Call Me Roberto!, Nathalie Alonso
Call Me Roberto!, Nathalie Alonso
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Call Me Roberto!
Roberto Clemente Goes to Bat for Latinos

Author: Nathalie Alonso

Narrator: Johnny Rey Diaz, Johnny Rey Diaz

Unabridged: 16 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Recorded Books

Published: 09/17/2024

Synopsis

GROWING UP IN CAROLINA, Puerto Rico, Roberto Clemente loved to play baseball. He swung a tree branch—since he didn’t have a bat—and hit tin cans. At the age of 19, his passion for the sport paid off when he was tapped for a Major League team. First stop: chilly Montreal, where he warmed the bench and himself, longing to play baseball. Months later, he finally got his chance with the Pittsburgh Pirates where his talent on the field was soon on display. Many fans loved his bold playing style, but not everyone was quick to embrace a Black man from Puerto Rico who spoke español. A man who demanded to be called Roberto, not Bob.

MLB.com journalist Nathalie Alonso shows the emotional highs and lows of Roberto Clemente’s career as he fought racism—from fans, reporters, and other figures in the sport—to become one of the greatest baseball players of all time.

About Nathalie Alonso

Nathalie Alonso is a Cuban American journalist and children's author from Queens, New York. She is the author and translator of Hispanic Star: Sonia Sotomayor and Hispanic Star: Ellen Ochoa, as well as several picture books, including Old Clothes for Dinner?! (Barefoot Books, 2024), Call Me Roberto! (Calkins Creek, 2024), Take Me Out to the Ball Game! (Barefoot Books, 2025), and ¡Viva Valenzuela! (Calkins Creek, 2026). Since 2006, Nathalie has been part of the Spanish editorial team at MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball. She is also a freelance journalist with bylines in TIME for Kids, National Geographic, Refinery29, Well + Good, AFAR and Outside, among other publications. Nathalie holds a bachelor's in American Studies from Columbia University.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Elizabeth on October 10, 2024

4.5 stars. I'm grateful to have received a copy of Call Me Roberto from Netgalley, as this picture book biography is excellent. The book covers the career of baseball icon Roberto Clemente, a Black Puerto Rican player who achieved incredible heights as a baseball player while fighting prejudice he fa......more

Goodreads review by Rod on February 09, 2025

This telling of Roberto Clemente's life has some flaws in the flow of the text and overall narrative, but I really like the skewed and swirly nature of the illustrations.......more

Goodreads review by Pamela on June 02, 2024

Rich. Vibrant. Action-packed! These words describe Nathalie Alonso and Rudy Gutierrez's engaging new title, Call Me Roberto!: Roberto Clemente Goes to Bat for Latinos. Alonso’s passion for baseball is strongly felt in her reverence, respect, and admiration for Roberto Clemente. Alonso’s pacing is th......more

Goodreads review by Nikki on January 14, 2025

I knew a little about Roberto Clemente before reading this picture book, but now I have a whole new respect for him and his fight for equal rights on the baseball field. The story is great, and the artwork is outstanding.......more

Goodreads review by Jaclyn on August 27, 2024

vibrant colors and fluid movement help the story but I wish the biography was more focused......more

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