Oct 20, 2010 if jane leavy really loved mickey mantle, as she claims, she would have done the same in writing her biography of the boy wonder, and left out the lurid details about mantles bad boy image. Jane leavy is the author of the new york times bestsellers the last boy, sandy koufax. As a young girl growing up in the bronx, jane leavy was enthralled not only by mickey mantles amazing ability at his best, he was as great. A leftys legacy and the comic novel squeeze play, which entertainment weekly called the best novel ever written about baseball. The legendary halloffame outfielder was a national hero during his recordsetting career with the new york yankees, but public revelations of alcoholism, infidelity, and family strife badly tarnished the. Mickey mantle and the end of americas childhood, is how margie met the mick. Mickey mantle was so drunk he threw up while performing. Jane leavys the last boy digs deep into mickey mantles. Be it courage or conflict, triumph or tragedy, jane leavy has covered the entire gamut of human drama in her compelling books on sandy koufax, mickey mantle and babe ruth. Dec 22, 2010 of course mickey mantle made a pass at jane leavy when the hall of famer was being interviewed for this book.
Mickey mantle was everything jane leavy remembered when she met him. And that, as bolding remembers in author jane leavys revealing new biography the last boy. What it took to write about baseball as a woman the new. Of course mickey mantle made a pass at jane leavy when the hall of famer was being interviewed for this book. Mickey mantle and the end of americas childhood, and the comic novel squeeze play. The only thing about this book that is better than jane leavys vivid prose is her. A leftys legacy was a new york times bestseller, had profiled mickey mantle before in 1983, for the washington post. Awardwinning sports writer jane leavy follows her new york times run.
Squeeze play is the fictional account of a hapless major league team and the locker room antics they engage in. He was the hall of fame yankee, with unmet potential. Oct 22, 2010 leavys mission in her book the last boy. Mickey mantle and the end of americas childhood by veteran sports writer jane leavy, author of a biography of sandy koufax, the great dodger pitcher. Jane leavy the official website for bestselling author.
Doug miles radio interview with sportswriter jane leavy author the last boy mickey mantle and the end of americas childhood. Oct 12, 2010 jane leavy, the acclaimed author of the new york times bestseller sandy koufax. Leavy is the author of the new york times bestselling biographies the last boy. Jane leavy returns with a biography of an american original. In 1979, leavy joined the sports desk of the washington post. Drawing on more than five hundred interviews with friends and family, teammates, and opponents, she delivers the definitive account of mantles life, mining the mythology of the mick for the true story of a luminous and illustrious talent with an achingly damaged soul. Drawing on more than five hundred interviews with friends and family, teammates, and opponents, she delivers the definitive account of mantles life, mining the mythology of the mick for the true story of a luminous.
Jane leavy as a biographer does what plutarch prescribed. The last boy by jane leavy is an awkward combination of a history book, a newsstand tabloid and a personal memoir. Jane leavy, mickey mantles new biographer, admits her bias. A huge mantle fan, it pained her to discover and then write about the negative side of such a. Mickey mantle and the end of americas childhood and sandy koufax. Oct 28, 2010 mickey mantle biographer jane leavy talks about her quest to find the real man lurking behind mantle s image. In this exclusive excerpt from jane leavys new book, the last boy. The babe in full swing at batting practice heritage auctions via wikimedia commons the big fella. A leftys legacy, returns with a biography of an american originalnumber 7, mickey mantle. Mickey mantle and the end of americas childhood detailed the late sluggers troubled offfield life and his alcoholism, was hit on by mantle as well. Mickey mantle and the end of americas childhood, mantle discusses a lifelong secret. Jane leavy the official website for bestselling author and. She is the author of the big fella, the last boy, sandy koufax, and the comic novel squeeze play.
Jane leavy is the author of the new york times bestsellers sandy koufax. Mickey mantle and the end of americas childhood by veteran sports writer jane leavy. Jane leavys the last boy is a tremendous mickey mantle. She also wrote a bestselling 2002 biography of sandy koufax.
The bio, published by harpercollins, hits bookstores. Jane leavy, awardwinning former sportswriter and feature writer for the washington post, is author of the new york times bestsellers sandy koufax. Jane leavy chronicles the extraordinary life of mickey mantle, one of the most beloved, and misunderstood, yankees. Jane leavys the last boy is a tremendous mickey mantle biography.
Jane leavy captures the beautiful, imperfect mickey mantle with equal measures of depth and empathy. Jane leavy reflects on fraught encounters with mickey mantle and billy martin. Jane leavy is an awardwinning former sportswriter and feature writer for the washington post. Just as i was about to ask about his son billy, i felt. Jane leavy is the author of the new york times bestseller sandy koufax. Jane leavy captures the beautiful, imperfect mickey mantle with equal. Jane leavy has crafted a wellwritten, definitive biography of mickey. Mickey mantle biographer jane leavy really doesnt like the. Awardwinning sports writer jane leavy follows her new york times runaway bestseller sandy koufax with the definitive biography of baseball icon mickey mantle. A huge mantle fan, it pained her to discover and then write about the negative side of such a great talent and personality.
It doesnt follow the usual format of a chronological narrative, but that is fine, since. Instead, she has become the kitty kelly of sports writing, and made us all into peeping toms. Sep 21, 2016 i would say the last boy, by jane leavy, 2010. Jane leavy on her new mickey mantle biography tv vulture.
