Havana Hardball

“Using the backdrop of Old Havana, Brioso has given us an insightful, often loving ode to a memorable season when baseball’s past and future came together.”—Tim Wendel, author of Summer of ‘68: The Season That Changed Baseball, and America, Forever

“An in-depth look at a pivotal time in baseball history.”—Lou Hernández, author of Baseball’s Great Hispanic Pitchers

“Long before the true Gold Age of Cuban baseball marked by the most recent quarter-century, there was also an era of pre-revolutionary professional winter league action housed in Havana. Brioso brings much of that lost ‘other’ Cuban baseball back to life.”—Peter C. Bjarkman, author of A History of Cuban Baseball, 1864–2006

“A must read for baseball enthusiasts. Recounts the travels of Cuban ballplayers, the particular plight of Black Cubans and African Americans, and the triumphs and travails of Cuba’s professional leagues.”—Adrian Burgos Jr., author of Cuban Star: How One Negro-League Owner Changed the Face of Baseball

“This book chronicles baseball history at its best, covering an important chapter in U.S.–Cuba social history.”—Library Journal

“Conjures a colorful era of baseball that predated big-money sports.”—Foreign Affairs

“An informative and entertaining look at an era when the game and the country were on the brink of profound change.”—Tallahassee Democrat

“A major contribution to our knowledge of Cuban baseball.”—Florida Historical Quarterly