Clemente

David Maraniss, the author of Clemente, employs a technique that I think has become more popular with authors of biography--that is, he frequently digresses to discuss what else is going on in the world (of baseball in this case) besides just the events of his subject's life. One of Maraniss' eye-opening digressions is his coverage of the discrimination suffered by the Latino and African-American players during spring training in Florida in the fifties and sixties. Spring training sounds like such an idyllic scene--warm sun, the players gradually returning to play, the hopeful feeling of a new season. But at that time period, players of color were forced to stay in separate and inferior accomodations, away from the rest of the team. They were banned from many of the spring events, such as dinners or golf tournaments, that local towns hosted for the players. I was interested to find that one of my favorite players of my youth, Bill White of the Cardinals, was one of the outspoken opponents of this system.

What digressions have you enjoyed in this book? Or do you prefer for the author to stick to the main subject?