A fantastic book about a fantastic baseball player who spent his career in the shadows. Superbly written and researched.

This was a fabulous book. It was funny and had wonderful pacing. I would read this author again. I would recommend this book to others.

I first heard of Cool Papa Bell as a youngster in the 1970s when I had the thirst to learn about everything baseball. The era of Negro Leagues was unfortunately not well documented in terms of records so when I learned of Lonnie Wheeler's book, I appreciated reading it. Reading about the segregation and racism of the times was disheartening, and the determination of the players like Cool Papa to play the game has brought to light the many incredible Negro League players that we may never have heard of today. There was a lot of research that went into this book to bring the life of Cool Papa Bell together in a dedicated book. I found this book interesting and insightful in presenting to us the full life of one of the earliest players voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. I hope Lonnie Wheeler brings other great, important and little-known Negro League players to the forefront in the near future. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in baseball, its history, and the era of baseball's Negro Leagues.
I was provided a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review..

I was so excited when I read that this book was being released. My father was an avid baseball fan and we grew up hearing stories about the baseball greats. We were often regaled with stories about "Cool Papa" Bell who was so fast that he could shut off the light and be back in bed before the lights went out. My father passed away in 2019 and I know he would have greatly enjoyed reading this book.

This is a book about James “Cool Papa” Bell (1903–1991) who was a legend in black baseball, a lightning fast switch hitter elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974. Lonnie Wheeler has done a wonderful job recounting the life of this extraordinary player. This book shares so much information about Bell's life and the racism that he had to endure as an American baseball player.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone with a love for baseball or for someone like me who remembers someone sharing their love of the game with them.

I was provided a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review.

Wow! As a fan of baseball and as a Mississippian, I had, of course, heard of Cool Papa Bell. But, I had no idea how amazing his unheralded life was. The book fascinatingly details Bell’s playing days, his friendships in baseball, and the impact his life had on the game of baseball long after he stopped playing. Bell’s story is exciting, interesting, and inspiringly moving. If you are a fan of baseball history, I highly recommend this book!

Cool Papa Bell was one of the most elusive Baseball players in the Negro Leagues, not just for his prowess on the base paths but sadly in the documentation of his fantastic career. Lonnie Wheeler has done a fantastic job to try to find the man behind the myth as well as celebrating his most famous urban legends. This read like a passion project for the veteran Baseball Biographer and sadly it was his last before his death in the summer of 2020. It is perhaps the ultimate parting present for his fantastic career. A must read for Baseball History enthusiasts.

I miss baseball. I miss baseball so much and been spending the last few months diving deeper into baseball books to hopefully scratch that itch.

Papa Bell was a Negro League player in the 1930s/1940s and one of the fastest men to ever play. It is a book about him, but also about our country, the sport and racism that was opresent through it all. Fascinating read!


Fill the void of no baseball and learn about a true legend!

The The Bona Fide Legend of Cool Papa Bell: Speed, Grace, and the Negro Leagues by Lonnie Wheeler is a well researched and written biography that tells the story of base balling legend James ‘Cool Papa’ Bell. I would go further to say that the books was a biography for the sport of baseball as I felt I learnt more about the sport of baseball than I did about a Black man living in this period in (African) American history - the Great Migration - against the backdrop of segregation and racism.

The book is perfect for the baseball fan, but for me, someone who likes to learn about people and their journeys in (auto) biographies I feel it was lacking the human story re Cool Papa Bell. I say this because I don’t think the book paid as much attention as it could have done regarding him as the man. I learnt about Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson etc as well as baseball terms I would not have come across otherwise.

***Thank you to Netgalley and Abrams Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.***

Subtitled: Speed, Grace, and the Negro Leagues

I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I decided to request this book because I’ve had an interest in Bell since I was a teenager. Also, author Lonnie Wheeler has also written biographies of two of my all-time favorite players – Hank Aaron (I Had a Hammer) and Bob Gibson (Stranger to the Game).

The first time I heard about Cool Papa Bell was in 1974 when he was elected into baseball’s Hall of Fame. “He was so fast, he could turn off the light switch and get under the covers before it got dark.” Although he was born in Mississippi, Bell started his Negro League career in St. Louis, and returned there after his playing days were done.


Statistical records for the Negro Leagues are hit and miss because teams did not always assign or pay someone as official scorer, and some teams only kept statistics for official league games while other kept them for league and exhibition games. Wheeler did a thorough job of collecting historical accounts of Bell’s exploits as well as interviewing still-living players and friends with first hand stories to tell.

I gave The Bona Fide Legend of Cool Papa Bell five stars. I came away from it with genuine appreciation for the ballplayer and the man.

