Wow! eBook
Summers in the Bronx: Attila the Hun and Other Yankee Stories
Author(s): Ira Berkow (Author)
- Publisher: Triumph Books
- Publication Date: November 1, 2009
- Edition: 1st
- Language: English
- Print length: 235 pages
- ISBN-10: 1600783929
- ISBN-13: 9781600783920
Book Description
From George Steinbrenner’s odd reliance on the book, The Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun to the views of such memorable Yankee greats as Casey Stengel, Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, and more recent stars like Reggie Jackson, Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter, Ira Berkow takes the reader with him into the clubhouse and onto the field as he observes, interviews and comments on the Bronx Bombers over his long and distinguished career writing and reporting on them. Summers in the Bronx: Attila the Hun and Other Yankee Stories is a collection of Berkow’s rich, candid and nationally popular sports columns and feature stories for The New York Times and other syndicated papers are devoted to the New York Yankees, arguably the most famous, controversial, beloved and sometimes berated organization in the history of sports. Berkow’s eye for detail and for the unusual insight along with the comedy and drama revealed by his subjects themselves bring to life a Who’s Who of unforgettable Yankee personalities from the last half century.
Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
Berkow was a Pulitzer-winning sports columnist and feature writer for the New York Times for 25 years. These collected columns are all centered on the New York Yankees, especially George Steinbrenner, the team’s owner and dominant character during the years Berkow was on the beat. Steinbrenner’s ego and eagerness to be the center of attention were offensive to many but not to a columnist; Steinbrenner was always good copy. Berkow’s subtitle alludes to Steinbrenner’s fondness—early in his tenure—for unself-consciously quoting from Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun (1989). But for all the fun Berkow has with Steinbrenner—including the owner’s fictional presence on Seinfeld—these columns are best when the focus is on players, extending from those who were contemporary at the time of the writing to the stars of the past. Along the way, Berkow had the serious responsibility of writing gentle obituary columns for Yankee icons Mickey Mantle, Jim “Catfish” Hunter, Roger Maris, and Billy Martin. He is a graceful writer with a sly sense of humor and a penchant for the subtle detail that reveals his subjects’ humanity. Fine sports journalism. –Wes Lukowsky
About the Author
Ira Berkow was a sports columnist and feature writer for the New York Times for more than 25 years. He shared the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting in 2001 and was a finalist for the Pulitzer for commentary in 1988. He also was a reporter for the Minneapolis Tribune and a columnist for Newspaper Enterprise Association. He is the author of 19 books, including the bestsellers Red: A Biography of Red Smith and Maxwell Street: Survival in a Bazaar, and, most recently, the author of The Corporal Was a Pitcher: The Courage of Lou Brissie. His work has frequently been cited in the prestigious anthology series, Best American Sports Writing of the Century. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Miami University (Ohio) and a master’s degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, and has been honored with a distinguished professional achievement awards from both schools. In 2009 he was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and also received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Roosevelt University in Chicago. Mr. Berkow lives in New York City.
