Rating: 
Summary: I have to say this is one of my all-time favorite books!
Review: "Take me out to the ballgame..." One might find themselves singing the endearing, catchy tune after reading, Summer of '49 written by Pulitzer-prize winner, David Halberstam. The reader is drawn into the baseball universe in a time when it truly was "America's favorite pastime." The era Halberstam captivates is a time when young children played outside the stadium in hopes to catch a glimpse of their favorite players. It was a time when even Red Sox fans cheered for DiMaggio when he was back in the game after recovering from an injury. The era was surrounded with the glamour of baseball in the purest sense. There was something captivating about being at the game, cheering for the team while eating peanuts and hot dogs. From the New York Yankees greatest player, Joe DiMaggio to Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox and the less famous names in between, Halberstam pulls us into the good times and hardships that came with being on two of the most successful teams of the sport. As readers, we are attracted to everything about this great sport because Halberstam makes us care about the individuals and the teams contributing to its success. The great players portrayed in this book not only shape baseball, but are a major aspect in shaping part of US history in the 20th Century as well. Halberstam brings the players to us and makes us appreciate their hard work and love of the game. This book is about excellence, the joy of being a part of a team. We see the importance of not just being good, but being better. Better than you thought you were or what others think you can do. It is about human nature and the nature of baseball.
Rating:
Summary: I have to say this is one of my all-time favorite books!
Review: "Take me out to the ballgame..." One might find themselves singing the endearing, catchy tune after reading, Summer of '49 written by Pulitzer-prize winner, David Halberstam. The reader is drawn into the baseball universe in a time when it truly was "America's favorite pastime." The era Halberstam captivates is a time when young children played outside the stadium in hopes to catch a glimpse of their favorite players. It was a time when even Red Sox fans cheered for DiMaggio when he was back in the game after recovering from an injury. The era was surrounded with the glamour of baseball in the purest sense. There was something captivating about being at the game, cheering for the team while eating peanuts and hot dogs. From the New York Yankees greatest player, Joe DiMaggio to Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox and the less famous names in between, Halberstam pulls us into the good times and hardships that came with being on two of the most successful teams of the sport. As readers, we are attracted to everything about this great sport because Halberstam makes us care about the individuals and the teams contributing to its success. The great players portrayed in this book not only shape baseball, but are a major aspect in shaping part of US history in the 20th Century as well. Halberstam brings the players to us and makes us appreciate their hard work and love of the game. This book is about excellence, the joy of being a part of a team. We see the importance of not just being good, but being better. Better than you thought you were or what others think you can do. It is about human nature and the nature of baseball.
Rating:
Summary: A GREAT read even if you're not a baseball fan!
Review: As an American history buff who has long admired the books of David Halberstam ("The Fifties", "The Best and the Brightest"), I would argue that the "Summer of 49" is one of Halberstam's best works to date. I was visiting a friend's house when I noticed a copy of the "Summer of 49" on his bookshelf. My friend, a passionate baseball fan, told me what the book was about. Although I'm not a huge baseball fan (growing up in North Carolina and following the Duke-Carolina rivalry gave me more of an interest in college basketball), I was enough of a fan of Halberstam that I borrowed the book. And, was I pleasantly surprised! Even if you're NOT a big baseball fan you'll still love this book if you're at all interested in American history. Instead of focusing on ERAs, bases stolen, and the other statistics that would appeal only to baseball buffs, Halberstam focuses on the human side of a great sports rivalry - the New York Yankees versus the Boston Red Sox. And in the "Summer of 49" he gives the story of one of that rivalry's greatest moments - the breathtaking, down-to-the-wire showdown between Joe DiMaggio's Yankees and Ted Williams's Red Sox. As always, Halberstam evokes a sense of nostalgia for the past that's almost overwhelming - reading about DiMaggio's health problems, or William's running battles with the vicious Boston newspapers, or Ellis Kinder's bitterness at Red Sox manager Joe McCarthy - you get the feeling that you're right there with them. When I finished I felt awed by DiMaggio's quiet pride in winning the pennant and World Series after all of his difficulties in 1949, and a genuine sadness at the emotional devastation the Red Sox felt after coming so close two years in a row, only to lose in such cliffhanging finales. If you enjoy Halberstam's style of writing, and you enjoy reading about a golden age of American sports (even if you're not a baseball fan) then you'll LOVE this book. A great read!
Rating: 
Summary: "Classic Baseball"
Review: At times while reading Halberstam's book, it felt as if the literature came to life as if I were watching the final game on ESPN Classic. Halberstam's picture illustrations of players and team personell only reinforces his compelling account of one of the most intense and exciting pennant chases of all-time. Both clubs experienced distraction during that summer; New York, injury proned to DiMaggio and others. Boston, seemed to have "eggo-identities" with some players. In addition, the great Ted Williams had constant issues with the Boston media and fans, which only interfered with their quest to capture the pennant. Although New York sustained a better Front-Office than Boston in 1949, both organizations remained adamant by refusing to sign minority players to thier rosters. Maybe, if the Boston Front-Office would have up-graded thier pitching staff, history would have written a different page. Overall, I enjoyed another Halberstam classic, it is definitley a keeper for baseball historians alike.
