Books News

Busing & Baseball in Boston

By Jessica Schneider May 20, 2009, 14:06 GMT

The thrilling inside story behind a crucial chapter in Red Sox lore—and a turbulent time in a troubled city. George Steinbrenner called it the greatest game in the history of American sports. On a bright October day in 1978, the Boston Red Sox met the New York Yankees for an epic playoff game that would send one team to the World Series, and render the other cursed for almost a ...more

“'78: The Boston Red Sox, A Historic Game, and a Divided City” is the most recent title by Bill Reynolds, where he uncovers this historic game.

The AP notes: “While Reynolds tries to weave together the threads of the busing and baseball stories, mostly in alternating chapters, "78'" often reads like two books, or what the author himself concedes were two parallel universes that never fully intersected.

The product description notes: “The thrilling inside story behind a crucial chapter in Red Sox lore—and a turbulent time in a troubled city.

George Steinbrenner called it the greatest game in the history of American sports. On a bright October day in 1978, the Boston Red Sox met the New York Yankees for an epic playoff game that would send one team to the World Series, and render the other cursed for almost a quarter of a century.

In this book, award-winning sports columnist Bill Reynolds masterfully tells the story of the team and the players at this pivotal moment. This cultural history takes readers through the social issues that divided Boston that summer, and masterfully depicts their influence on one game beyond the realm of sports.”

The full AP review can be found here. NAL Hardcover, 320 pages.