Joe DiMaggio : The Hero's Life [Paperback]

Richard Ben Cramer (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 4, 2001 | Series: Touchstone Book

Joe DiMaggio was, at every turn, one man we could look at who made us feel good.

In the hard-knuckled thirties, he was the immigrant boy who made it big -- and spurred the New York Yankees to a new era of dynasty. He was Broadway Joe, the icon of elegance, the man who wooed and won Marilyn Monroe -- the most beautiful girl America could dream up.

Joe DiMaggio was a mirror of our best self. And he was also the loneliest hero we ever had.

In this groundbreaking biography, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Richard Ben Cramer presents a shocking portrait of a complicated, enigmatic life. The story that DiMaggio never wanted told, tells of his grace -- and greed; his dignity, pride -- and hidden shame. It is a story that sweeps through the twentieth century, bringing to light not just America's national game, but the birth (and the price) of modern national celebrity.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In a stunning feat of meticulous reportage, Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Ben Cramer ultimately puts to rest the "Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?" question with iconoclastic bravura. In Cramer's evaluation, the hero America held onto so desperately for so long was really a creation of a nation's communal imagination. The Joe DiMaggio that America tried so hard to believe in was never really here at all.

There was, of course, a Joe DiMaggio, and he had a splendid career in Yankee pinstripes--once hitting safely in an unimaginable 56 consecutive games--and a troubled marriage with Marilyn Monroe, each augmenting the other in our national mythology. But myths tend to be skin-deep, and Cramer's biography thrives in an internal geography well below the surface. The map he charts is of a cold, small, often nasty, uncaring, resentful, self-centered man, a man of public grace and private misery who broke friendships, shunned family, and chased money with the same focused energies he once harnessed to run down fly balls. It's not a pretty picture.

Scrupulously researched and elegantly written, The Hero's Life is filled with stories and reminiscences, both on and off the field, from others--not surprisingly, DiMaggio offered no cooperation--that both illumine the man and, more fascinatingly, explain our very need for him. Amid all the success and adulation, there was little joy in DiMaggio's life, and few moments--beyond the real heartache he felt over Monroe--of connection with others beyond Joe's personal need for others to serve him. "No one really knew what it meant to have spent a half-century being precisely and distinctly DiMaggio," Cramer writes, "what we required Joe DiMaggio to be. No one knew, as he did, what it cost to live the hero's life. And no one knew, as he did, precisely what it was worth." It seems our nation turned its lonely eyes to a proud, but empty shell; Cramer's superb book helps us understand why we did, and how DiMaggio was able to take all the good will extended him and give so little back. --Jeff Silverman --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Listening to Cramer read his biography of Joe DiMaggio feels as though you are sitting in a bar talking baseball with a friend, only to have a grizzled regular overhear your conversation and interject pejoratively, "DiMaggio, eh? I'll tell you about DiMaggio." With a tough, throaty accent and straightforward manner, Cramer sounds as if he's telling the whole tale with his arms crossed over the back of a turned-around chair and a toothpick dangling from the corner of his mouth. And for a story about a kid rising from a large Italian family in San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf to wealth and fame as a superstar for the New York Yankees, the style fits perfectly. Cramer (What It Takes) balances the Hall of Fame outfielder's well-documented highlights--his 10 World Series titles in 13 major-league seasons, astounding 56-game hitting streak and marriage to Marilyn Monroe--with attributes the public never saw: seedy connections, loose morals and a tight fist. Cramer has ably taken his controversial text and pared it down to provide a strong audio performance that will keep his audience engaged right up until closing time. Simultaneous release with Simon & Schuster hardcover (Forecasts, Oct. 16, 2000).

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1st Touchstone Ed edition (September 4, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684865475
• ISBN-13: 978-0684865478
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 1.2 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (140 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #174,765 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #7 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( D ) > DiMaggio, Joe

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

114 of 124 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Jolting Biography October 19, 2000

By Robert Morris HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

This book has already stirred up controversy over Cramer's portrayal of DiMaggio and no doubt that controversy will continue for quite some time. I have been a lifelong baseball fan and consider DiMaggio to be among the greatest of those who played the game. He combined natural ability in the five key skill areas (ie hitting, fielding, throwing, base running, and bunting) with a style and grace few others have. Also he was a winner, playing on nine world championship Yankee teams during a 13-year period. No one doubts the on-field achievements of "Jolting Joe." The controversy generated by this book is explained, rather, by Cramer's comments about DiMaggio off the field and especially after he retired.

