Audiobook8 hours
The Eastern Stars: How Baseball Changed the Dominican Town of San Pedro de Macoris
Written by Mark Kurlansky
Narrated by Ed Sala
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
3/5
()
About this audiobook
In the town of San Pedro in the Dominican Republic, baseball is not just a way of life. It's the way of life. By the year 2008, seventy-nine boys and men from San Pedro had gone on to play in the Major Leagues-that means one in six Dominican Republicans who have played in the Majors have come from one tiny, impoverished region. Manny Alexander, Sammy Sosa, Tony Fernandez, and legions of other San Pedro players who came up in the sugar mill teams flocked to the United States looking for opportunity, wealth, and a better life.
Because of the sugar industry and the influxes of migrant workers from across the Caribbean to work in the cane fields and factories, San Pedro is one of the most ethnically diverse areas of the Dominican Republic. A multitude of languages are spoken there, and a variety of skin colors populate the community; but the one constant is sugar and baseball. The history of players from San Pedro is also a chronicle of racism in baseball, changing social mores in sports and in the Dominican Republic, and the personal stories of the many men who sought freedom from poverty through playing ball. The story of baseball in San Pedro is also that of the Caribbean in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries and on a broader level opens a window into U.S. history.
As with Mark Kurlansky's Cod and Salt, this small story, rich with anecdote and detail, becomes much larger than ever imagined. Kurlansky reveals two countries' love affair with a sport and the remarkable journey of San Pedro and its baseball players. In his distinctive style, he follows common threads and discovers wider meanings about place, identity, and, above all, baseball.
Because of the sugar industry and the influxes of migrant workers from across the Caribbean to work in the cane fields and factories, San Pedro is one of the most ethnically diverse areas of the Dominican Republic. A multitude of languages are spoken there, and a variety of skin colors populate the community; but the one constant is sugar and baseball. The history of players from San Pedro is also a chronicle of racism in baseball, changing social mores in sports and in the Dominican Republic, and the personal stories of the many men who sought freedom from poverty through playing ball. The story of baseball in San Pedro is also that of the Caribbean in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries and on a broader level opens a window into U.S. history.
As with Mark Kurlansky's Cod and Salt, this small story, rich with anecdote and detail, becomes much larger than ever imagined. Kurlansky reveals two countries' love affair with a sport and the remarkable journey of San Pedro and its baseball players. In his distinctive style, he follows common threads and discovers wider meanings about place, identity, and, above all, baseball.
Author
Mark Kurlansky
Mark Kurlansky is the New York Times bestselling author of Milk!, Havana, Paper, The Big Oyster, 1968, Salt, The Basque History of the World, Cod, and Salmon, among other titles. He has received the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, Bon Appétit's Food Writer of the Year Award, the James Beard Award, and the Glenfiddich Award. He lives in New York City. www.markkurlansky.com
More audiobooks from Mark Kurlansky
The Food of a Younger Land: A Portrait of American Food---Before the National Highway System, Before Chain Restaurants, and Before Frozen Food, When the Nation's Food Was Seasonal, Regional, and Traditional---from the Lost WPA Files Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Salt: A World History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Paper: Paging Through History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Cod's Tale Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/51968: The Year That Rocked the World Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Basque History of the World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ready for a Brand New Beat: How "Dancing in the Street" Became the Anthem for a Changing America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nonviolence: The History of a Dangerous Idea Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Boogaloo on 2nd Avenue: A Novel of Pastry, Guilt, and Music Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Importance of Not Being Ernest: A Writing Life with an Uninvited Guest Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to The Eastern Stars
Related audiobooks
Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How It Transformed Our World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Gulf of Mexico: A Maritime History Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Pine Barrens Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCobblestones, Conversations, and Corks: A Son's Discovery of His Italian Heritage Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Taste of Many Mountains Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bonanza King: John Mackay and the Battle over the Greatest Fortune in the American West Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in Modern History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Drinking Water: A History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ready for a Brand New Beat: How "Dancing in the Street" Became the Anthem for a Changing America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Basque History of the World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Smokelore: A Short History of Barbecue in America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Games: A Global History of the Olympics Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/51968: The Year That Rocked the World Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSon of Havana: A Baseball Journey from Cuba to the Big Leagues and Back Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5City of Champions: A History of Triumph and Defeat in Detroit Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBaseball: A History of America's Favorite Game Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Straits: Beyond the Myth of Magellan Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOnce In A Great City: A Detroit Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Glory of Their Times: The Story of the Early Days of Baseball Told by the Men Who Played It Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Citizen Reporters: S.S. McClure, Ida Tarbell, and the Magazine That Rewrote America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lincoln's