Raceball

Ruck (history, Univ. of Pittsburgh) explores the transformation of baseball as played in the shadows of organized ball in the United States and in Latin America, tracing the development of the game in the Caribbean, crediting Cuban emissaries with its spread in the region and recounting the barnstorming that pitted great Latin players against those from the U.S. mainland. His book also sweeps through what Ruck refers to as "Blackball's Heyday," with rapid-fire looks at magnates Rube Foster, Cum Posey Jr., Gus Greenlee, and Alex Pompez. Ruck then discusses integration's catastrophic impact on the Negro Leagues, as well as an attempted insurgency emanating from the Mexican League and Jorge Pasquel and the now-diminished role of black players. Strongly recommended, like Burgos, above, for avid baseball readers as well as those studying African American or Latino studies.—R.C.