From Publishers Weekly
In these essays, written between 1954 and 1990, the author of The Boys of Summer reinforces his reputation as a master with the pen and a generous-hearted observer of athletes and their games. He pays warm tribute to his special heroes, Jackie Robinson, Roger Maris and Carl Furillo, along with those he particularly admired in the press box, John Lardner and Red Smith. Kahn esteems as well football lineman Merlin Olsen, hockey goalie Glenn Hall, cager Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, outfielder Mickey Mantle and boxing promoter Don King, anathema to many. The last piece, "Story Without a Hero," about Pete Rose, lacks the elegiac tone of the other essays and suggests that, although the ballplayer was a flawed person, so was his adversary, baseball commissioner Bart Giamatti, who presided over the Rose gambling investigation in 1989 that banned the player from the game for life. Kahn also makes scathing remarks about the handling of the book Rose and he wrote together, My Story , by its publisher, Macmillan. A fine anthology.Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
While Kahn's memoir of the Brooklyn Dodgers, The Boys of Summer ( LJ 2/15/72) is a sports classic, many of his other books have been mediocre. It is refreshing, therefore, to read these essays compiled over a momentous period of time and experience a master at the top of his form. Kahn excels at the biographical essay and he pays attention to all the sports shakers, including Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. His baseball portraits are especially interesting; what baseball fan wouldn't like to know Kahn's thoughts on Roger Maris, right before Maris hit home run number 61? What is surprising is that Kahn's words do not seem dated--indeed they are refreshing and thought provoking. Highly recommended for popular collections.- Paul Kaplan, Dakota Cty. Lib., Eagan, Minn.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
