by Jonathan Eig
First published 2005
Lou Gehrig stands at home plate, the Iron Horse of baseball whose consecutive games streak seems unbreakable. Behind his quiet demeanor lies fierce competition with teammate Babe Ruth, whose shadow looms large over Yankee Stadium. Gehrig's powerful swing and steady presence anchor the team through championship seasons, but his greatest battle awaits off the field. When his body begins to betray him, stumbling on routine plays and losing strength in his hands, doctors deliver devastating news. The disease that will bear his name forces him to confront mortality while maintaining dignity in the public eye. His wife Eleanor watches helplessly as the man who never missed a game faces his final innings. Gehrig's farewell speech at Yankee Stadium reveals the heart of a man who found gratitude even in tragedy.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, american, sports, biography-memoir, baseball
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: dignity-in-tragedy, quiet-hero, sports-star
Setting: New York, Yankee Stadium
Period: 20th Century
420 pages · Hardcover · Simon & Schuster
Content warnings: terminal-illness