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Joe DiMaggio: The Long Vigil

3.42 of 5 stars 3.42 · rating details · 33 ratings · 16 reviews

As the New York Yankees' star centerfielder from 1936 to 1951, Joe DiMaggio is enshrined in America's memory as the epitome in sports of grace, dignity, and that ineffable quality called "class." But his career after retirement, starting with his nine-month marriage to Marilyn Monroe, was far less auspicious. Writers like Gay Talese and Richard Ben Cramer have painted the...more

Hardcover, 192 pages

Published March 8th 2011 by Yale University Press

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Jun 21, 2011 Kerry rated it 2 of 5 stars

I'm going to be up front about this: I did not finish Joe DiMaggio. I meant to. Really. I just couldn't get into it. Which is not to say that the book itself is not a good one. It's incredibly well-researched, and Jerome Charyn is a skilled writer and biographer. Rather than simply regurgitating well-known (or even little-known) facts, Charyn inserts his own take on events where appropriate. He draws on myriad sources, quoting heavily when necessary and breezing through details when fitting. The...more

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Apr 25, 2011 The Sunday Book Review added it

Want to know about DiMaggio after he left baseball? This book will shed light on what his life was like and how others around him adjusted. Here we get an inside view to his sad marriage to Marilyn Monroe. What looked like the dream marriage to outsiders was a tormented and often lonely life. Which person would he wake up to: Marilyn or Norma Jean?

So often when we hear the name DiMaggio we picture him at his height in popularity in baseball. We tend to forget the man he was after he left and how...more

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Apr 01, 2011 Lenore Webb rated it 5 of 5 stars

Are there days you daydream? Your mind wondering around looking to escape? Well I have been in that state the last few days. Did you miss me? I know you wonder where I have been or up to. Well I was living the life of a star. Well in my head at least.

You see, I was lost in my daydreams, associating with Jolting Joe and America's Sexiest Woman. I finally have taken the book, The Long Vigil, away from Dear Hubby. He had been hogging it. And now I am getting to float through it myself. Jerome Char...more Are there days you daydream? Your mind wondering around looking to escape? Well I have been in that state the last few days. Did you miss me? I know you wonder where I have been or up to. Well I was living the life of a star. Well in my head at least.

You see, I was lost in my daydreams, associating with Jolting Joe and America's Sexiest Woman. I finally have taken the book, The Long Vigil, away from Dear Hubby. He had been hogging it. And now I am getting to float through it myself. Jerome Charyn writes about Joe DiMaggio focusing on his life after retiring from baseball. It was then that he had a nine month marriage to Marilyn Monroe. What a picture they presented to the American public. But as we all know, photos are not always real life. Most of the time they are posed.

Well that is more of what life was for Joe and Marilyn. Sadly it was a set up marriage to boost Marilyn's sinking image due to her infamous nude photos cropping up. And more so, that Joe loved her deeply in his quiet way. Joe, raised in an All-American setting, being the All-American baseball player, thought he was getting the All-American gal for the All-American life. Not seeing that wounded Norma Jean would be there one moment and sultry screen star Marilyn there the next. One role that Marilyn was not going to fit into was the housewife sitting home caring for her dear hubby. It is one thing to wear the pearls and heels on screen and other to live a life drab of color in reality.

But while reading The Long Vigil I had managed to daydream of a different life too. Being the one who loves hearth and home, I could sympathize with Joe and his desires to take it easy for once. I was feeling the lump that appeared in my throat when he found out that Marilyn filed for a divorce. And more so the cut to the heart when she died before they were able to get back together again. Joe was a quiet stoic man who had lived a life of hard work in the public eye. He wanted to be able to have the normal life that most of us try to escape. Sadly it would be one that left him heartbroken and lonely for 37 years. (less)

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Mar 31, 2011 Nicole Langan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Joe DiMaggio as an autistic ballplayer is an interesting concept. Jerome Charyn explores this theory in "Joe DiMaggio: The Long Vigil." As an incredibly gifted athlete, the renowned New York Yankee excelled at hitting a curve ball out of the park or catching a long fly in centerfield. But away from the game, he lived a secluded life surrounded by a few, select people that he barely even talked to. His social skills were so poor that he had trouble reading his own name off a cue card.

Yet how did...more Joe DiMaggio as an autistic ballplayer is an interesting concept. Jerome Charyn explores this theory in "Joe DiMaggio: The Long Vigil." As an incredibly gifted athlete, the renowned New York Yankee excelled at hitting a curve ball out of the park or catching a long fly in centerfield. But away from the game, he lived a secluded life surrounded by a few, select people that he barely even talked to. His social skills were so poor that he had trouble reading his own name off a cue card.

