Hustle: The Myth, Life, and Lies of Pete Rose [Hardcover]

Michael Y. Sokolove (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1990

Who is Pete Rose? Is he Charlie Hustle, the all-American kid who never grew up, who pushed and stretched himself to get the most out of his limited talent, who would do anything in his power to win and to be a part of the game he loved? Or is he the bloated ex-athlete who broke baseball's one absolute taboo, and who was willing to drag down the whole structure of the sport to save himself?

In January 2004, Pete Rose publicly admitted to betting on baseball and began his controversial campaign to get himself off the ineligible list and into the Baseball Hall of Fame. His recently published autobiography, the baseball legend's selective telling of the truth, only furthers the myth and the mystery that surrounds him.

With a new, updated introduction by the author, and packed with interviews with Rose's family, his teammates, sportswriters, and police investigators, Hustle is the real, objective story of the life of Pete Rose.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Theodore Dreiser would have loved this story, but he couldn't have written it nearly so well as Michael Sokolove....[He] is a natural literary stylist, with the gifts of a social historian....This is a book for all seasons, not just summer."

-- The New York Times Book Review

"A first-class work of sound reporting and inescapable conclusions."

-- Roger Angell

"Anyone interested in the true story should read Michael Sokolove's...book on Rose. It's all there, the long gambling history, the sordid acquaintances, the relentless pursuit of gambling opportunities and, of course, the requisite obligations to the Mob."

-- Bob Ryan, The Boston Globe

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Review

"Theodore Dreiser would have loved this story, but he couldn't have written it nearly so well as Michael Sokolove....[He] is a natural literary stylist, with the gifts of a social historian....This is a book for all seasons, not just summer."

-- The New York Times Book Review

"A first-class work of sound reporting and inescapable conclusions."

-- Roger Angell

"Anyone interested in the true story should read Michael Sokolove's...book on Rose. It's all there, the long gambling history, the sordid acquaintances, the relentless pursuit of gambling opportunities and, of course, the requisite obligations to the Mob."

-- Bob Ryan, The Boston Globe --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (September 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671695037
• ISBN-13: 978-0671695033
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #652,640 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Well Balanced Informative Biography, August 15, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Hustle: The Myth, Life, and Lies of Pete Rose (Hardcover)

This is a well written, thoroughly researched biography. A great many former teammates and friends of Pete Rose were interviewed for the book. He is portrayed in both his positive and negative aspects. The conclusions drawn at the end seem very solid and built on a good foundation. I would recommend this book to any base ball fan and especially and Cincinnati Reds fan. I learned a good amount not only about Pete Rose but also about baseball during the 1960's - 1980's and the social history of the city of Cincinnati. While the book may seem like an attack on Rose at first glance it really is probably one of the most well balanced biographys I've ever read. Probably the most realistic book about Rose available.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Study of the Enigmatic Pete Rose, July 7, 2002

By 

x (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: HUSTLE: MYTH, LIFE AND LIES OF PETE ROSE: Darryl Strawberry and the Boys of Crenshaw (Paperback)

Sokolove's book is truly an excellent read. Although the title gives the connotation that the book is going to be a hatchet job on Pete Rose, the book is actually carefully researched and well written. I have been a Pete Rose fan for most of my life. I admired his determination and ability to play each game as though it were the seventh game of the World Series. (If we only had players like that today . . .) Sokolove does a great job at capturing the qualities that made him one of baseball's greatest players.

However, Pete Rose was also a shady character who loved having an entourage perform errands for him and tell him how great he was. Pete Rose, as a beloved baseball star, felt that he was above the rest of society and eventually this caught up to him in 1989-1990. Sokolove delves deeply into the character flaws of Rose that ultimately led to his exile from baseball and imprisonment for tax fraud. What is particularly interesting about Sokolove's book is how he deals with the careful way Rose constructed his own mythology by using the press to his advantage. In sum, this book is the story of a great player and flawed personality who learned (I hope) the hard way that even if you have 4256 hits in Major League Baseball, you can still end up like Oedipus in Colonus.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Depressing, August 13, 2005

By 

G. Harrah (Louisville,KY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hustle: The Myth, Life, and Lies of Pete Rose (Hardcover)

Anyone who grew up a Reds fan in the 70's will find this book disturbing and depressing, to say the least.
No one should feel sorry for Pete Rose, he brought his troubles all on himself. What is depressing are the number of enablers he had around him beginning with Major League Baseball itself! Pete's problems could have been confronted as early as 1970 but since he put "fannies in the seats" both the Reds and the commisioners office chose to look the other way.
I reccomend this book not just as a biography but also a study of self destructive behavior and enabling an addict.
After you're finished find something humorous to read, you'll need it.