by Jane Leavy
First published 2010
Mickey Mantle dominated baseball fields as a Hall of Fame outfielder for the New York Yankees, breaking records and capturing America's imagination. Yet behind the heroic public image lay a man struggling with alcoholism, marital problems, and personal demons that would later damage his reputation. Sports writer Jane Leavy, who previously wrote the bestselling biography of Sandy Koufax, turns her investigative lens on The Mick himself. Drawing from extensive firsthand research and her own recollections, Leavy reveals the contradictions within this complex athlete. She explores how Mantle became both the most cherished and most misunderstood slugger in Yankees history, examining the gap between his on-field greatness and off-field troubles. The book uncovers the human story behind the baseball icon, showing how personal struggles coexisted with athletic brilliance throughout his career.
Genres: biography, 20th-century, american, sports, baseball
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: complex-character, contradictions, human-story
Setting: New York, Yankees
Period: 20th-century
456 pages · Hardcover · Harper
Content warnings: addiction, alcohol-abuse, mental-illness