Summer Reading Recs with Rocco Constantino

Middlesex College Athletic Director Rocco Constantino developed a love of reading and writing the way many others did decades ago – by reading newspapers and magazines at the breakfast table. 

“As I got older, I was more interested in writing, and I started to enjoy longer feature stories,” said Constantino. “Then it led to English being a subject of interest in school, which led me to pursue journalism in college and become a high school English teacher.” 

In addition to leading the Colts athletics program, Constantino has written two books about baseball. His latest publication, Beyond Baseball’s Color Barrier, discusses the rise and fall in numbers of Black players in Major League Baseball. 

But Constantino’s tastes range wider than just sports, including his love for exploring new subjects and discovering the truth underneath. 

“You go into a topic thinking you know a lot, but you find out you really don’t know that much,” Constantino laughed. 

Here are some of Contantino’s favorite books he recommends to read this summer:

Catch A Fire: The Life of Bob Marley by Timothy White 

“This is a Bob Marley memoir. I love reggae music. It’s a super-detailed book about not just the music, but Marley’s religion, upbringing, the development of reggae music, and how that change bridged to punk music. And how it’s still going today. The book is from the ’80s, but it’s been updated a bunch of times since.” 

Only the Ball Was White
by Robert Peterson 

“This book is the first written history of Negro League baseball. Robert Peterson was the first person to interview these guys, and it ended up being the first time they got to tell their stories. It’s really incredible. And then I come to Middlesex and find out Robert Peterson is the father of [former Middlesex College Communications Director] Tom Peterson.” 

Were You Always An Italian? by Maria Laureno 

“This is written by a New Jersey woman and it was published when The Sopranos was big. It’s a question Mario Cuomo had asked her. It’s the history of Italian immigration from Italy to Northern New Jersey—how the culture developed, all the words that came over, and what they mean.” 

Rumor In Town by
Matt Dahlgren 

“The author’s grandfather was Babe Dalgren, who replaced Lou Gehrig in the Yankees. Matt took his dad’s memoirs and finished them. You get all these awesome first-hand accounts. The title comes from a controversy in the ’30s that Babe Dahlgren smoked marijuana. He said he was the first player to ever be drug tested.” 

Looking for more reading recommendations? Assistant Director of Tutoring Services Joseph Pascale shares a few of his favorite books to read this summer.