He is that rare American icon who has never been captured in a biography worthy of him. Now, at last, here is the story of athlete, showman, philosopher, and boundary breaker Leroy "Satchel" Paige. Through dogged detective work, journalist Larry Tye has tracked down the truth about this enigmatic pitcher, interviewing Negro Leaguers and Major Leaguers, talking to family and friends who had never told their stories, and retracing Paige's steps to separate the truth from the myth Paige himself created. Here is the child born to an Alabama washerwoman with twelve young mouths to feed, the young man who took up baseball on the streets, inventing his trademark hesitation pitch while throwing bricks at rival gang members. Tye shows Paige growing into the superstar hurler of the Negro Leagues, establishing records that still stand, then emerging at age 42 to help propel the Cleveland Indians to the World Series. --From publisher description.