-AllotofVision-
Marshall University
Rating:
Summary: A great American writer hits one out of the park!!!
Review: David Halberstam captures the essence and emotion of the times in this stunning look at one of the greatest pennant races in baseball histoery. His attention to detial and thoroughness in researching the subject matter are evident in the fact that as you read you feel like you are reading the box score in the morning paper the day after the game to check up on your team. Summer of '49 is one of the best baseball books I have ever read, but it may not even be Halberstam's best effort -- as his October 1964 is equally captivating and well done.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Look Back Into Baseball History
Review: David Halberstam has created a wonderful look back into baseball history that can be enjoyed by baseball fans from all eras. I became a fan during the early 70's and had season tickets to the San Francisco Giants of the late 80's and early 90's, but this book made me wish I could go back in time to watch the great Yankee/Red Sox pennant race of 1949. I enjoyed this book so much and read it so many times, I had to get a second copy to loan out to friends and fellow fans.From the initial description of the end of the '48 season, through the epic World Series of '49, Halberstam draws the reader into the world of baseball in the time before big contracts and network television. The behind the scenes look at the players, both great and forgotten, is extraoridnary. For most fans, the names of Dimaggio and Williams are well known, and many can recite the great acheivments of their careers. But what makes this book so interesting is the inside look at the teams and the individuals who made up these teams. Reading about these players and the way the game impacted their lives was an incredible thrill. If you are a baseball fan, read this book. I guarantee you will love it, and will likely end up reading it again and again. Halberstam has written a masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: A Deadly Insult?
Review: David Halberstam poses an interesting question in his entertaining book about the 1949 American League pennant race. Did the Red Sox violate the cardinal rule, "Never rile a giant," when they descended on Yankee Stadium for the final 2 games of the season? Birdie Tebbetts, Boston's ever needling catcher, told Phil Rizzuto early in the first game between the contending teams with the pennant on the line that the Red Sox planned on pitching the new college kid they had just called up in the next day's game. Rizzuto went back to the Yankee bench and proceeded to fire up his team. The Yankees believed that the visiting Sox, who came in 1 game up on the Bronx Bombers and needed but a single win to sew up the pennant, were taking them lightly. The Yanks won the first game and the pennant was on the line the following day. Halberstam then fastens on a controversy that will never be resolved, and which remains a sore point to veteran Red Sox fans. Joe McCarthy, the same skipper who guided the Yankees to so many pennants, and the Cubs before that, started Tennessean Ellis Kinder in the final game. Kinder had experienced brilliant success against the Yankees that season. Behind 1-0, McCarthy lifted Kinder for a pinchhitter. The Yankees then went on to a 5-0 lead before the Red Sox staged a ninth inning rally, but fell short 5-3 as the Yanks won the AL pennant and went on to defeat a strong Brooklyn Dodger team in 5 games in the World Series. The Red Sox were so furious with McCarthy, a manager who achieved the highest winning career percentage in baseball history, that an argument erupted on the train ride back to Boston. The players were convinced that, had Kinder not been lifted, the Sox would have found a way to win. They believed they would still have rallied for 3 runs and that Kinder would have whitewashed the home team the rest of the way for a 3-1 victory. McCarthy was eventually dismissed, never to manage again after a brilliant career. Another interesting part of Halberstam's book is the look into the quiet mystery man of baseball, Joe Dimaggio, and his courageous and determined comeback. With the Yankees behind the Red Sox in the standings as Joltin' Joe was sidelined by an injury, he unleashed furious determination to come back with little time to spare. Halberstam describes how he painfully cut his hands after lengthy batting practices following his layoff before the calluses returned. With Dimaggio back in the lineup the Yankees staged a comeback, forcing the final 2 game showdown for the flag in Yankee Stadium. A touching element of Halberstam's book is the focus on how the parents of Joe and Dom Dimaggio, centerfielders on the Yankees and Red Sox respectively, behaved diplomatically. The proud parents from San Francisco saw that love and attention was showered equally on their famous ballplayer sons, and that they showed no favoritism regarding the Yankees and Red Sox.
Rating:
Summary: Halberstam brings alive baseball's "good 'ol days"
Review: David Halberstam recalls his boyhood heroes - their personalities, feats, and frailties - and spins an outstanding tale of yesteryear. Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams are brilliantly portrayed as the juggernauts they were - two generals leading their troops into an epic battle. This novel is not all fun and games, however, as Halberstam recounts the personal hardships many players endured. A note : fifty years from now, will someone be writing about how today's players toiled for "mere" millions? At the current rate, this appears likely. Make no mistake, this work reflects the TRUE "glory years" of baseball.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: especially for this Yankee fan & fan of the great Yankee-Bosox rivalr
Rating:
Summary: A real testament to DiMaggio
Review: For those of us too young to have seen him play, this book forces you to appreciate the realness and authenticity of Joltin' Joe, especially pertinent based on his passing last week. A great read and history lesson for those of us who long for when it was "just a game."
|
