Review of "One For the Record: The Inside Story of Hank Aaron’s Chase for the Home Run Record," by George Plimpton

 Review of

One For the Record: The Inside Story of Hank Aaron’s Chase for the Home Run Record, by George Plimpton ISBN 9780316326933

Four out of five stars

Not the best of Plimpton

 I have been a fan of George Plimpton for a long time. Some of his books about sports are classics, providing insight into professional sports that is unmatched. Yet, this one is not as much of a page turner as some of the others. The event is certainly worth a book, the magnificent night when Hank Aaron hit home run number 715, was an incredible moment.

 Plimpton does his usual thorough work in going behind the scenes, to the point where he asks the people that will be broadcasting the game if they have a “One small step for a man…” phrase waiting for the moment. Perhaps it is unfair to compare this book to the classic books where Plimpton himself was the focus where he performed against the pros in a sport. In those books, the reader can clearly relate to the desire to get on the field of play at least once.

 While I enjoyed this book about a baseball player that still remains underrated, the prose doesn’t rise to the level of Plimpton’s usual high standards.