The Bona Fide Legend of Cool Papa Bell: Speed, Grace, and the Negro Leagues

“Lonnie Wheeler's bio of Cool Papa Bell reads like fiction. That's a tribute to Bell's achievements, which are worthy of legend, and to Wheeler's spellbinding writing and extraordinary ability to sift fact from myth. The only tragedy is that Lonnie isn't here to enjoy the stream of accolades this book is sure to generate.” -- author of Satchel: The Life and Times of an American Legend * Larry Tye *
“To white baseball fans in his day, Cool Papa Bell was an invisible man at an invisible time. The virtual embodiment of the Negro Leagues, he is honored by Lonnie Wheeler’s last, great biography—the portrait of a man and an age only now beginning to be seen by us all.” -- official historian of Major League Baseball * John Thorn *
?A book for baseball history buffs receives a stellar, 4.5 out of 5 from Papa Clicker. -- Andrew Marchand * New York Post *
“This is a fantastic story for all baseball fans and contains legends and lore you won’t want to miss. – The 25 Best Sports Books of All Time!” * SPY.com *
“This book, written for adults but appropriate for upper middle grade readers, is a terrific biography about James “Cool Papa” Bell (1903–1991), a legend in Black baseball.” * BookRiot *
“Illuminating . . . a richly detailed account of possibly the speediest player in history, and, along the way, a fascinating picture of Black baseball in the Jim Crow era.” * The Washington Post *