Mickey Mantle (1931–1995)

Probably one of the most open and honest auto biographies I have read in a long time. Some of the stories Mantle tells he could have easily not told or put himself in a more favorable light. So kudos to Mantle for being so open with his story.

This book was probably a series of after dinner presentations aimed at an audience of boys and young men. It reminded me of Joe Garagiola's [Baseball is a funny game] in that respect, except that those stories were played for laughs and Mantle wants to inspire. The courage is a gut-it-out, suck-it-up, don't give in variety, but Mantle can be surprisingly insightful at times. The prose is beyond awkward and some of the stories are very familiar, but it's a relatively pleasant read.

An outstanding collection of fan letters, demonstrating just how powerful the link to a sports hero is and how devastated we become when that hero falls.