Pathfinder: John C. Fremont and the Violent Election of 1856 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The United States of Beer: A Freewheeling History of the All-American Drink Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Blues Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Quiet World: Saving Alaska's Wilderness Kingdom, 1910-1960 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Away Game: The Epic Search for Soccer's Next Superstars Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Called Shot: Babe Ruth, the Chicago Cubs, and the Unforgettable Major League Baseball Season of 1932 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Year of the Pitcher: Bob Gibson, Denny McLain, and the End of Baseball's Golden Age Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5New Mexico Food Trails: A Road Tripper's Guide to Hot Chile, Cold Brews, and Classic Dishes from the Land of Enchantment Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsResistance: Reclaiming an American Tradition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Baseball For You
The Inside Game: Bad Calls, Strange Moves, and What Baseball Behavior Teaches Us About Ourselves Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Winning Fixes Everything: How Baseball’s Brightest Minds Created Sports’ Biggest Mess Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mind Gym: An Athlete's Guide to Inner Excellence Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Ty Cobb: A Terrible Beauty Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rickey: The Life and Legend of an American Original Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Watching Baseball Smarter: A Professional Fan's Guide for Beginners, Semi-experts, and Deeply Serious Geeks Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle and the End of America's Childhood Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summer of '49 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Cost of These Dreams: Sports Stories and Other Serious Business Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mental Game of Baseball: A Guide to Peak Performance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Wax Pack: On the Open Road in Search of Baseball's Afterlife Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Dinner with DiMaggio: Memories of An American Hero Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Doc: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fall from Grace: The Truth and Tragedy of “Shoeless Joe” Jackson Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Chicago Cubs: Story of a Curse Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/542 Faith: The Rest of the Jackie Robinson Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5108 Stitches: Loose Threads, Ripping Yarns, and the Darndest Characters from My Time in the Game Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Only Rule Is It Has to Work: Our Wild Experiment Building a New Kind of Baseball Team Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sho-Time: The Inside Story of Shohei Ohtani and the Greatest Baseball Season Ever Played Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Big Fella: Babe Ruth and the World He Created Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson's First Season Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Baseball: A History of America's Game Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It!: Inspiration and Wisdom from One of Baseball's Greatest Heroes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Greatest Baseball Stories Ever Told: Thirty Unforgettable Tales from the Diamond Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Glory of Their Times: The Story of the Early Days of Baseball Told by the Men Who Played It Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Willie Mays Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Eastern Stars
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
3/5
4 ratings3 reviews
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I've read & enjoyed Mark Kurlansky's "The Big Oyster" so I decided to give a go at his newest book, which was advertised as an investigation into why San Pedro de Macoris has provided a disproportionately large number of major league short stops. It may have been a poor move on the part of his publisher's marketing division, because the book would have worked much better at addressing the question of "why the Dominican Republic" than "why San Pedro" and left out short stops all together. It's a highly disjointed book that offers some periods of brilliance, but stumbles on providing a coherency that is needed in constructing a well-timed argument. Currently major league baseball has an abundance of players from the Caribbean and Kurlansky does a good job at explaining the reasons behind it, but he falters at providing a solid explanation for his narrower thesis.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I've read some of Kurlansky's other books over the years and thought that he should be able to create a somewhat engaging story about the Dominican Republic's baseball stars, specifically for the town of San Pedro de Macoris. I felt that the author may have been rushing to meet a deadline as the book seemed to lack the focus on the town that it should have and seemed to lack the organization that a less-rushed effort would have yielded. While Kurlansky does provide a bit of a history of baseball in the Dominican and attributes the first Dominican players in the United States to the problems with Cuba in the early 1960s, he really fails to deliver on the promise of describing how the town itself was changed. The appendix provides a list of persons associated with the Dominican Republic who have played Major League Baseball. In the end, that may be the most useful part of the book.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A dry, fact-filled report of the town of San Pedro de Marcoris in the Dominican Republic. The author takes us back almost to Columbus, and marches forward through every 'owner/exploiter' of the town. On peripherially do we get to Baseball in the later 1/3 of the book, and then the story concerns more the history of baseball and stories of individuals and their struggles with baseball teams, terms, contracts, etc. Very little is actually said about how much impact baseball had on the town. I was particularly disappointed not to find any mention of players from the DR, other than those who specifically came thru this town, although the author never stated that he intended otherwise. A good solid book for someone doing research on socio-economic developement in the Dominican Republic, or someone who is a die-hard baseball trivia fan. As general reading, it falls short.