Turkey Stearnes and the Detroit Stars: The Negro Leagues in Detroit, 1919-1933 (Great Lakes Books)

and you cannot understand baseball without the Negro Leagues' Detroit Stars. The author's research doesn't just walk us through the lives and skills of the players, though he surely does that--it's placed carefully within the social context of the time--northern Jim Crow. And then there is the rowdy fun of a good game well played. This is a terrific baseball book and a critical piece of the history of Detroit. Enjoy!

If you read the title of this book you might think you are getting a detailed account of the the life of Norman "Turkey" Stearnes and the Detroit Stars, like you get from other books dedicated to a player's life, but this book is different. The story is more about the general environment of the Negro Leagues and race relations in the United States from 1919 to 1933. Great interviews with former Negro Leaguers and fans abound in this book, and the reader will get an idea of what life was like for both players and owners at this time. Readers will not only see Turkey Stearnes, but other greats such as Oscar Charleston, Ted Radcliffe, Andy Cooper, James Bell, Bill Petway, and Josh Gibson. The rosters and season stats for the Detroit Stars at the back of the book will be particularly interesting for anyone researching these players, and there are plenty of great photos as well.

If you want to get a precursor of negro leagues then it’s a good introductory. However if you want to learn about Turkey Stearns and the Detroit Stars you will be limited

This book, written in the mid-1990s, spends less time than the title leads one to expect on Turkey Stearnes and the Detroit Stars. It mostly concerns African-American Detroit history during the period between the World Wars, describing the Black Bottom neighborhood, mentioning the Ossian Sweet trial, etc. Well done, with nice photographs.

This book gave a great depiction of life in Detroit in the 20's and early 30's. Not just a baseball book!!

I am Turkey Stearnes' oldest daughter and I think that the book clearly shows that these guys were very great and my dad was the greatest of all time and deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. This book helps to give him the recognition that he so justly deserves. I'm sorry that he is not here to see all that is happening with the Negro League players. This has been a long time coming. Thank You Mr. Bak.

Mr. Bak provides the reader with an insightfull, yet entertaining historical account of a segment of Americana that is too often over looked. A must read for diehard baseball fans, or anyone sincerely interested in either the history of Detroit in general or of baseball in Detroit.