Rating: 
Summary: DIMAGGIO-SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT OR RE-WRITING HISTORY?
Review: ONE OF THE PREMISES OF THE HEROES LIFE is that almost all of the reporters wrote only good things about DIMAGGIO---- for whatever reason the commentators OF dimaggio's DAY WERE AFRAID TO TARNISH HIS IMAGE----even modern day writers such as MIKE LUPICA would see only DIMAGGIOS good face---- BEN CRAMER has no such compulsions in telling us that DIMAGGIO was a flawed man spinkled with hate - distrust- greed and disloyalty----WHY was this book written-Why DO WE HAVE TO KNOW HIS PERCEPTION OF THE MAN WHO WAS OUR LAST BAseball hero --WHY INDEED
Rating: 
Summary: You don't have to be a baseball fan to love this book
Review: Richard Ben Cramer is an amazing writer. From the opening words of this book he takes the reader on a journey into a life, into the life of a poor quiet boy from San Francisco who suddenly has fame and fortune thrust upon him in New York City, who becomes a hero to all of America. This is a book about a man who was a hero at a time when we really had heroes, and when we expected our heroes to be perfect. Cramer gives us the inner life of the hero with such breathtaking insight and accuracy that we are left with a deep understanding of how Joe Dimaggio's life is at once an American success story and an American tragedy.
Rating:
Summary: DIMAGGIO-THE INTRUSION
Review: I started to read THE HEROES LIFE AND HAD A HARD TIME CONTINUING. the Editorial comment states that this is the book that Dimaggio wanted no one to write and that among other things relates of dimaggio"s greed and shame---- well why are we "treated" to such a book. THE dIMAGGIO i KNEW AND REMEMBERED was a classy gentleman with style and dignity. Nonetheless i remember the baseball Dimaggio who was one of baseball Heroes who in 13 short years left an indelible mark not only on baseball but on the Nations conscious . He was remembered as every boys dream that he too could become a great player-he could become like dimaggio. What purpose does it serve to portray OUR hero as a distrustful, jealous, greedy cheap miscreant. I am disappointed in this book- would this book been published if Dimaggio were still alive---- SHAME--- WHEN I FINISH READING THE BOOK I WILL RETURN WITH MORE IMPRESSIONS.
Rating:
Summary: A heroic biography
Review: Back in 1992, when I turned the last page and finished reading What It Takes, Richard Ben Cramer's first book, I wondered how long I would have to wait before I would get to settle into my favorite chair with his next work. It's been a long time -- the chair has been reupholstered twice -- but it's been worth every minute waiting for Joe Dimaggio: The Hero's Life. This book is so much more than the biography of a baseball player, even the most famous player to ever grace a diamond. It's a meticulously researched and deliciously written story of Joe Dimaggio's life, telling much more than so many previous biographies of the Yankee Clipper, yes, but it's also an insightful study of America's demands on its heroes, the country's collective desire for man as myth. When you sit down to read this book, make sure the baby's diaper is fresh, the dog is walked and the oven is turned off: You're not going to want to get up for anything before you reach the last page.
Rating: 
Summary: Making a Buck by Attacking One's Betters
Review: Real hatchet job on DiMaggio that doesn't rate even the above one starrating. Author Cramer and his publishing house never would have hadthe guts to release this garbage while DiMag was still alive, and infact the book was ready for release about two years ago, beforeDiMag's death. It was not released then -- surprise, surprise! AuthorCramer must have really needed the money to perpetrate this one. Inthe last years of his life, DiMaggio was invited by the President ofthe United States to sit at his table at an event, Henry Kissinger wasflattered to meet and speak with DiMaggio, and US Supreme CourtJustice Helen Bader Ginsburg called DiMaggio her hero. Earlier, ErnestHemingway in "the Old Man and the Sea" had called him"The Great DiMaggio." This book is yet another example of adwarf trying to build himself up by bringing a giant down to hissize. Sorry, friend Cramer, it won't work. Advice to book buyers: Ifyou're addicted to offal, buy this book. If not, donate what you wouldhave spent for it to the Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in Florida,where it will do so good.
Rating: 
Summary: The good, the bad, and the ugly.
