Book Review: Clemente: The True Legacy of an Undying Hero

By the Clemente Family

Every Pittsburgh Pirates and Roberto Clemente fan ought to own this exquisite coffee table book about Roberto Clemente, who was born on this date in 1934. Except for two glaring flaws, the book’s binding, paper and photographic quality yield an impeccable collection of some of the most glorious pictures, thoughts and records of the late athlete available. Clemente was a father, husband, Pittsburgher, Puerto Rican and U.S. Marine Corps reservist.

The family, which authorized this hardback volume, made the memoir available in e-book stores as well as bookstores and the Clemente Museum in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood. Clemente contains warm, personal and historical reflections about Clemente from those who knew him best before he died at 38 years old in the crash of an airplane on a charity flight which was badly and excessively loaded. Roberto’s brother, for example, writes that the late Los Angeles Dodgers legend Tommy Lasorda helped Roberto the most with learning the English…