Lou Gehrig: A Biography

(Hardback)

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Description

Lou Gehrig's record for consecutive games played stood for decades until Cal Ripken Jr. broke it in 1995. Most people remember Gehrig for this record, or for the disease that claimed his life (and now bears his name). But what many forget is how prolific a hitter he was. The son of German immigrants, Gehrig rose from inauspicious beginnings to become a scholar-athlete at Columbia University, and then moved to Major League Baseball, where he knocked in almost 2,000 runs and helped his team win six world championships. William Kashatus recounts the perserverance and poise of a life which ended tragically, yet heroically. Written in cooperation with George Pollack, the lawyer for the Gehrig estate, this biography provides a valuable addition to the study of an enduring American sports legend. The final chapters analyze the creation of the player's legend through literature and film and also update the reader on the on-going fight against ALS.

Reviews

"Lou Gehrig played his last complete season in 1938, while unknowingly suffering from his dread disease. Although that was sixty-five years ago, the Gehrig legend has continued to grow with new generations who never saw him play. Fortunately, William Kashatus' masterful research and writing has given birth to the ultimate Gehrig baseball story and views for the first time the tragic, lonely, and dedicated life of Eleanor Gehrig, who devoted her life and her estate to research for a cure of ALS. This outstanding book traces the growth of this wonderful legend."-George Pollack Executor, Gehrig Estate
"William Kashatus has made a valuable contribution to the literature about Lou Gehrig's near-mythic life and death."-Ray Robinson Author, Iron Horse: Lou Gehrig in His Time
"With the skill and work that made him a Hall of Fame baseball player, Lou Gehrig achieved more than temporary fame. He built a legacy of excellence and humility that is the ultimate example of the beauty inherent in sports. That example is immortal. With this book, William Kashatus does Gehrig and his legacy honor."-Dave Kindred Columnist, The Sporting News
[A] top pick for high school to college-level collections.-MBR Internet Bookwatch/The Bookwatch
"A top pick for high school to college-level collections."-MBR Internet Bookwatch/The Bookwatch
"[A] top pick for high school to college-level collections."-MBR Internet Bookwatch/The Bookwatch

Author Bio

WILLIAM C. KASHATUS is a professional historian and educator who holds a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania. Kashatus has written for the New York Times, Philadelphia Daily News, and St. Louis Post-Dispatch, among other publications. His previous baseball books include September Swoon: Richie Allen, the '64 Phillies and Racial Integration, Mike Schmidt, Connie Mack's '29 Triumph, and One-Armed Wonder: Pete Gray, Wartime Baseball and the American Dream.