Stealing Home

Los Angeles, the Dodgers, and the Lives Caught in Between

By: Eric Nusbaum

Narrated by: David Owen Nelson

The "scrupulously detailed" (Los Angeles Times) story of how the fight to build Dodgers Stadium, and transform Los Angeles into a big league city, came at the cost of everyday Angelenos
Dodger Stadium is an American icon. But the story of how it came to be goes far beyond baseball. The hills that cradle the stadium were once home to three vibrant Mexican American communities. In the early 1950s, those communities were condemned to make way for a utopian public housing project. Then, in a remarkable turn, public housing in the city was defeated amidst a Red Scare conspiracy.
Instead of getting their homes back, the remaining residents saw the city sell their land to Walter O'Malley, the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Now LA would be getting a different sort of utopian fantasy -- a glittering, ultra-modern stadium.
But before Dodger Stadium could be built, the city would have to face down the neighborhood's families -- including one, the Aréchigas, who refused to yield their home. The ensuing confrontation captivated the nation - and the divisive outcome still echoes through Los Angeles today.

Critic reviews

"A well-known tale of racial injustice given a fresh look...Provocative, essential reading."
—Kirkus

"Eric Nusbaum takes several overlooked threads of history and weaves them into a vivid tapestry of twentieth-century America that is at once sprawling and intimate, raw and poignant. Stealing Home is a relevant and important book--and a fantastic read."—Margot Lee Shetterly, New York Times-bestselling author of Hidden Figures

"Stealing Home has a driving plot, a humane heart, and a proud conscience. Read it and enjoy the story, or read it and get mad, or read it and change your mind. Most importantly, read it."—Chuck D, founding member of Public Enemy

"In my family, the Dodgers caused pain and disillusionment when they left Brooklyn. But what happened in Los Angeles is a second drama with its own measure of financial manipulation, political intrigue, and working-class heartache. Stealing Home takes on a whole new meaning in Eric Nusbaum's marvelous book."—David Maraniss, New York Times-bestselling author of When Pride Still Mattered and Clemente

"As a sports book, Stealing Home is astonishingly good-but it's more than just a sports book. The human experience it depicts resonates far beyond Los Angeles. The writing is lean, hard, and urgent. You'll read it quickly and think about it for a long time."—Brian Phillips, New York Times-bestselling author of Impossible Owls

"A story perfectly told, riveting, moving, and deeply human."—Will Leitch, author of Are We Winning? and God Save the Fan

"A detailed, compelling history that goes well beyond Los Angeles. Eric Nusbaum asks an urgent modern question: What do the things we love actually cost? And who pays the price?"—Jay Caspian Kang, writer-at-large, New York Times Magazine

Great book about LA history

Well written, well researched, brilliant and entertaining.

Worth a listen/read! Enjoy it! Go Dodgers!

Once Upon a Time at Dodger Stadium

Professional baseball: to love it and hate it is to know it. Nusbuam was unrelenting in his effort to examine the deepest roots of baseball, LA, and the lives forever changed by it. His scholarly approach, objectivity, and obsessive detail produced a baseball book like no other.

Go blue!!!!

Great history of a place I love. Very insightful. I recommend this read for Dodger fans.

Not really about baseball

Disappointed, very little of it had anything to do with baseball. Some of the stories were somewhat interesting but it’s just not what it seems like it’s going to be, even reading the information page

Great Read

Great read, not what I was expecting! The History of the city and Dodger stadium is fascinating.