... casts one more light on the 1927 Yankees, considered by many to be the greatest team of all time. The columns have the feel of authenticity that many such columns ghosted from this period do not have ... The accounts of Gehrig’s life from early childhood through the ’27 World Series are a delight to read ... The second section of the book is less revealing, but, nonetheless, a useful addition to the book, especially for those not fully familiar with baseball, Lou Gehrig, and the world of baseball. There are no new revelations, but Gaff produces a smooth and basic narrative of Lou Gehrig’s life beyond the scope of the columns and through to his tragic death. The material on Eleanor Gehrig, Lou’s wife, are informative and helpful ... The treatment of Gehrig’s illness and long struggle with ALS is powerful.
... slim but distinctive ... doesn’t substantially alter our image of Gehrig, but it does offer a scoop ... Mr. Gaff discovered Gehrig’s columns while doing unrelated research; he fused them into a narrative and added a useful biographical essay ... This brief memoir, though syrupy in its paean to hard work and the cardinal virtues, may be read as an outsider’s early gratitude for having landed where he belonged.
Gaff astutely crafts a biography to accompany Gehrig's columns and focuses on details that parallel Gehrig's generosity of spirit ... Perhaps most movingly, Gaff revisits the Yankee great's post-baseball career.