Review: In "Joe DiMaggio : The Hero's Life" by Richard Ben Cramer we find a book filled with information on one of America's most beloved heros--Joe DiMaggio. DiMaggio has always fascinated me. I am too young to have seen him play, but my father met him when Joe was doing a USO tour in Vietnam in the late 60's. Dad sent me an autographed picture which still hangs on my wall (along with those baseball legends Milt Pappas, Mudcat Grant and Ron Swoboda). Since then, I've always been interested in the life of DiMaggio.Read through the reviews, and you'll see EVERYTHING about this book. Some loved it, some hated it. Some loved Joe, some hated him. Is Cramer's account accurate? There's really only one person who would know, and Joe's gone now. Despite reviews to the contrary, the book is certainly well written. It's entertaining, and exciting to read. That's what a lot of people buy a book for--entertainment and excitement. Others buy biographies for the "real story". Personally, I think we got it here. Others may disagree. Cramer has his sources, quoting those who were closest to Joe when he played, and after he retired. I don't believe that Cramer just made this stuff up. he did his research as evidenced in his writing. If Cramer pops the bubble on a baseball legend, exposing him as a greedy and selfish man, then so be it. If you don't want to read of a greedy and selfish Joe, then don't buy this book. If you want insight and a different perspective, then by all means, read it. Hmmmm. A greedy and selfish professional baseball player. Just why is that so difficult to imagine? Joe was without doubt, a great ball player. He was also a human being, and as such, he was not perfect. Cramer's book will show you those perfect moments on the field, as well as those imperfect moments off the field. It's interesting, entertaining, and informative. In my eyes, that makes for a pretty decent read...
Rating:
Summary: Hatchet Job
Review: This book spares no opportunity to trash the man. Things that are really irrelevant - Monroe's life and treatment in Hollywood before Dimaggio, his sex life, etc. are devoted large amounts of space.
Compare this book to his book on Ted Williams and you can see how Ben Cramer treats his "friends" (Williams) and those he holds in contempt. Even in the Williams book, he slams Dimaggio. At times it seems almost pathological, his fixation on tearing down the reputation of this man. I am sure that Dimaggio is far from perfect (who isn't), but this seems to go above and beyond the course of biographical inquiry into perhaps - slander or a vendetta.
My recommendation is to skip the book, read Halberstam's "Summer of 49". It combines sports and personality much better and unlike Ben Cramer's book, doesn't make you feel like you need to take a shower after reading it.
Rating: 
Summary: What Happened To This Book?
Review: There must be some big, hidden legal, personal, or editorial reason for the terribly awkward structure of this book. It begins with Joe as a kid, covers hime season-by-season with the Yankees, degenerates into tabloibism from the time Joe met Marilyn until her suicide, and then skips from 1962 to 1989 without any explanation at all. This is something you just don't see from major authors and major publishers. What happened?
As is usual from old political reporters writing books (think Halberstam or Woodard) there is no scholarship or authentication. You simply have to take the author's word that things transpired as they did. Bearing this in mind,nobody should be surprised that Cramer's approach is a hack-job -- but he does that to everybody -- there are no good guys in Cramer's world. Everyone has dirty laundry.
Rating:
Summary: DiMaggio-A Hero's Life by Cramer
Review: Joe DiMaggio began as an immigrant boy who made it big in
baseball during the first half of the previous century. He
came from a family which included 9 children. One of his first jobs was selling "The Call" for .03 apiece. His parents were Rosalie and Giuseppe DiMaggio. Initially, he had some problems in school; however, he quickly rose as an important Rookie with the Seals in 1933. At one point, Joe made 47 hits
consecutively. At age 19, he signed for a second year with the
Seals. He came to New York in 1938 and by 1942, he carried the
Yankees to a championship and himself to an MVP. Despite the
great accomplishment, he did not get compensated financially
until later on. The work is a "must read" for every baseball
enthusiast.
Rating:
Summary: Good addition to DiMaggio Literature
Review: This book was a gift from my daughter; as such, I read it even though I knew that it was a hatchet job, for whatever reason, against a great player. At the end of the book I came away with the same conclusion I had when I started, and that is that Joe DiMaggio was one of the greatest hitters of all time (had an immaculate swing) and one of the greatest all around players of all time. As a baseball lover that is all I need to know. In short, he was idolized for his playing ability and for his quite demeanor on the field, while keeping his peccadilloes from public view - why is that so bad? What grudge the author has against Joe DiMaggio I don't know, but I see no need to attack a person based on the shortcomings of that person's personality.
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