The Hammer

The Best of Hank Aaron from the Pages of Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated - 2007 Sports Illustrated Books

This book is a compilation of a few key Sports Illustrated articles spanning Hank Aaron's career, from when he was a rookie through his days as a retired player.

The selected articles give a nice overview of Aaron's career and point to the specific issues he faced and dealt with as a player.  As such, the book is a good primer for first time learners or a nice review for more knowledgeable fans.

Reggie Jackson

The Life and Thunderous Career of Baseball's Mr October

Dayn Perry - 2011 HarperCollins Publishers

Reggie Jackson seems to be one of those players that most people have an opinion about, and yet, somehow, Dayn Perry wrote a book about him without overtly taking sides. 

At first, it feels surprising that a book about such a colorful character would be so simple and factual, but in the end I appreciate that Perry provides the information and let's us decide which way to go with it.  I also like how each chapter is focused on a (in)famous Reggie quote.

In all, a nice, easy, informative read.