{"product_id":"willie-mays-aikens-safe-at-home-paperback","title":"Willie Mays Aikens: Safe at Home - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eGregory Jordan\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eWillie Mays Aikens\u003c\/b\u003e (With)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eWillie Mays Aikens: Safe at Home\u003c\/i\u003e is far too complex to be regarded as just a baseball book. Gregory Jordan is a master storyteller, expertly weaving a narrative that is both fascinating and disturbing while ever mindful of the human spirit.\" --Tom Verducci, senior writer at \u003ci\u003eSports Illustrated\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e From World Series hero to prison inmate, Willie Mays Aikens' story is one of tragedy, belief, and the ultimate comeback\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Willie Mays Aikens was ascendant in the 1980s, establishing himself as one of the top sluggers in Major League Baseball as a member of the Kansas City Royals, alongside George Brett and Hal McRae. But a promising career quickly turned disastrous when he fell into drug abuse and was ultimately sentenced to 20 years in prison, a reflection of the era's harsh federal sentencing guidelines for crack cocaine and a criminal legal system intent on punishment rather than rehabilitation.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cem\u003eSafe at Home\u003c\/em\u003e is an intimate portrait of a tortured player and a redemption story for the ages. Through extensive interviews with Alkens himself, his family, friends, teammates, cellmates, and dealers, Gregory Jordan has woven this comeback tale with compassion and unique intensity.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Readers will gain unvarnished insight into Aikens' impoverished childhood in a slow-to-desegregate South Carolina town, the rollicking Kansas City Royals' locker room, the go-go drug culture of America in the 80s, prison life at Leavenworth, and the grace and stability Aikens has found as a coach and mentor.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eGregory Jordan\u003c\/b\u003e has written about sports, movies, politics, and books for \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times, Crisis Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Hill\u003c\/i\u003e. Jordan worked with Mark Shriver on \u003ci\u003eA Good Man\u003c\/i\u003e, Mark's biography of his father, Sargent Shriver, due out in June 2012. Jordan has also collaborated on books with former NFL player Joe Ehrmann and attorney Ron Shapiro. He lives in Sherwood, Maryland, on the Chesapeake Bay.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 224\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.69 x 8.5 x 5.59 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e August 16, 2022\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51760907092256,"sku":"9781637272954","price":18.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/50e71aebec4c353fecdf08859bd8f1c2.webp?v=1780193891","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/willie-mays-aikens-safe-at-home-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}