Growing up in St Louis in a family of baseball fans, I never heard about Cool Papa Bell until I was an adult. He is in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, and was known as the fastest man who ever played the game. This book seeks to remedy some of that oversight. It comes out at a time when MLB has just declared the Negro Leagues to be Major Leagues and debate is flying about how records should be addressed. Who really has the home run record or the stolen base record? This book addresses those questions, despite being written before the passing of the author last summer, well before the news broke. As always, the debate has been around long before MLB made a decision.

But the meat here, as it should be, is with the legend himself. From living with his mother in Jim Crow Mississippi to living and working with brothers during their piece of the great migration, to growing old with his wife in 1980s St. Louis, Cool Papa stays central to the story. For those that remember the original Vacation movie, Cool Papa lived his last years not far from where Chevy Chase and crew got lost when they got off the interstate in St. Louis. Of course there is baseball, but his story also tells the story of baseball and society during his life and how baseball could, and couldn't, shape his life.

The story of Cool Papa as himself and Cool Papa as a lens for viewing America and its sports is what makes this book better than many counterparts. Yes, there are descriptions of many baseball games. But they are told in an engaging manner and broken up stories about people, relationships, and daily life for this unique group of people - Negro League stars. It never loses sight of the people themselves, individual concerns and decisions, or the relationships among everyone involved. Players, teammates, owners, managers, relatives, organized baseball, and dictators all have their place.

You dont have to be a baseball fan to like this book. I couldn't name many players today myself and tend to bring a book to games the few times I go. For baseball fans, it would be up another notch. You'll either learn something or enjoy how all the legendary stories that you have heard have been woven together so well. (True baseball fans, skip the last three pages or so. You'll know what I mean when you get there.)

Thank you to the late Lonnie Wheeler, Abrams Press, and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest opinion.

The Bona Fide Legend of Cool Papa Bell is not only the life story of one of the greatest players in the Negro Leagues known as the fastest man in the game, but also about a man whose poise, grace, and determination made him one of the truly remarkable men in life.

Bell, originally born James Nichols, was born in Mississippi but moved to St. Louis as a young man where he was given the last name of Bell by a supervisor at the slaughterhouse he was hired to work at alongside his brothers and get an education (a promise made to his mother). However, his passion for baseball and his speed made him sought after by semiprofessional teams and eventually the Negro Leagues came calling and the rest as they say, is history.

Bell became a Hall of Fame centerfielder whose work ethic and ability to be a team player was widely respected in his 24 year career, both in the stats he put up (which were sketchy at best since there were no official record keeping) as well as in folklore. One of the most widely known stories about Bell is that he was so fast, he could turn out the light and be in bed before the light went out.

That story and many others about his greatness not only as a baseball player, but as a man are featured in these pages. It also talks about how segregation affected him and his fellow teammates, not only in baseball, but in life. How it made travel harder and they were paid far less than their white counterparts in Major League baseball, where they were banned from playing until Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947. However, they could play against those MLB stars in exhibition games, and more often than not, the Negro League teams came out victorious.

The late Lonnie Wheeler does an excellent job of mixing Bell's personal life with his baseball career without information dumping on either end. There are some truly great stories that will make you laugh, and also break your heart. If you're not a big baseball fan, Wheeler does explain some of the stats that he uses and how they're figured. I would definitely recommend this to baseball fans or anyone who appreciates history or wants to learn more about how segregation and racism affected men like the Negro League players.

My appreciation to Abrams Press, the late Lonnie Wheeler, and NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Bona Fide Legend of Cool Papa Bell is the biography of the legendary Negro Leagues baseball star James “Cool Papa” Bell. Bell was known as the “fastest man to ever play baseball.”

This thought provoking work by the late Lonnie Wheeler explores the life of Bell, from his upbringing in Mississippi as the son of sharecroppers, to his years in the Negro Leagues, to his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, through to his death and legacy.

Wheeler deep dives into the subject and provides a remarkable amount of facts and statistics. Remarkable, only because Negro League record keeping was spotty at best. However, Wheeler does a wonderful job piecing everything together in a clear way so that it’s easily digestible.

If you’re a die hard baseball fan, then yes this totally worth the read. If you are at all interested in sports history, then this book is also for you. However, if none of the above apply to you then you should probably just skip this one.

Overall, this book provides an excellent glimpse into the passion of all Negro League players, not just Cool Papa.

Lonnie Wheeler’s “The Bona Fide Legend of Cool Papa Bell” was the first book that I’ve read about the Negro Leagues and I found it fascinating.

