Review of "Mickey Mantle:Inside and Outside the Lines"

Given that there are many books available on this legendary baseball player, I wasn't sure what to expect or why this one would be any different than other ones available.  All I will reveal that isn't already in the review is that this book is a little different.  Here is my review of "Mickey Mantle: Inside and Outside the Lines."

Title/Author:

“Mickey Mantle: Inside and Outside the Lines” by Tom Molito

Tags:

Baseball, biography, Yankees

Publish date:

May 12, 2016

Length:

154 pages

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

Given that there are many books about this legendary Yankee, something that this book offers that is different from most books on Mantle is that the author draws upon personal experiences as well as research in order to write about Mantle’s baseball career and his life.

Tom Molito was able to meet the Mick in both personal and professional circumstances and as a result, he provides an inside look at Mantle that is not possible for all writers. Molito also states early in the book that he was a lifetime fan of Mantle from the first time he saw him patrol the outfield at Yankee Stadium until his death in 1995. Because of this, some of the writing is not objective in its scope.  But the enthusiasm Molito shows for Mantle is evident and read from the perspective of the fan makes it a book that fans of Mantle or the Yankees will certainly enjoy.

For readers who just want to know more about Mantle between the lines, there is plenty of information and his career is re-evaluated using more advanced statistics. For readers who want to know more about Mantle the man, there are plenty of stories for that as well, both happy and not so happy.  I found the stories about Mantle’s life after baseball as the best ones and they are all easy and quick to read.

This is not a typical sports biography or memoir and that alone makes it an intriguing book to pick up. The reader will then be entertained and informed at the same time in a short time. This is certainly one that Mantle or Yankee fans will want to read.

I wish to thank Black Rose Writing for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)

Buying links:

https://www.amazon.com/Mickey-Mantle-Inside-Outside-Lines-ebook/dp/B01F2LEV1U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1465521298&sr=8-1&keywords=mickey+mantle+inside