Memoir. A memoir is a nonfiction narration that tells a story. A memoir can be autobiographical (about one’s own life) or biographical (about someone else’s life). Memoirs are based on a person’s experiences and reactions to historical events. Biographical memoirs often focus on how the subject of the memoir affected and influenced others and on how other people and events affected and influenced the subject. As you read this memoir, ask yourself these questions: How did Clemente influence or affect other people? How did other people and events influence or affect Clemente?
Anecdote. An anecdote is a brief story, usually told to make a point. Within the memoir that follows, a number of people who knew Roberto Clemente offer anecdotes about the kind of person he was and the things he did. These anecdotes help create a more complete picture of Clemente, both as a baseball player and as a human being. Which anecdote in the memoir do you find most entertaining? Which do you find most insightful?
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• History Connection. During the early 1900s, the popularity of major-league baseball skyrocketed. The World Series—baseball’s championship games—grew to be one of the nation’s leading annual sports events. Outstanding players such as Cy Young and Ty Cobb became national stars. Bigger and more modern ballparks were built. In the 1930s, radio broadcasts of baseball games attracted many fans, and the first major-league night games were held, allowing fans to attend games after work.
• In 1939, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum opened in Cooperstown, New York, to display baseball memorabilia and to honor the games greatest players. In 1946, the first major-league game was televised, further increasing baseball’s popularity.
• Roberto Clemente joined major-league baseball in the 1950s and became one of the nation’s best-loved players. In 1954, Clemente was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He led the team to two World Series victories. Clemente was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973, a year after his death.
Roberto Clemente grew up in Carolina, Puerto Rico, near the capitol—San Juan. He died while flying supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.
Who from the past or present do you most admire, and why?
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