“Everyone—casual fans, journalists, and even the most knowledgeable baseball expert—will find something of interest in this significant contribution to our understanding of civil rights and baseball.”—John Paul Hill, NINE: A Journal of Baseball History and Cultures
"Lamb . . . brings all his scholarly tools to the project. . . . The author has documented a story of immense cultural importance."—Kirkus Starred Review
"[Conspiracy of Silence] is a valuable resource for students of baseball history and for readers concerned with the history of race relations and the media in this country."—Robert Bruce Slater, Library Journal
"Conspiracy of Silence represents a significant contribution to the study of baseball, race, and the press."—Trey Strecker, Journal of Sport History
"Conspiracy of Silence offers overwhelming evidence of the effectiveness of the black press in advancing integration in this country."—Dorothy Seymour Mills, New York Journal
"Lamb's thorough journalistic exposé chronicles the drama and history behind the game, while tracing how the desegregation of baseball parallels the story of the civil rights movement in the United States."—Kathleen Gerard, Shelf Awareness
"Lamb's research shows the struggle that took place in the media had a lot to do with the tug-o-war of ideals and practicality of all the issues involved in the decision. It's as good a book on the subject as we've ever come across."—Tom Hoffarth, Farther Off The Wall
"Though it covers some familiar ground, this solidly researched study introduces new faces to the picture to broaden the context. The clear, bold writing makes the book a joy to read."—L. A. Heaphy, Choice
"This is important, overdue work."—Gene Sapakoff, Post and Courier
"Everyone—casual fans, journalists, and even the most knowledgeable baseball expert—will find something of interest in this significant contribution to our understanding of civil rights and baseball."—John Paul Hill, NINE
"[Conspiracy of Silence] makes a valuable contribution to the history of the desegregation of baseball."—Peter Lush, Sport in History
"The alternative press' efforts to end baseball's color line, which is documented for the first time in this book, is one of the greatest untold stories in baseball history, as well as the civil rights movement."—Jason Schott, Brooklyn Digest
“Sure, everyone knows about baseball’s color line and the man who crossed it. But no one has ever sifted the soil where that line was drawn, and found as much gold, as Chris Lamb does in Conspiracy of Silence.”—Gary Smith, writer for Sports Illustrated
“Understanding the curious intersection of sports and politics is always a perilous journey. But with Chris Lamb as a guide, it’s more than a joy. It’s a revelation.”—Dave Zirin, author of A People’s History of Sports in the U.S.
“An invaluable addition to studies about the tragic barring of blacks from Major League Baseball for almost half of the twentieth century. . . . An independent, moving analysis of a crucial era in American race relations.”—Arnold Rampersad, author of Jackie Robinson: A Biography
