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Title details for The Eastern Stars by Mark Kurlansky - Available

The Eastern Stars

How Baseball Changed the Dominican Town of San Pedro de Macoris

by Mark Kurlansky
Ed Sala
Audiobook
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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.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    April 19, 2010

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781400194315
      • File size: 248898 KB
      • Duration: 08:38:32

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Two things mean economic freedom in the town of San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican Republic--sugar cane and baseball. The latter is the focus of Mark Kurlansky's portrait. He describes how baseball rescues some young men from a life of poverty and how the game has shaped the entire community. While he goes into sometimes-unneeded depth when explaining the history of the community, his eye for detail in describing the village offers a vivid portrait. The author explores both the success stories and the seamy underside of exploitation. Ed Sala offers an engaging narration that is reminiscent of a grizzled former ballplayer spinning yarns about his playing days. His occasional slips on Spanish pronunciations can be forgiven, as his throaty voice gives the reading a character to match the material. R.C.G. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      May 31, 2010
      Kurlansky offers an intriguing look at the history of the Dominican Republic and the role American baseball has played in the impoverished and destitute sugar-growing town of San Pedro de Macoris. Kurlansky's approach and style make this story accessible even to nonsports fans. Ed Sala's deep and slightly throaty voice is enjoyable to listen to, though at times he can be a bit halting in his rhythm. Sentences end and begin with some abruptness, and there are mild inconsistencies with Spanish pronunciation. Despite this, Kurlansky's prose and Salas's overall performance combine to keep listeners tuned in till the end. A Riverhead hardcover (Reviews, Jan. 25).

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from January 25, 2010
      In 1956, Ozzie (Osvaldo) Virgil played his first rookie season with the New York Giants, becoming the first Dominican baseball player to enter the major leagues in America. Over the next half a century, 471 Dominicans played in at least one major league game, and one in six of those players have come from the small sugar mill town of San Pedro de Macorís. As he has done so masterfully in his earlier bestselling books on cod, salt, and oysters, Kurlansky homes in on a singular subject and magnifies its every facet under the brilliant light of his investigative reporting, his historical sensibility, and his lively storytelling. With the embargo on Cuban exports beginning in 1962, the U.S. shifted its attention to the Dominican Republic, not only for sugar production but for baseball players. Many of these players, such as Sammy Sosa, gained tremendous fame with their talent in the sport while others, such as Pedro Santana, who played only one game with the Detroit Tigers, returned to San Pedro de Macorís with broken dreams. Kurlansky weaves a chronicle of the history of San Pedro de Macorís with the stories of young men seeking only to play baseball and escape the drudgery of working the sugarcane fields to produce a colorful social history of sport.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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