Oscar Charleston

Jeremy Beer is a founding partner at American Philanthropic in Phoenix. He is the author of The Philanthropic Revolution: An Alternative History of American Charity, and his writing on sports, society, and culture has appeared in the Washington Post, National Review, First Things, and the Baseball Research Journal, among many other venues.

“A valuable and superb book.”-Joe Posnanski, The Athletic "In this thorough account, Beer has created a definitive work on Charleston's life and accomplishments. The result is a fascinating story and an important piece of sports history."-Gus Palas, Library Journal, starred review "In telling Oscar Charleston’s story, Jeremy Beer has done a remarkable job in finding sufficient evidence in the historical record-box scores, newspaper accounts, interviews, oral histories-to support his thesis that Charleston deserves to be recognized as one of the game’s greatest players. Thanks to Beer’s fine biography, Oscar Charleston will not be forgotten."-Thomas Wolf, NINE: A Journal of Baseball History and Culture "If Beer set out to write the authoritative biography of Oscar Charleston, he accomplished his goal seamlessly. The book is much more than a biography, it is an exhaustively researched tome about not only Oscar Charleston, but about the rise and fall of Negro Leagues baseball in the twentieth century."-Paul Langendorfer, Inside Game “Beer’s evenhanded narrative makes a convincing case for Charleston as the greatest baseball player who never played in the majors. This is a solid hit for baseball historians and fans alike.”-Publishers Weekly “[Jeremy Beer] has managed to construct a portrait of Charleston that clearly establishes him as a great baseball figure and a pioneer whose career paved the way for many who followed him. . . . An invaluable contribution to baseball history.”-Wes Lukowsky, Booklist"Oscar Charleston fills a void in baseball history, providing context and nuance to a great player who was enigmatic in life-and in death."-Bob D'Angelo, Sports Bookie blog "Interwoven with modern statistics calculated from the available box scores and other sources of information, one cannot help to wonder how Charleston would have fared in the major leagues had he been allowed to play. . . . Beer paints a picture of a man who should be considered one of the greatest players ever to pick up a bat and glove. Readers who want to get an informed introduction to Oscar Charleston should pick up this book."-Lance Smith, Guy Who Reviews Sports Books "I miss nothing like I miss baseball, and author Jeremy Beer has delivered a treasure to fill the hours between vintage games on the MLB Network."-Frank Murtaugh, Memphis Flyer "One of Beer’s most extraordinary accomplishments is giving a chronological narrative through the labyrinthine career of Charleston, from military ball in the Philippines, through a score of Negro League teams, winter ball dates in Palm Beach and in Cuba, and various barnstorming ventures, and then on into the managerial ranks and the grooming of younger stars-including Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson-up through to his final gig, managing an Indianapolis Clowns team that had just lost their young shortstop, Henry Aaron, to the big leagues. Beer manages to keep the narrative cogent, with Charleston’s achievements, captured through newspaper accounts and eyewitnesses, stirring the imagination at every turn."-Michael Stevens, Front Porch Republic

• Preface    Introduction: Craftsman    Chapter 1. Batboy, 1896–1912    Chapter 2. Hothead, 1912–1915    Chapter 3. Riser, 1916–1918    Chapter 4. Star, 1919–1922    Chapter 5. Manager, 1922–1926    Chapter 6. Leader, 1926–1931    Chapter 7. Champion, 1932–1938    Chapter 8. Scout, 1939–1947    Chapter 9. Legend, 1948–    Epilogue    Acknowledgments    Appendix: Statistical Record    Notes    Bibliography    Index