Guest Review: 'Mickey Mantle: Rookie in Pinstripes' by Fred Glueckstein
Mickey Mantle: Rookie in PinstripesBy Fred Glueckstein
ISBN-10: 0595709362
ISBN-13: 978-0595709366
Hardcover, 176 pages
April 29, 2008
iUniverse, Inc.
Reviewed by Cynthia Murphy
There’s something about the loyalty that certain baseball teams and players inspire in their fans. Allegiances to teams are formed early on sandlots and local playgrounds. Favorite players’ stats seem like the most important data in the world. (I have to admit that I totally understand this mentality. I personally can recite Tom Glavine’s career stats and highlights, but I can barely remember my cell phone number.) These loyal fans stick by their chosen players through injuries, bad seasons, and even retirement. There is always something special about the first player you admire in that way. For author Fred Glueckstein, Mickey Mantle was that particular player.
Glueckstein’s new book, Mickey Mantle: Rookie in Pinstripes, is clearly a labor of love. In the preface, he recounts his memories of watching games in Yankee Stadium. Glueckstein sounds almost poetic in his description of the ballpark with its “manicured green outfields, perfectly raked brown dirt infield, black scoreboard, famous white façade…The air was filled with the aroma of freshly cut grass, hotdogs…” He speaks with the love of a true baseball fan. The story focuses on Mickey Mantle’s rookie season. It wasn’t Mantle’s best season, but it is an interesting story. It also marks the start of a great career. This is where the legend of Mickey Mantle begins- long before the championships, the injuries, and the drinking.
This is a great book for a true baseball fan. The target audience is young adults, but the story will appeal to older readers as well. I never felt like this was written for a young audience. In fact, the heavy use of statistics will probably be more important to older fans. Glueckstein does a great job of working the important statistics into the story. Incorporating so many stats into the book is a risky move. He could easily alienate casual fans with such detailed accounts of individual games. However, Glueckstein deftly includes these details with the skill of an experienced sportswriter. He frequently includes explanations of various baseball terms that should make it easy to follow the action for all types of fans.
The story of Mantle’s rookie season is one of many ups and downs. It was far from his best season, but it received a lot of media attention. Glueckstein makes excellent use of numerous quotations from players, coaches, and Mantle to capture the details of the story. He has even included notes from Mantle to his future wife, Merlyn, to explain his feelings during the tumultuous season.
Glueckstein has also devoted a portion of the book to Mantle’s relationship with his father. The descriptions of their relationship are touching. Mutt Mantle helped shape Mickey into the legendary player of his later seasons. He was actually the one who encouraged Mickey’s switch-hitting. There is an interesting depiction of the father and son practicing until darkness fell over their sleepy Oklahoma town. These moments make the end of the book bittersweet. They also add a touch of humanity to a larger than life superstar.
Mickey Mantle: Rookie in Pinstripes is written with the wide-eyed wonder of a devoted fan. Fred Glueckstein has not lost his early admiration for Mickey Mantle, and this devotion shines throughout the book. This is a book for true fans of the game. It may be a bit too detail-oriented for some readers, but it will be appreciated by those who pledged a similar allegiance to Mickey Mantle and other who just love the game.
Glueckstein’s new book, Mickey Mantle: Rookie in Pinstripes, is clearly a labor of love. In the preface, he recounts his memories of watching games in Yankee Stadium. Glueckstein sounds almost poetic in his description of the ballpark with its “manicured green outfields, perfectly raked brown dirt infield, black scoreboard, famous white façade…The air was filled with the aroma of freshly cut grass, hotdogs…” He speaks with the love of a true baseball fan. The story focuses on Mickey Mantle’s rookie season. It wasn’t Mantle’s best season, but it is an interesting story. It also marks the start of a great career. This is where the legend of Mickey Mantle begins- long before the championships, the injuries, and the drinking.
This is a great book for a true baseball fan. The target audience is young adults, but the story will appeal to older readers as well. I never felt like this was written for a young audience. In fact, the heavy use of statistics will probably be more important to older fans. Glueckstein does a great job of working the important statistics into the story. Incorporating so many stats into the book is a risky move. He could easily alienate casual fans with such detailed accounts of individual games. However, Glueckstein deftly includes these details with the skill of an experienced sportswriter. He frequently includes explanations of various baseball terms that should make it easy to follow the action for all types of fans.
The story of Mantle’s rookie season is one of many ups and downs. It was far from his best season, but it received a lot of media attention. Glueckstein makes excellent use of numerous quotations from players, coaches, and Mantle to capture the details of the story. He has even included notes from Mantle to his future wife, Merlyn, to explain his feelings during the tumultuous season.
Glueckstein has also devoted a portion of the book to Mantle’s relationship with his father. The descriptions of their relationship are touching. Mutt Mantle helped shape Mickey into the legendary player of his later seasons. He was actually the one who encouraged Mickey’s switch-hitting. There is an interesting depiction of the father and son practicing until darkness fell over their sleepy Oklahoma town. These moments make the end of the book bittersweet. They also add a touch of humanity to a larger than life superstar.
Mickey Mantle: Rookie in Pinstripes is written with the wide-eyed wonder of a devoted fan. Fred Glueckstein has not lost his early admiration for Mickey Mantle, and this devotion shines throughout the book. This is a book for true fans of the game. It may be a bit too detail-oriented for some readers, but it will be appreciated by those who pledged a similar allegiance to Mickey Mantle and other who just love the game.
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4 comments:
So nice to see you back again reviewing! Missed ya. :)
Sounds like a wonderful exploration of the player as a person!
Thanks, J. Kaye! But this is actually Cynthia's guest review. I'm getting back into the swing, though!
Oh gosh, I am such a goober! Sorry Cynthia!! Great review. :)
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