Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig

A reviewer

A superstar in his day, Lou Gehrig lacked one thing, recognition. Reserved in manner, he played in the shadow of Babe Ruth and, after Ruth¿s retirement, continued his ¿aw shucks¿ way. Never seeking the limelight, in fact you can say he avoided it, Lou Gehrig¿s life was in many ways a mystery. A true league and team leader, today Gehrig is sadly known for the disease that killed him at the age of 37, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig disease. That all changes with Jonathan Eig¿s biography, ¿Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig.¿ Eig begins Gehrig¿s life story by looking at the lives of his mother and father. Not a happy couple they, their son was indelibly etched by his mother¿s domineering ways, and his father¿s laziness. Exploring Gehrig¿s athletic prowess, Eig examines they myths that began with Gehrig¿s high school days. And continues through the famous playing game streak. However, it was not until Gehrig married at the age of the 30 that Gehrig the man appears. Still, mild mannered, a gentleman, concerned about putting on a good face, Gehrig never demands the admiration and respect he richly deserved. Jonathan Eig has written a fascinating biography of one of the least understood men in professional sports. It¿s a good read

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Gehrig:Great Story

The Luckiest Man is a book that any Lou Gehrig fan will not be able to put down.I have been a fan of Lou Gehrig since I was a kid.Read everything and watched everything on him.The book added so many things that I never knew before.When telling some of my friends about the book,they said they had to go out and get there own copy.A great read for any Yankees fan,baseball fan.The author even gave a great description of what it was like growing up in the 20's and 30's.He really makes you feel like you are there to witness all the things that were happening.Lou Gehrig a great athlete,great person.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Highly impressive and readable bio

I'm not as avid a sports fan as many of my friends, and I haven't read many sports bios. This book, though, surpasses the usual expectations for sports books. Reading it is like reading a vivid fictional book with many fascinating characters who seem bigger than life yet with imperfections and flaws, too. I'm sure any baseball/Yankees fan who like to read would get a lot out of this book. Anyone who is curious about Lou Gehrig should obviously read it. But its appeal for me went beyond baseball because it just tells the story of a humble and great man who lived a short, brave life and struggled with a terrible illness he could not understand. These are all powerful themes in and of themselves, but Eig clearly uses the English language to make Gehrig's story even more inviting. I kept reading waiting to get to a dull sentence or a cliche, but did not...it's just page after page of lean, tight writing and colorful detail, like a really good New York Times feature story. Eig tells an old story but in so many ways it is timely. It's pretty interesting to read about Gehrig and his baseball friends who played for the love of the game in much simpler times, for money that may have been big in their time but not hugely extravagant, the way sports contracts are today. They didn't complain about fans or the media. Baseball was starting to be a business, yes, but not Big Business. The players didn't take steroids or say that anything about their behavior was justified because they were just 'entertainers.' They were honest and hard-working athletes. They signed autographs and felt flattered to do it. It's just so refreshing to learn about how baseball used to be. The final parts of the book, about his ALS, are grim and tragic but tell so much about the strength of Gehrig, and the author found a lot of material (like letters to Gehrig's doctor, talking about the disease). It's all fascinating, and makes you understand ALS and feel for its victims. To sum up, I'm glad I bought this and think you would not be sorry to read it if you are excited by baseball, enjoy solid biographies, the history of the 1920s-1930s, books about heroic fights against illness, or if you just like colorful-but-true writing that's not at all difficult to read.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Highly Recommended a must have

I wanted this book because the dreaded disease took my Mother in 2011. If it wasnt for this man and the disease being named after him , alot of people wouldnt know what it is. When you mention ALS the public doesnt know, but mention Lou Gehrig and they have an idea. Very good book about his life.

An athlete not seen since

I havent read too many books about sports figures but this one sticks out because of the famous quote...hence the title of the book. The author gives great weight to the desire Gehrig had to work hard every day to be the best he could be while having to bat behind everyone's favorite player, Babe Ruth. While the book doesnt go into his issues of pride involved with Ruth, it does cover the fact that the two men were very different and really had nothing in common except to win. Their work ethics were very much the opposite. Gehrig was a "workhorse" who kept to himself and Ruth was "party boy" who the attention of all the world. The outcome of Gehrig's life is the most-telling of his story. He believe until the end that although he will never play baseball again...his chances of beating the disease is 50/50. Unfortunately, it was not to be. His record for consecutive games played stood for a long time until Cal Ripken passed it. A man who was also known a workhorse who kept to himself.

Lu gerig the best baseball player knowwn to man

My bro has a friend named after lu gerig and lu was om the nyy so ya hes gonna be a fantastic player go lu and nyy

Death

My grandma resently died from this disease and i bout this book because i wanted to remeber what it was like before he died. Lou gehrig was my grandmas favorite baseball player so i thought that i should do so reading up on this guy.

amazingggg

i really loved this book it really gave me more insight about my favorite past time player Lou Gehrig, it tells you about his life and his career and it really broke my heart when ALS was spreading throughout his body and making him so weak and inable to play, it made me wonder why did such a good player and a such a good guy only have 37 years on this Earth, as i was nearing the end of the book i already knew what was going to happen but i just wished there could of been another ending to the story. the book makes you realize what a tremondous player he really was and how scum-like babe ruth was in comparison, and if you ask me i would rather have 26 lou gehrigs on my team than 26 babe ruths, at least i would be able to sleep easy knowing i have a strong powerful team that is filled with great team players and great people in general. I love Lou Gehrig, he is a true role model.

We Should be that Lucky

Growing up in Ct. in the 50's you always heard of Ruth and Gehrig and what made them great and loveable. You wanted to grow up and be them and live your dreams through them.If you don't have hero's, read this book and you will find one.

A real sports hero.

I found this book to be very informative and a great look back at this man's life. An amazing athlete. I really enjoyed it.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Eig is very good not quite great.

This book tells the Lou Gehrig story in a concise way. There are many details left out, which I imagine his research found. For example, little is said about relationships with other ball players, and why he and Babe Ruth did not get along as well as one might wonder that they might have. On the flip side, as I was getting to the end, I was almost hoping that he would not die and that another ending might occur. I enjoyed it and would recomend it.

Gehrig:The Untold Story

This book gives you so much information that modern baseball fans never knew about Lou Gehrig. Even a New York Met fan like myself was riveted by the stories from almost 100 years ago. The sad telling of doctors not knowing exactly what was wrong with the 'Iron Horse' and telling him at first it was a kidney ailment and not to worry as it was not serious breaks your heart. Super super book............

Would have loved to taken my son to see him play...

This is a very good book describing a baseball player who had his priorities straight, and loved the game. Not only does it follow Mr. Gehrig through his career, but also you gain a good sense of the USA during the 20s and the 30s. I don't take my son to professional baseball games, because people like Lou Gehring no longer exist!!!!!

Riveting & Entertaining

This is one of the finest biographies I have read. Whether you are a Yankees fan or not, a baseball fan or not, this is a portrait of a great man that demands to be read. Fantastic piece by author Eig.

Excellent Bio

An excellent book that gave you insight to the man and not just the ballplayer. An easy read with many facts about his life that I never knew. You still will enjoy the movie 'Pride of the Yankees' but not as much because you will now know the real story behind this great, and sometimes flawed, man. Looking forward to Mr. Eig next book.

A Deserving Hero

Jonathan Eig does a nice job of bringing Lou Gehrig to life and making him a real, living person -- not just an idol. He also recreates an era.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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