A review by alanfederman
The Big Fella: Babe Ruth and the World He Created by Jane Leavy

5.0

Let me preface my review by saying, without hesitation, I love baseball books. There's a wide range out there - some focusing on very specific games and players and then there's this book. Sure it's about Babe Ruth (and Moby Dick is about a whale), but it's about the rise of the celebrity, the ascendency of pop culture, the cult of personality, abandonment, and yes, baseball. Specifically the evolution of the game from the Ty Cobb slap hitters to the Babe's gargantuan home runs. The writing is spectacular and the book is framed within the context of Babe and Lou Geherig's barnstorming tour after the 1927 World Series. Each chapter focuses on a stop and an aspect of the Babe's life. Myths were debunked (I always thought he really was an orphan - he wasn't) and the author brought a larger than life character literally to life. I've already read Jane Leavy's Koufax biography, and despite my loathing of the Yankees, it seems I'll need to read her Mantle biography next!