!Pleibol!: In the Barrios and the Big Leagues / En Los Barrios y LAS Grandes Ligas

The dual-language (English and Spanish) !PLEIBOL! takes readers on a journey into the heart and history of U.S. Latina/o baseball. The extraordinary stories of Latinas/os, alongside the artifacts of their remarkable lives, demonstrate the historic role baseball has played as a social and cultural force within Latino communities across the USA for over a century and how Latinos, in particular, have influenced and changed the game. Latinas/os have celebrated a shared cultural heritage, made a living and fought for rights and justice through baseball. These stories represent experiences to which many people can relate: how one becomes part of a community; how the game can bring people together regardless of race, class and gender and how fans can participate in the culture of the sport as easily as players can on the field. Through eight thematic chapters, the authors illustrate how baseball has provided an important platform from which to celebrate and challenge what it means to be American. Each chapter features stories and artifacts from the Smithsonian exhibits of the same name paired with voices from the community of scholars, players and enthusiasts who have contributed to the larger pan-Smithsonian Latinos and Baseball collecting and exhibition initiative. The variety of stories and objects included in this volume brings seemingly disparate pasts and present together to reveal how baseball is more than simply a game. The history of Latinos and baseball is this quintessential American story.