Members with This Book
Most Helpful Reviews
see all reviews
Liked It “A powerful book that captures the character of the game, the era and the nation through portraits of those who were there. Its honest without having to push a Ball Four-like envelope. Halberstam brings out Yogi Berra quotes that are actual belly laughs instead of forced chuckles. The...” see full review » see other reviews » |
Newest Reviews
see all reviews-
“A powerful book that captures the character of the game, the era and the nation through portraits of those who were there. Its honest without having to push a Ball Four-like envelope. Halberstam brings out Yogi Berra quotes that are actual belly laughs instead of forced chuckles. The characterizations of the writers and announcers and how their industries fit in the fabric of the nation is special. I thought I was over baseball books and the "Summer of 49" brought me back. ”
Jack C wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Halberstam's language and descriptions bring to life not only the increcible pennant race in 49, but also the postwar era and how baseball fit into American life during that time. In many ways, as a baseball fan, I was jealous of the fanaticism for baseball around the country that just doesn't exist today.
Keith wrote this review Wednesday, June 3 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Halberstam has a great passage where he describes life as a boy in the 30s and 40s where every kid dreamed of growing up to play baseball. Their attention wasn't split between the wealth of sports, heroes, and professional leagues. That singular passion builds throughout the book as Halberstam paints portraits of legends like DiMaggio & Williams that don't just extol their greatness on th field, but rather candidly provide insights into who these men were.
I truly enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to anyone with even a passing interest in baseball.”
“If you're a baseball fan, you should read this book. If you're a Red Sox or Yankee fan, you HAVE TO read this book.”
Casey G wrote this review Saturday, February 14 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“An absolutely great and memorable story for anyone who loves baseball.”
Saeed U wrote this review Wednesday, February 11 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“SPORTS!”
Shawn B wrote this review Thursday, April 3 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Halbertam is a great one for capturing incredible detail in bringing the era alive. To read one of his books feels like you are living a road trip with the teams involved for the whole season. Amazing research and written in a style that even those unfamiliar with a lot of the ballplayer names, can still enjoy it.
Katamaster wrote this review Thursday, September 20 2007. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
I especially loved the insights into DiMaggio, Toots Shor and Ted Williams. It is amazing how many innings would pitch in those days, even with injuries, and still pitch effectively.
”
“I’m not a huge baseball fan. I grew up in Dallas and dealing with the Texas Rangers in the Billy Martin / Jeff Burroughs / Ferguson Jenkins / Jim Sundberg era was a tough gig. Plus, by that time the Dallas Cowboys were America’s team and Roger Staubach was every kids hero (at least in Dallas.)
bfeld wrote this review Wednesday, July 4 2007. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
By the time I moved to Boston in 1983, I was ruined on baseball. I go to a couple of games a year - mostly just to generate stories that people can tell their grandkids. Amy is a big fan, but since the scores at the Rockies games are really football scores (I’m always surprised when the winning team doesn’t score at least double digits), it’s mostly just a good time to hang out and get a sunburn.
When David Halberstam died a few months ago, I decided to read all of his books (similar to what I’m doing with Vonnegut.) I had a copy of Summer of '49 [Click to launch this SmartLink] ([— note the SmartLink – play with it) on my shelf of infinite books to read so I grabbed it and consumed it over the last few days. It seemed fitting to finish it up on the 4th of July.
I thought of my dad 5,417 times while I read this book. These were his and my uncle Charlies’ Yankees. My dad was 11 that summer and it must have been an awesome time for him and Charlie. The Yankee / Red Sox rivalry was at one of its apexes, DiMaggio was the man, Yogi Berra was behind the plate, and the great Yankee run under Casey Stengel had just begun.
The age of radio was at its peak and the dawn of the TV age was beginning. Mel Allen was the great Yankee radio announcer. Halberstam captures the relationships between everyone well – including Allen and the writers – and his descriptions of the games helped me understand the difference between radio baseball and TV baseball.
Overall, Summer of '49 [Click to launch this SmartLink] is a beautiful book. You don’t have to be a baseball fan to love it, but you do have to be interested in understanding the summertime in a different era. Members of the Red Sox Nation will also love this book, even though it is heartbreaking at times, since that’s something all card carrying Red Sox Nation members understand.”
Displaying 1-9 of 9
