Roberto Clemente Goes to Bat for Latinos
Starred review from July 8, 2024
In this stirring biography of Puerto Rican baseball player Roberto Clemente (1934–1972), Alonso celebrates the athlete’s contributions to baseball and human rights. The smartly paced narrative kicks off with Clemente’s childhood in Puerto Rico (“Roberto lives to swing/ and slide./ To catch./ To throw./ To run”), then follows his arc to the major league, joining the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1955. Many fans appreciate the player’s “bold style, but not everyone is quick to embrace a Black man from Puerto Rico.” Acrylic, colored pencil, and crayon illustrations by Gutierrez impart vibrancy to lively art that emphasizes the figure’s athletic ability and connection with the public—one spread shows Clemente feted inside a colorful heart that represents Puerto Rico but sitting alone in the blues and grays of a Pittsburgh that won’t acknowledge him. Refusing to accept this treatment, Clemente insists, “I represent the common people of America. So I am going to be treated like a human being.” An author’s note, timeline, and more conclude. Ages 7–10.