Ray R.

Overly detailed on what you don't care about

Reviewed: 08-05-22

This is a book about Stan's life, and a little about the baseball he played. Stan was a hard guy to really know, 100% midwestern- don't talk about yourself, don't over think it, and mind yer business. And the author never cracks that image. After reading this book I know what food Stan liked and that he and long time friend Joe Garagiola had a falling out but never "Why?". And the book never answers that question of "Why?" on any question it decides to bring up. "Why is Stan still overlooked in baseball history when he is one of the top 5 hitters to play the game? " No answer. "Why didn't Stan speak out more about the overt racism in the game and in St. Louis". No reason. But I know everywhere Stan went on his visit to the Pope.
After reading this book, I know Stan the Man was a great hitter, devout Christian, faithful husband, and a decent guy all around, who for some reason continues to be over-looked when Baseball lists the greatest to play the game. But if you're reading this book you already knew that.

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Very Good, a little shy of Great

Reviewed: 04-06-22

It feels like a pretty complete biography of Satchel, and it does a decent job of parsing through that which is probable fact and probable exaggeration. However depending the point of origin for your interest in this legend (baseball fan, civil rights, etc) I think you'll likely be disappointed slightly. It is a book about a baseball legend that never let's you enjoy the game, and also a book about racism that is centered around baseball from the 20s to the 80s. The feats of greatness on the field are there along with homespun stories, but so also are the examples and stories of racism Satchel endured. The author doesn't cover racism in one or two chapters like many other books of black athletes, and then move on to center the rest of the story on their achievements, heartbreaks, and personal lives. Instead this author never seems to let the reader enjoy Satchel's greatness and marvel at it, because as soon as you lose yourself in the moment, the author brings forth another shameful example of racism Satchel had to endure. You end up feeling broken-down after a good listen and just want a break the cruelty. But, perhaps this was the author's intent.

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Nice quick unbiased look @ Joe Jackson

Reviewed: 03-15-21

The book does a good job at showing the many sides of Joe Jackson besides the naive, illiterate overly talented ball player who played the game solely for the love of it that we've been told to believe. The book illustrates that while he may have illiterate and naive, he was also a flawed individual, motivated by money the way many people are when they've been raised in poverty. The book reads quick with a lot of good quotes from Jackson, Walter Johnson, and Ty Cobb so I recommend it for the baseball fan. But the narrator's attempt at a southern accent is annoying and at times a bit insulting to those who know what it is.

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A Great Unusual Baseball Book

Reviewed: 08-07-20

Definitely the best book on pitching I've ever read. Entertaining yet informative and with great context

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A Good Honest Look @ Gehrig

Reviewed: 07-14-20

This is a good solid book, but if you know anything about Lou Gehrig, or his story, or his life then you're not gonna find much new in this book. Gehrig kept mostly to himself and was somewhat of an enigma. It is hard to get much attention when you spend half your playing years with Babe Ruth as a teammate. But the narration is great and the story is solid.

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A Most American Nonfiction Story

Reviewed: 06-25-20

This is the best nonfiction book I have had the pleasure of reading. McCullough's writing style makes this historical work such an addictive read that I struggled to shut it off and go to bed. The character, tenacity, and accomplishments of the Wright's makes you proud to be an American, and if you're from the Midwest you can nearly feel a kinship with them. It is a masterpiece.

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Good Short History Lesson

Reviewed: 06-19-20

This is a nice short book about a little known naval war during Jefferson's presidency. It's very light on quotes and you aren't going to be fully vested in the arc of the characters because Brian K spends very scant time on character development. So if you are looking for a Chernow or Meacham approach to this important part of American history then don't buy this book, but if you just want to know "what" happened and don't really want to ponder the "why" too much, this is a good book for you.

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Fascinating but tedious

Reviewed: 06-15-20

It's a great book very well researched. But, and this is no fault of the author, The story of corruption begins early in the book and continues on and on until finally all the Domino's fall Down. It is somewhat tedious and exhausting. For the casual reader not schooled in high level finance much of the deals and special purpose entities that bring down Enron are far too complex to understand without boxes and charts. Which is no surprise because the experts who worked at Enron needed those exact boxes and charts and still were misled.

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1 person found this helpful

Insightful & Detailed

Reviewed: 01-09-20

Barret does a nice job of covering the Wilson Presidency, sentiment of the American Public, and events of the Great War. Very detailed and mostly unbiased, but it does seem to lack a little passion @ times. One doesn't really feel anything towards Wilson or the dough boys charging into German bunkers. I'm informed but not moved.

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2 people found this helpful

Exciting, Detailed, and Comprehensive

Reviewed: 11-07-19

an outstanding read. Narration is excellent. the writing is paired so well with narration that when the relationship between Theodore and Taft is jubilant you can't wait to hear more. but when the split occurs you're left sadden. the portrait both men seems fair and unbiased. for the Casual history fan the enlightenment of Sam McClure's influence in the political landscape is eye-opening.

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