The Eastern Stars

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.

February 1, 2010
The accomplished Kurlansky ("Salt: A World History") can pose and answer challenging questions in an idiosyncratic and appealing fashion, and this makes his work distinctively fascinating. Why does one small Dominican town produce world-class baseball players in such amazing numbers? And why its abundance of shortstops? What accounts for the ascension of the Dominican Republic generally as a training ground for diamond stars? Aside from a super baseball read, you get here an erudite social and cultural history of the Caribbean. An essential future best seller for all touched by baseball.

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2010
Kurlansky, who helped put narrative nonfiction on the readers-advisory map with microhistories Cod (1997) and Salt (2002), turns here to a more straightforward reportorial topic. But the story of baseball in the small town of San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican Republic is also more than it seems. Dominican players werent the first Latins to reach the big leagues (Cubans and Puerto Ricans came first), but later, after Castro cut off the supply of Cuban players, the Dominican invasion begansuperstars Juan Marichal and Rico Carty put the country on baseballs radarand almost instantly young males throughout the poor country had a new dream of a better life. Kurlansky traces the evolution of Dominican baseball from teams sponsored by sugar barons, who paid workers to compete against one another after the harvest season ended. Soon the players drew the attention of scouts, and the massive export trade began, much of it from the small town of San Pedro de Macoris, center of the sugar industry, which spawned such stars as Afredo Griffin, Julio Franco, George Bell, and Sammy Sosa. Eventually, major-league teams established academies in the country, where top prospects, usually undernourished teenagers, are fed, schooled, and taught fundamentals. Of course, the story has its underside: exploited players, kickback scandals, and steroid usage (an easy way to build muscle for those undernourished, would-be stars). The Sosa saga stands simultaneously as both San Pedro baseballs greatest success story and its ugliest curse. Moving from the countrys early history through the establishment of the baseball industry as it exists today, Kurlansky never ignores the dark side but also recognizes the mythic resonance of a rangy shortstop from the cane fields, learning to play with balls made from socks, following his dream to the Big Show. A fine baseball book and a revealing, personal look at what globalization is all about.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)

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).