In writing this biography, Wheeler confronted the challenge of writing about these baseball leagues - where statistics were often not kept or were estimated or incomplete - head on by sticking to reported facts and providing context and conjecture where necessary to give a fuller picture to the dominance of Cool Papa Bell and many of his contemporaries. While the book follow’s Bell’s life and career, readers get a heavy dose of his teammates like Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson.

A major theme in Wheeler’s biography is the simultaneous existence of the Negro Leagues and the Major Leagues which were still fighting to keep black athletes out. Several exhibition games that Wheeler writes about were clearly wildly popular with fans and also underscored how far the Major Leagues would go to obscure any appearance that a real Major League team were playing an official game against Negro League players… for fear that they would lose.

Beyond being a story about one man’s life and athletic career, it highlights a critical time in our country as we approached the end of a long period of exclusion for Blacks in the Major Leagues. At times the gaps in history are particularly frustrating for the reader because so much is unknown, but I appreciated Wheeler’s decision not to dramatize Cool Papa Bell’s life or fill in gaps with guesswork.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the Negro Leagues, issues of race & racism in America, Black history, American history, and professional baseball (MLB & Negro Leagues).

A valuable biography of a key protagonist in twentieth century baseball - the author has extracted the story of a person, and has told the story of the marginalisation that leads to such a story being lost.

A very worthwhile read and addition to any baseball fan’s collection. There is more to the book than the title suggests, which is welcome and interesting itself but did make for some parts to drag on a bit for me personally. I also understand the limited information the author had to work with and they have done an exceptional job working with what they have to tell a more complete and compelling story.

For anyone who loves baseball, but doesn't know about Cool Papa Bell, well you're missing out.

Elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974, Bell's incredible speed and switch hitting made him one of the greatest players to ever play the game.

An incredible athlete, he wowed Hall of Fame pitcher, Satchel Paige, who spoke his praises of Bell in his ironic quote, "Once he (Bell) hit a line drive past my year. I turned around and saw the ball hit his ass sliding into second.:"

A chronological telling of Bell's life from his early beginnings as a child of Mississippi sharecroppers to his rise in the Negro Leagues as well as his time playing in the Dominican Republic, and Mexico all while battling American racism.

Wheeler brings Bell's life to the pages for a new wave of baseball fans that should be all too excited to read about this legend of America's great pastime.

A very well-deserving biography on the extraordinary James Bell aka Cool Papa Bell. I am very honored to have gotten a glimpse of the respectable, talented and humbling star athlete, son, brother, a devoted husband and a friend to many. The late Lonnie Wheeler, a notable baseball writer and historian provided a voice to this legend and painted such phenomenal and honest portrait of Cool Papa. One of the first fully-written biography dedicated to Cool Papa Bell, it also recounts key members that played alongside with Cool Papa in the Negro League teams.

Lonnie Wheeler did not hesitate to note the recordkeeping on the statistics in the Negro League to be questionable. Negro Leagues between the 1930's to 1940's were not organized especially with their recordkeeping. Majority of the statistics were obtained through anecdotes and unable to be verified. Even with limited information, Lonnie Wheeler does the impossible. He delved into the basic outline of Cool Papa Bell's life and its era. The animated way the author describes about the Negro League and the key players of the league including Satchel Paige, Judy Johnson, Josh Gibson and many more leapt off the pages of history. I couldn't help admire the Negro League infused with their passion and their fearless games they played. Witnessing the changes over time in Cool Papa Bell's life and career and in baseball was engrossing in itself. The integration in the major league happens however, the downfall part of this book was this happens in later part of Cool Papa Bell's life. By this time, it was too late for him to play in the major leagues. As a notable athlete, due to the color line it was even difficult for him to find a respectable job after his retirement from his baseball career.

"James Bell, he knew even then, was an invisible man who played in an invisible time." Cool Papa Bell and other key players were denied the opportunity to compete against the world best games but their persistent and the belief in not limiting their possibilities was inspirational and admirable. Lonnie Wheeler's open-minded and empathetic approach truly reflected the voice of Cool Papa Bell. It is through his keen eye for details, accuracy and its nuance where his high quality work is clearly evidenced. His compassionate nature is reflected in the way he captures the essence of his subject and baseball. Filled with compelling account on Cool Papa Bell and other key players' noteworthy achievements and its captivating era of the Negro League, this book is a testament to all baseball fans. A reminder of how baseball is closely interwoven to our history and the impact it made in our country and lives. Lonnie Wheeler's wondrous storytelling evokes the love and respect in baseball and "The Bone Fide Legend of Cool Papa Bell" is a reflection of an American story that connects all generations.

