Pete Rose: An American Dilemma
Jul 2025 · Open Road Media
Ebook
266
Pages
family_home
Eligible
info
About this ebook
"Better than any previous account. Kennedy leaves no doubt about Rose's greatness as a player or his guilt as a gambler." —Allen Barra, The Boston Globe
Pete Rose had 4,256 hits in his Major League career. But despite being MLB's all-time leader in base hits, Rose isn't in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Banished from the game in August 1989 amid accusations of gambling, he was ruled ineligible for Cooperstown. Today, the question of whether Pete Rose belongs in the Hall of Fame remains one of the most provocative in sports history.
In his intriguing examination of the Hit King's life, New York Times–bestselling author Kostya Kennedy explores the polarizing, charismatic Rose from his early years through his singular career to his long battle to be reinstated, a fight he did not win before his death in 2024 at age 83.
Kennedy analyzes how we should evaluate Rose in an era when players accused of taking performance enhancing drugs have regularly appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot. How does the saga of "Charlie Hustle" stand up in modern baseball history? Is it time for Rose—unrepentant gambler, beguiling showman, and deeply talented athlete—to be reconsidered?
"Exceptional. Like the best writing about sport—Liebling, Angell—[Kennedy's book] qualifies as stirring literature." —Richard Ford, Pulitzer Prize–winning author
"Even readers who know who Mr. Rose is will learn much from . . . this book's stacked roster of interviews and anecdotes [and] fascinating and well-chosen tangents." — The Wall Street Journal
"A remarkable book about a fascinating, vexing figure." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Pete Rose had 4,256 hits in his Major League career. But despite being MLB's all-time leader in base hits, Rose isn't in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Banished from the game in August 1989 amid accusations of gambling, he was ruled ineligible for Cooperstown. Today, the question of whether Pete Rose belongs in the Hall of Fame remains one of the most provocative in sports history.
In his intriguing examination of the Hit King's life, New York Times–bestselling author Kostya Kennedy explores the polarizing, charismatic Rose from his early years through his singular career to his long battle to be reinstated, a fight he did not win before his death in 2024 at age 83.
Kennedy analyzes how we should evaluate Rose in an era when players accused of taking performance enhancing drugs have regularly appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot. How does the saga of "Charlie Hustle" stand up in modern baseball history? Is it time for Rose—unrepentant gambler, beguiling showman, and deeply talented athlete—to be reconsidered?
"Exceptional. Like the best writing about sport—Liebling, Angell—[Kennedy's book] qualifies as stirring literature." —Richard Ford, Pulitzer Prize–winning author
"Even readers who know who Mr. Rose is will learn much from . . . this book's stacked roster of interviews and anecdotes [and] fascinating and well-chosen tangents." — The Wall Street Journal
"A remarkable book about a fascinating, vexing figure." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"Better than any previous account. Kennedy leaves no doubt about Rose's greatness as a player or his guilt as a gambler." —Allen Barra, The Boston Globe
Pete Rose had 4,256 hits in his Major League career. But despite being MLB's all-time leader in base hits, Rose isn't in the Baseball Hall of F...
Discover more
About the author
Kostya Kennedy is Editor in Chief of Premium Publishing at Dotdash Meredith. Formerly a senior writer and editor at Sports Illustrated, Kennedy is the author of True: The Four Seasons of Jackie Robinson, as well as the New York Times bestsellers Pete Rose: An American Dilemma and 56: Joe DiMaggio and the Last Magic Number in Sports. Each of the three won the CASEY Award as the best baseball book of its respective year. He lives with his family in New York and has taught at Columbia and New York University.
Kostya Kennedy is Editor in Chief of Premium Publishing at Dotdash Meredith. Formerly a senior writer and editor at Sports Illustrated, Kennedy is the author of True: The Four Seasons of Jackie Robinson, as well as the New York Times bestsellers Pete Rose: An American Dilemma and 56: Joe DiMaggio...
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
