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The Eastern Stars: How Baseball Changed The Dominican Town Of San Pedro De Macoris (2010)

by Mark Kurlansky(Favorite Author)

3 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

1594487502 (ISBN13: 9781594487507)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Riverhead Hardcover

review 1: I enjoyed reading this book. So why am I giving it only two stars? Unlike many baseball fans who were expecting something more inside-baseball, whose disappointment is apparent from one glance at the reviews here on Goodreads, my disappointment stems not from the content of the book, which I found fascinating, but from the writing itself. It is an easy and pleasurable read, but it is disorganized, and left me a bit nonplussed. I was expecting to be swept away by Kurlansky, and I simply wasn't. I learned a lot, which was great; I got to know some of my beloved Blue Jays from the 1980s and 90s a bit better, which was fun; and yes, it does provide a fascinating window into the world of San Pedro de Macorís. But it's full of awkward sentences and chapters that lack coherent ... moreorganization. I don't fault Kurlansky. He's an excellent and established writer. This is a book that, I feel, just needed a better editor.One more thought. The best sections were about normal people and the food they enjoy cooking. That's when you could feel Kurlansky enjoying himself and in his finest voice. It made me wonder about how much time he had to put into this book and how many people were trying to get him to make it more inside-baseball. I'm a huge baseball fan, but I think it might have been a better book (and even a better book about baseball) with a little less baseball in it.
review 2: One of the worst baseball books I've ever read. I had very high hopes for this book and was bitterly disappointed. Mr Kurlansky did a fine job of presenting the history of the Dominican Republic. However, I noted a large number of obvious baseball factual mistakes in the book which leads me to wonder about the authenticity of his information about DR's history.This book is presented in two halves. The first half is a very mundane description of the DR's history and economics. I understand why it was presented this way but it frankly was very boring. The second half was about baseball. It too was presented in a very dry manner. This book is meant to attract baseball fans and, as such, the history of the DR is too drawn out for those looking for a baseball book. It was a very interesting idea that was poorly executed in my opinion. less

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