so Fox was left to capture his subject's voice only through memory. What emerges on the page is mesmerizing: a little bit Ali, a little bit hip-hop, a shade of bebop, a pinch of Reverend King, and a half a measure of Richard Pryor. Paige's baseball talent was undeniable, but Fox captures the intelligence and savvy framing the talent. Paige loved life and made the very best of a bad situation with shrewdness, acceptance, and an iron will. A very entertaining book about a unique man. Wes Lukowsky
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"This is the stuff of dreams--overhearing a lively conversation between two voluble Southern originals. . . . It plays like a rare homemade movie. . . . I've read much about ol' Satch over the years, even hung out with him once myself, but I've never seen or heard anything about him as revealing as this book."--Paul Hemphill, author of Lost in the Lights: Sports, Dreams, and Life

"Enormously entertaining. . . . Could easily be titled 'Satchel and Me.' . . . Reading this book is like finding a treasure trove of letters and snapshots illuminating the life of perhaps the most colorful player in baseball history. It's an essential edition to any baseball library."--Allen Barra, author of The Last Coach: The Life of Paul "Bear" Bryant

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Product Details

• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: Fire Ant Books; 1 edition (March 16, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0817351892
• ISBN-13: 978-0817351892
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #139,239 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WELL WRITTEN AND ENJOYABLE, July 17, 2005

By 

D. Blankenship (The Ozarks) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Satchel Paige's America (Alabama Fire Ant) (Paperback)

As already noted, this work is the results of a seven day or so interview of the great Satchel Paige by the author in 1970. It is far more than simply a book of "baseball war stories." The interview clearly illuminates the personality of one of the greatest baseball players who ever lived (beyond a doubt the best pitcher). There was much more here, to this man than just a great arm. The author captures Paige's somewhat erratic personality. The man, Paige, was certainly a character and much more that a simple "jock." On the other hand, reading between the lines, there is a whimsical sadness ever present. As you read, you cannot help but wonder what might have been had the times been different. You get the feeling that Paige knew, ergo, the sadness. Recommend this one for any baseball fan or those simply interested in or countries history, warts and all.

4.0 out of 5 stars Satchel Paige's America - Evaluation of Product & Service, September 2, 2005

By 

William R. Neely - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Satchel Paige's America (Alabama Fire Ant) (Paperback)

Theb book was interesting and informative. I enjoyed it very much.
The price was reasonable and the service was timely and satisfactory.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Myth or Journalism?, December 4, 2005

By 

Peter C. Bjarkman "The Author" (Lafayette, IN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Satchel Paige's America (Alabama Fire Ant) (Paperback)

This rather unflattering portrait of a self-indulgent and motor-mouthed Satchel Paige adds little new to either the Paige legend or the history of the baseball era he represented. It also raises some serious questions about the author's journalistic approach. Why does Paige--so lucid in memory on all other matters--boast of facing Mickey Mantle during the 1948 pennant race (Mantle was a rookie in 1951), clinching the tight pennant race by defeating the Yankees (Cleveland won in a playoff with Boston), or facing manager Casey Stengel that year (when Stengel didn't arrive on the Yankee bench until 1949)? If Paige is simply forgetful or chooses to purposely distort historical facts, was doesn't the author/interviewer point this out in a footnote, or perhaps in his postscript? And how could Paige's several days of detailed and colorful ramblings be here reported in such word-for-word detail and in Paige's supposed own words if the author/interviewer made no tape recordings (something Fox claims in the postscript)? One leaves this book wondering how much in its pages is actually Satchel and how much is a fictional character dreamed up by Bill Fox?

The treatment of this supposed 1970 in-depth interview with Paige is also quite repetitious in spots (much of the Postscript is a reprise of Chapter 1) and thus the treatment seemingly lends itself far more to the original intended magazine piece and not to a full-length book. There is also little here (despite the book's misleading title) that captures the flavor of America during the 1930s and 40s eras in which Paige played.

There are far better portraits available of Satchel Paige, especially those written by Negro leagues historian John Holway.