Local authors publish books on sports, history and more
Western Pennsylvania has many authors who have recently published books. Here is a sampling of them, along with information on the authors and where the books can be purchased. This feature will appear occasionally in the Magazine section of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Jim Bark pays homage to his alltime childhood favorite baseball player in “Remembering Roberto: Former Teammates and Players From His Era Share Thoughts on Roberto Clemente.” Bark, a former Marine, showcases the thoughts and words of Clemente’s teammates, friends and opponents using cards, letters and interviews to illuminate the Pirates Hall of Famer. (Outskirts Press, $17.95 at penguinbookshop.com)
“Pittsburgh’s Sports Firsts” features historical highlights of the Steel City’s most beloved sports moments, including the first nighttime World Series game (1971), Chuck Cooper becoming the first Black player drafted into the NBA, KDKA producing the first Major League Baseball radio broadcast (The Pirates beat the Phillies 8-5 on Aug. 5, 1921). The author is Alliance of Esteemed Duquesne Scribes. (History Press, $21.99 at Amazon.com).
For a deep dive into our “most memorable people, places and things,” check out “Iconic Pittsburgh” by Paul King.
Duquesne University alumnus and Pittsburgh native revisits Mount Washington (where the author grew up), Andrew Carnegie, Art Rooney and many more. (History Press, $23.99 at kardsunlimited.com).
Ronald H. Stone offers an analysis along with unpublicized letters from his former colleague in “Reinhold Niebuhr in the 1960s: Christian Realism for a Secular Age.”
This book on the American theologian’s life focuses on the impact of events such as the civil rights movement, the Cuban missile crisis and the assassinations of John F. and Robert Kennedy.
Stone was a professor at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and chairman of the Allegheny County Ethics Commission. (FortressPress, $ 34, at tinybookstore.com or sparksbookspgh.com).
“Chasing the Silver Lining” by Livingston Alexander reflects the author’s experiences as a young boy during the Jim Crow era. Readers will be able to explore his thoughts on the death of Martin Luther King Jr. and the effects of growing up impoverished and being sexually victimized.
Alexander lives in Bradford, Pa., and is president emeritus of the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. (220 Publishing, $24.99, at barnesandnoble.com).