According to Cramer, DiMaggio was unapproachable to anyone who could not (one way or another) feed his ego, increase his wealth, enhance his lifestyle, or protect his carefully crafted self-image. Throughout most of his life, DiMaggio seemed to ask "What's in it for me?" He not only craved but indeed required treatment normally reserved for heads of state. According to Cramer, he had very few close personal relationships (none with family members) and these were sustained only when in full compliance with the terms and conditions he established. DiMaggio trusted very few people, suspecting that anyone who tried to approach him had ulterior, self-serving motives. There is an old saying about "knowing the cost of everything and the value of nothing." DiMaggio knew both.

One critic has suggested that Cramer is "hostile" to DiMaggio. Another critic has described this book as a "hatchet job." Cramer indicates no doubt about DiMaggio's greatness as a baseball player. That was one game he played superbly. Cramer also seems to have no doubt about another game DiMaggio played in his private life and in his post-baseball career. This second game also had very strict rules set by DiMaggio, rules with which he insisted that everyone else comply. Re Cramer's attitude toward this DiMaggio, I am reminded of Harry Truman who once observed "I just tell them the truth and they think it's hell." After reading this book, you may conclude that Cramer is "hostile", that he has done a "hatchet job" on the Yankee Clipper. Or perhaps you will agree with me that Cramer has accumulated as much information as he could and then portrayed DiMaggio as fully and as honestly as he could.

My guess (only a guess) is that Cramer's DiMaggio would not have objected to this biography if he received at least half (but preferably all) of the royalties from copies sold. No matter what Cramer or anyone else may say about DiMaggio's human imperfections (eg greed and vanity), he played the game of baseball with skills, style, and grace which -- like his 56-game hitting streak -- may never be surpassed.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Every Legend has flaws, and DiMaggio's weren't fatal. December 3, 2000

By Thomas Stamper VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

I caught a glimpse of the great DiMaggio at a charity golf tournament in February of 1998. He was chipping his ball out of the sand onto the 18th green. The tournament was full of celebrities. No one batted an eye when Joe Namath or Bill Russell sauntered by, but the aged DiMaggio swinging a golf club drew everyone's attention. "Hey DiMaggio is playing 18!" His swing was weak, he had barely a year to live, but I was taken by the man, who with great effort, raked his own divot, despite the fact that anyone would have jumped at the duty. That was class. He still had it.

This book is a long history of why he still had it. It's also a history that makes DiMaggio more human. Like all histories, great men have shadow sides that the public learns about after their deaths. DiMaggio is no different.

Many reviewers have opined that Mr. Cramer has tarnished DiMaggio's image, but I think the opposite is true. Cramer has written of a private introverted man who was heartbroken by Marilyn Monroe and never recovered. DiMaggio wanted the security to remain a private man and for that he relied on making money. No shame to make money from one's own name, when one's life achievements make that name so valuable. It's also true that DiMaggio would be fickle with friends. His need for privacy sometimes drove friends away, but that was his right. He might not have been an easy person to know, but that makes him no less heroic to the public at large. He was a model citizen that went to war when his country called. He stayed out of jail, which isn't always an easy proposition for today's athletes. I like DiMaggio even more, now that I have read this well-written biography. I wish MLB was full of guys with his class.

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Best baseball book since Summer of 49 November 12, 2000

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

Like it or not Joe Dimaggio was human. Mr. Cramer does not try to lionize or demonize Mr. Dimaggio. He only has praise for the accomplishments of this Hall of Fame player on the field. His criticisms of the personal Joe are sometimes harsh but not a hatchet job. Those who give this book only one star do it out of emotion, not out of a fair review of the book. Yes, DiMaggio was larger than life, a hero on the field. But who among his worshippers knows the private Dimaggio, the shy, aloof man who feared a spot on his public image. Mr. Cramer is a quality writer, and my assessment is that of a fair, warts and all biography.

My only disapointment is the missing years from the mid 1960's to the late 80's. Surely Cramer could have given us a perspective on these years. He goes from Joe, the vital recently retired Dimaggio to Joe a cranky, bitter old man. What caused the great clipper to be such a pitiful character at the end?

Dimaggio fans should not attack Mr. Cramer for going beyond the baseball Joe. So what if Joe had flaws in his personal life. On the field he was everything his legend says he was and Cramer supports that. He has countless anectdotes on Dimaggios playing with pain because the team needed him. Does Dimaggio deserve to have only the hero worship biography. As an historian Mr. Cramer does his job in pointing out the flaws of Dimaggio. Fans of Joe do not like the flaws of selfishness, vanity, and temper ex[osed by Mr Cramer. That may be the harsh reality but should not diminish the respect Dimaggio deserves; a great player, a quiet leader for his teammates, and a man who earned his pay.