The legendary halloffame outfielder was a national hero during his recordsetting career with the new york yankees, but public revelations of alcoholism, infidelity, and family strife. Smartly, leavy uses mantle s games primarily as a framework for her investigations, but she finds newly fertile ground in researching his legendary home run, struck in 1953 in washington, d. As for the evidence that mantle was a profane, bumpkinish and usually drunken galoot, jane leavys new bio the last boy tends to back that up as well, though the ultimate effect of her generally serious effort is also to evoke pity for one of americas most iconic public figures. Inside and outside the lines by tom molito english paperback bo.
Drawing on more than 500 interviews with friends and family, teammates, and opponents, she delivers the definitive account of mantle s life, mining the mythology of the mick for the true story of a luminous and illustrious talent with an achingly damaged soul. Nov 24, 2010 mickey mantle was everything jane leavy remembered when she met him. What it took to write about baseball as a woman the new yorker. Granted, jane leavy uncovers the dark side of mantles life but she does it fairly. Theres an old saying, a sculptor never leaves behind all his shavings. The late great mickey mantle besmirched by tellall book. Mantle biography delves into traumas and myths the new york. A new book claims that legendary new york yankees centerfielder mickey mantle had a sexual encounter with angie dickinson, a hollywood sex. Drawing on more than 500 interviews with friends and family, teammates, and opponents, she delivers the definitive account of mantle s life, mining the mythology of the. Jane leavy, the man baseball forgot plays the hand hes dealt jane leavy b. Jane leavy has crafted a wellwritten, definitive biography of mickey mantle, showing all sides of the yankee icon, detailing no. Mickey mantle biographer jane leavy talks about her quest to find the real man lurking behind mantles image. A leftys legacy, returns with a biography of an american original.
She was a staff writer at the washington post from 1979 to1988, first in the sports section, then writing for the style section. She finds the buried answers to the riddle of what drove and haunted the mick. Jane leavy the bestselling author and former sportswriter talks about locker room interviews, a drunken mickey mantle, and why she spent eight years working on a book about. Mickey mantles gross move on reporter detailed in her new. Jane leavy has written several sports related books that ive really enjoyed, all best selling nonfiction, about stars such as mickey mantle and sandy koufax. Mickey mantle and the end of americas childhood, and the comic novel squeeze. Similarly, in her fine biography, jane leavy observed, mantle fit the classical definition of a tragic hero. And that, as bolding remembers in author jane leavy s revealing new biography the last boy. Mickey mantle and the end of americas childhood has received some flack from devoted yankee and mantle fans. Some american league pitchers swore mantle swung so hard he made the air dance, observed former washington post writer jane leavy, who is also doing a biography on mantle. Mickey mantle and the end of americas childhood by. Jane leavy born december 26, 1951 is an american sportswriter and feature writer, formerly with the washington post. Jane leavy, the acclaimed author of the new york times best seller sandy koufax.
Unfollow mickey mantle books to stop getting updates on your ebay feed. Jane leavy biography, age, husband, children, washington post. If jane leavy really loved mickey mantle, as she claims, she would have done the same in writing her biography of the boy wonder, and left out the lurid details about mantles bad boy image. Awkward combination of history book, tabloid and memoir. Oct 12, 2010 beginning wednesday, the daily news will excerpt jane leavy s new book, the last boy mickey mantle and the end of americas childhood. Awardwinning sports writer jane leavy follows her new york times runaway bestseller sandy koufax with the definitive biography of baseball icon mickey mantle the legendary halloffame outfielder was a national hero during his recordsetting career with the new york yankees, but public revelations of alcoholism, infidelity, and family strife badly tarnished the ballplayers reputation in. I could never get close to people, mantle once told an interviewer. She is the author of the national bestsellers the last boy, sandy koufax and the comic novel squeeze play, called the best novel ever written about baseball by entertainment weekly. Most of the first fifteen chapters are an interesting history book about mantles childhood, the mining industry in picher, and a couple of mickeys historic games. A leftys legacy, along with the comic novel squeeze play.
Jane leavy is an awardwinning former sportswriter and feature writer for the washington post, known for diving into a subject and emerging with work that is both meticulously researched and narratively rich. She is the author of sandy koufax and the comic novel squeeze play, called the best novel ever written about baseball by entertainment weekly. In 1983, i was a reporter at the washington post, she recalled. Oct 17, 2010 jane leavy chronicles the extraordinary life of mickey mantle, one of the most beloved, and misunderstood, yankees. Drawing on more than 500 interviews with friends and family, teammates, and opponents, she delivers the definitive account of mantles life, mining the mythology of the. Mickey mantle and the end of americas childhood is to explore how two such different characters managed to inhabit the same body, and she. Nobody swung the bat with such grit as mickey mantle.
Leavy showed smith a sweater she cherishes one given to her by mantle. Babe ruth and the world he created, by jane leavy harpercollins, 656 pp. Sportswriter jane leavy talk about her book on mickey mantle. She is the author of the 1990 comic novel squeeze play, which was called the best novel ever written about baseball by entertainment weekly. To my knowledge, no one has ever investigated the life of an american athlete with leavys rigor and thoroughness.
Mantle biography delves into traumas and myths the new. Jane leavy, the acclaimed author of the new york times bestseller sandy koufax. For this inning of iq, were rolling the rims on our hats and settling in with some hot dogs and beer to talk to jane leavy about baseball. Jane leavy biography, age, husband, children, washington. Topps baseball card for 1952, mantles first full season as a major league player for the new york yankees, when he replaced joe dimaggio as the teams centerfielder. Mickey mantle and the end of americas childhood by jane leavy. But on this day in griffith park, mickey mantle connected solidly with that second.
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