As Stout sums it up, Joe DiMaggio performed superbly the functions that a ballplayer must fulfill: hit with power, run, throw and field. Further, he was grace personified and invariably conducted himself with dignity. Born in California in 1914, the son of immigrants, he made his professional debut with the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League in 1932, drawing headlines the following year when he hit in 61 straight games. He joined the New York Yankees in 1936 and played until 1951, with two years out to serve in WWII; in his last 13 seasons, the Yankees won the pennant 10 times and DiMaggio established many World Series records. He is most famed, however, for his 56-game regular-season hitting streak (1941). If the text sounds like a panegyric, how could it be otherwise? Johnson is curator of the New England Sports Museum in Cambridge, Mass.; Stout is a freelance sportswriter.
Copyright 1995 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
YA--An excellent choice for YA collections. Although DiMaggio played long before any student of today was born, he has become an American icon. Biographical segments discuss the subject's life off the playing field, and essays are devoted to his impact on the game. Some of them were written by baseball historians or players themselves: Stephen Jay Gould, Thomas Boswell, Mickey Mantle, Luke Salisbury, and Ted Williams. The numerous black-and-white photographs and large bold print will immediately catch readers' attention. The interesting writing style is succinct and to the point and can be understood by slower readers. An appendix contains every statistical figure one could possibly want or need. Both the bibliography and the index are extensive. A wise selection as a research tool or for recreational reading.
Fred Amico, R. E. Lee High School, Springfield, VA
Copyright 1996 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
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