Thank you to NetGalley and Abrams Press providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The legend of Cool Papa Bell is already familiar to many baseball fans, especially those interested in the history of the sport. But Lonnie Wheeler has given us the first dedicated full biography of Bell, chronicling his life and baseball career.

Bell was a Negro League legend, his legacy diminished and lesser known to many casual fans only because of systemic racism within the sport. Though things are changing, we still live in a world where the Negro Leagues have yet to be recognized as Major Leagues.

Despite the odds against him, Bell still managed to make his mark on the baseball world. Despite being underappreciated for his skill at the sport, he is an elected member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

This biography does very well with the baseball elements of Bell’s life and is less successful with the personal stuff. This is perhaps not the fault of the author (the material he had to work with was decidedly richer on the baseball side of things). It does however make the book a little slow when it isn’t focusing directly on baseball.

That slow pacing and lack of dynamic content outside of the baseball components keep this one from being a must read for baseball fans, but it’s still a “should read,” as Cool Papa Bell is baseball legend worth getting to know better for any fan of the sport.

A worthwhile addition to the baseball book canon, The Bona Fide Legend of Cool Papa Bell does an admirable job of recapping and analyzing Bell's life and legacy with the small amount of information out there while also contextualizing the time period and Black baseball. There are many short detours to give a fuller picture of some of the other players and people in and around the league to pain a broader picture of the time and also pad out the length where there may not have been enough information on the title subject. Working with incomplete records, the author acknowledges that many statistics are not and will never be known and when there is conflicting information on a story he tells each side and gives a weighted view to what is probably the truth.

Most baseball fans have heard of the story that James "Cool Papa" Bell was supposedly so fast that he could turn out the lights and be in bed before the room was dark. The actual story behind that myth is just one of the many wonderful passages about this Hall of Fame outfielder in this book by the late Lonnie Wheeler.

Baseball was Bell's ticket out of a working life in the slaughterhouses in St. Louis, where his family relocated from Mississippi when James was a boy. He started as a pitcher and was a good one, but his coaches wanted to utilize his speed more fully and, in the outfield, he became one of the most legendary figures in the Negro Leagues. Because of the nomadic nature of the Negro League teams and their usual travel to wherever they could find a decent paying audience to cover the bills and earn a little extra money, there are many teams for which Bell plied his trade.

On those teams, Bell became a teammate with some of the other great players in Negro League history such as Oscar Charleston, Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson and Turkey Stearns. Whether it was the Pittsburgh Crawfords, the Homestead Grays or even playing in Mexico and the Dominican Republic, Bell always played hard and usually was one of the best players on the field. His legend only grew wherever he played.

"Legend" is a good word to use for much of the information known on Bell and the Negro Leagues because, as noted in the book, the recordkeeping was questionable at best. That would be whenever there were statistics kept or recorded. The black newspaper in Pittsburgh was the closest to anything official, but it could only publish what it was provided. Therefore, as noted by the author, much of the information on Bell was obtained through sources that were anecdotal and were not able to be verified. One humorous example is one season when it was decided to see just how many bases Bell had stolen. The official stats say 5, which seems awfully low given his legend. However, if we are to believe Cool Papa's own running tally, he amassed 312. This illustrates the challenge one can face when trying to gather cumulative statistics on the Negro Leagues.
Some of the best chapters are those in which Bell is playing outside the United States, as mentioned earlier. This is mainly due to Satchel Paige wandering to wherever he wanted to play, even when he was supposed to be part of another team. He also had the charm to convince other stars to join him, including Bell. How he was able to do that in the Dominican Republic and play for the campaign of a ruthless dictator was quite interesting, both in a chapter in this book and in more detail in a separate book on Paige's time in this country.

Through the stories of the players, it was also clear how they felt much more welcome and relaxed in foreign nations, especially Mexico, because of the segregation of not only the game but also the racism in the United States in general. What made this quite interesting is the interaction of the Negro League stars with their white Major League counterparts. Many of the latter felt that these men were just as good or better than their fellow MLB players. The eventual integration of baseball is covered in the book – sadly, too late for players like Bell to be able to play.

Even Bell's life after baseball is good reading, especially when he was giving baseball advice to up and coming players through the St. Louis Cardinals' system as Bell lived with his wife Clara in that city after his playing days were over. One of those players to whom he gave baserunning advice was a young Lou Brock.

Covering much more than just Cool Papa Bell's life, this book would be a wonderful addition to any reader who wants to learn more about the Negro Leagues and some of the legendary players who made the stories rich and entertaining.

I wish to thank Abrams Press for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.