Issei Baseball: The Story of the First Japanese American Ballplayers
Robert K. Fitts
(Author)
21,000+ Reviews
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Description
2021 SABR Baseball Research Award 2021 Independent Publisher Book Awards, Silver Medal Winner Baseball has been called America's true melting pot, a game that unites us as a people. Issei Baseball is the story of the pioneers of Japanese American baseball, Harry Saisho, Ken Kitsuse, Tom Uyeda, Tozan Masko, Kiichi Suzuki, and others--young men who came to the United States to start a new life but found bigotry and discrimination. In 1905 they formed a baseball club in Los Angeles and began playing local amateur teams. Inspired by the Waseda University baseball team's 1905 visit to the West Coast, they became the first Japanese professional baseball club on either side of the Pacific and barnstormed across the American Midwest in 1906 and 1911. Tens of thousands came to see "how the minions of the Mikado played the national pastime." As they played, the Japanese earned the respect of their opponents and fans, breaking down racial stereotypes. Baseball became a bridge between the two cultures, bringing Japanese and Americans together through the shared love of the game. Issei Baseball focuses on the small group of men who formed the first professional and semiprofessional Japanese baseball clubs. These players' story tells the history of early Japanese American baseball, including the placement of Saisho, Kitsuse, and their families in relocation camps during World War II and the Japanese immigrant experience.
Product Details
Price
$29.95
$27.85
Publisher
University of Nebraska Press
Publish Date
April 01, 2020
Pages
344
Dimensions
6.4 X 1.2 X 9.2 inches | 1.4 pounds
Language
English
Type
Hardcover
EAN/UPC
9781496213488
BISAC Categories:
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About the Author
Robert K. Fitts is the author of Mashi: The Unfulfilled Baseball Dreams of Masanori Murakami, the First Japanese Major Leaguer (Nebraska, 2015), Wally Yonamine: The Man Who Changed Baseball (Nebraska, 2008), and Banzai Babe Ruth: Baseball, Espionage, and Assassination during the 1934 Tour of Japan (Nebraska, 2012), winner of the Society of American Baseball Research's Seymour Medal.
Reviews
"If you're a baseball fan missing our national game right now or just someone who wants to learn more about the Issei immigrants and the battles they fought to get the JA community where it is today, I highly recommend Issei Baseball."--Bruce Rutledge, North American Post--Bruce Rutledge "North American Post" (3/29/2020 12:00:00 AM)
"A book rich in detail, Robert K. Fitts's Issei Baseball adds a valuable piece to the story of the Japanese people in America and is a noteworthy contribution to the legacy of the Issei and the game they loved."--Samuel O. Regalado, author of Nikkei Baseball: Japanese American Players from Immigration and Internment to the Major Leagues--Samuel O. Regalado "North American Post" (9/19/2019 12:00:00 AM)
"Long before Ichiro Suzuki and Shohei Ohtani, Japanese Issei were trying to prove they were the best immigrant baseball players in America. During the Jim Crow era of Major League Baseball, a handshake and a victory on the field were their just reward. Rob Fitts majestically re-creates the mood of the era and sheds light on a glorious period of this epic American odyssey."--Kerry Yo Nakagawa, author, filmmaker, and historian
--Kerry Yo Nakagawa "North American Post" (9/19/2019 12:00:00 AM)
"Rob Fitts is not only an esteemed baseball historian; he's also one of the top writers in the game today. He excels at painting pictures with words and taking the reader on a journey back in time with his prose. Issei Baseball is an enjoyable read for true baseball fans."--Bill Staples Jr., coauthor of Gentle Black Giants: A History of Negro Leaguers in Japan--Bill Staples Jr. "North American Post" (9/19/2019 12:00:00 AM)
"A book rich in detail, Robert K. Fitts's Issei Baseball adds a valuable piece to the story of the Japanese people in America and is a noteworthy contribution to the legacy of the Issei and the game they loved."--Samuel O. Regalado, author of Nikkei Baseball: Japanese American Players from Immigration and Internment to the Major Leagues--Samuel O. Regalado "North American Post" (9/19/2019 12:00:00 AM)
"Long before Ichiro Suzuki and Shohei Ohtani, Japanese Issei were trying to prove they were the best immigrant baseball players in America. During the Jim Crow era of Major League Baseball, a handshake and a victory on the field were their just reward. Rob Fitts majestically re-creates the mood of the era and sheds light on a glorious period of this epic American odyssey."--Kerry Yo Nakagawa, author, filmmaker, and historian
--Kerry Yo Nakagawa "North American Post" (9/19/2019 12:00:00 AM)
"Rob Fitts is not only an esteemed baseball historian; he's also one of the top writers in the game today. He excels at painting pictures with words and taking the reader on a journey back in time with his prose. Issei Baseball is an enjoyable read for true baseball fans."--Bill Staples Jr., coauthor of Gentle Black Giants: A History of Negro Leaguers in Japan--Bill Staples Jr. "North American Post" (9/19/2019 12:00:00 AM)
