Atlanta Society category interest

Attendees will have the opportunity to view the exclusive exhibition More Than Brave: The Life of Henry Aaron either before or after this author talk.

Kennedy Theater is located inside Atlanta History Center Atrium. Doors and cash bar will open at 6pm.

This definitive biography of Henry (Hank) Aaron—one of baseball’s immortal figures—is a revelatory portrait of a complicated, private man who through sports became an enduring American icon.

“Beautifully written and culturally important.” —The Washington Post

“The epic baseball tale of the second half of the 20th century.” —Atlanta Journal Constitution

After his retirement in 1976, Aaron’s reputation only grew in magnitude. But his influence extended beyond statistics. Based on meticulous research and extensive interviews The Last Hero reveals how Aaron navigated the upheavals of his time—fighting against racism while at the same time benefiting from racial progress—and how he achieved his goal of continuing Jackie Robinson’s mission to obtain full equality for African Americans, both in baseball and society, while he lived uncomfortably in the public eye.

About the Author

Howard Bryant is the author of ten books, Rickey: The Life and Legend of an American Original, Full Dissidence: Notes From an Uneven Playing Field, The Heritage: Black Athletes, A Divided America and the Politics of Patriotism, The Last Hero: A Life of Henry Aaron, Juicing the Game: Drugs, Power, and the Fight for the Soul of Major League Baseball, Shut Out: A Story of Race and Baseball in Boston, the three-book Legends sports series for middle-grade readers, and the children’s book Sisters and Champions: The True Story of Venus and Serena Williams, illustrated by Floyd Cooper, and has contributed essays to 21 others. In 2017, he served as the guest editor for the Best American Sports Writing anthology.

He is the head of unscripted development at Meadowlark Media, where he has worked since 2021, and has been a senior writer for ESPN since 2007. He has been the sports correspondent for NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday with Scott Simon since 2006.

Mr. Bryant has won numerous awards. He is a four-time finalist for the National Magazine Award (2016, 2018, 2021, 2022) for commentary, and earned the 2016 Salute to Excellence Award from the National Association of Black Journalists. The Heritage was the recipient of the 2019 Nonfiction Award from the American Library Association’s Black Caucus and the Harry Shaw and Katrina Hazard Donald Award for Outstanding Work in African American Studies awarded by the Popular Culture Association. He is also a two-time Casey Award winner (Shut Out, 2003, The Last Hero, 2011) for best baseball book of the year, and was a 2003 finalist for the Society for American Baseball Research Seymour Medal.

In addition, Mr. Bryant has appeared in several documentaries, and served as a consultant for Baseball: The Tenth Inning, Jackie Robinson, Hemingway, and Muhammad Ali, all directed by Ken Burns, Major League Legends: Hank Aaron, produced by the Smithsonian and Major League Baseball, and College Behind Bars, directed by Lynn Novick. He was also an Executive Producer for HBO’s Back on the Record with Bob Costas.

Previously, Mr. Bryant worked at the Washington Post, the Boston Herald, The Record (Hackensack, NJ), the San Jose Mercury News and the Oakland Tribune.

Promotional language provided by publisher.