Yet how did such an awkward, insecure man marry Marilyn Monroe? Charyn feels that the relationship was created as the ultimate public relations move. A nude calendar of Marilyn had surfaced and she wanted to rehabilitate her image by staging DiMaggio as her real life leading man. No one was viewed as more stable or reliable than The Yankee Clipper. What she never expected was that he would literally become obsessed with her.

The book is not a straight biography. Charyn inserts his own opinions and at times writes in the first person. At under 150 pages of text, it is not an overwhelming read. Instead it is a unique look at a man whose iconic status is tempered by very human flaws. His unbreakable concentration on the ballfield left him mentally drained and physically exhausted. This intensely driven quest for perfection was unendurable, yet it was a pattern he followed throughout his life. His sense of discipline was unmatched, but it lacked the heart and emotion that would allow others to connect with him. By keeping himself aloof and distant, Charyn describes DiMaggio as being above the world around him and not part of it.

A poignant passage revolves around DiMaggio's most legendary achievement - his 56 game hitting streak in 1941. Charyn gives a rich, textured account transporting the reader back to that moment in time. Europe is in the midst of World War II, and the United States is on the brink. Americans are nervous, scared and uncertain. DiMaggio was their national distraction. Would he get a hit? Would he keep the streak alive? His heroics on the field provided Americans with a sense of hope during a dark hour.

For a man who didn't even talk much to his own teammates, life after baseball became an odyssey of extreme loneliness for DiMaggio. He was like an ex-president - a once powerful man now removed from his lofty position. He was aimless and adrift. He did the autograph circuit until he dropped making millions, yet receiving little personal satisfaction. He died basically alone in a hospital room reportedly saying his last words to a nurse who was attending him. It was a sad and pathetic end for a life so revered.

While short in length, the book is chock full of details and interesting tidbits. Subjects range from Lou Gehrig and Mickey Mantle to Paul Simon and Frank Sinatra. Charyn expertly and proficiently covers the major areas of DiMaggio's life in a succinct manner. Told chronologically, it reads more like a page-turning, in-depth magazine profile than a droll, just-the-facts reference book.

Charyn looks at the big picture. He encourages the reader to remember DiMaggio for his dogged determination and his strict adherence to duty. He provided inspiration to his team on the field playing through injury and illness. He brutally forced his mind to focus so he would never be seen making a mistake. He gave it his all - every time. While he couldn't obtain the perfection he so strived for, he never gave up on the two things that mattered the most to him - baseball and Marilyn Monroe.

Overall, Charyn is able to provide the language DiMaggio lacked in describing his life. (less)

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Jul 23, 2011 Donald Crane rated it 3 of 5 stars

More Charyn's personal remembrance of DiMaggio than a biography. My initial reaction was negative because it seemed as though most of the factual material was taken from other works rather than from original source materials; after I abandoned the notion that this was a biography, I accepted it for what it was.

Charyn paints a picture of an exquisite, almost balletic, ballplayer whose only venue of comfort was center field and on a baseball field. He was painfully shy, antisocial, aloof, and recl...more

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May 17, 2011 David rated it 3 of 5 stars

Charyn, who worshipped DiMaggio as a boy, wrote this as a corrective to Richard Ben Cramer's biography, "Joe DiMaggio: A Hero's Life." But whereas Cramer's bio portrays DiMaggio as being cold and narcissistic, Charyn's book just makes him look pathetic.

DiMaggio was clearly only comfortable on the baseball diamond and was kind of an empty suit off of it. Charyn states that Joe needed a cue card in order to pronounce his own name while doing TV work and I almost believe him. Joe D. did find love,...more

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Feb 26, 2011 Tara rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is not so much a biography as an exploration of DiMaggio as American icon. As a fan of Marilyn Monroe, I have always wanted to learn more about Joe's life. Being English, baseball is foreign territory for me (but then, so is football.) I enjoyed Charyn's portrait of Joe in his athletic prime and his own memories of childhood as a baseball fan in NY. The relationship with Marilyn was described almost as a dark fairy-tale. There were a few points I disagreed with - for example, I'm not convin...more

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Apr 10, 2011 Leslie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-reviews, autobiorgraphy, sports, famous-people

Article first published as Book Review: Joe DiMaggio: The Long Vigil by Jerome Charyn on Blogcritics.

Accessing the moments and memories of a bygone era and a time of spectacular achievements, Jerome Charyn has delved into the mystery of Joe DiMaggio and brought him to life. In Joe DiMaggio The Long Vigil, we follow Joe from his beginnings, to his fame in baseball, into his two marriages and then on to his decline. And through it all, we begin to get a picture of the man behind the legend.

He was...more Article first published as Book Review: Joe DiMaggio: The Long Vigil by Jerome Charyn on Blogcritics.

Accessing the moments and memories of a bygone era and a time of spectacular achievements, Jerome Charyn has delved into the mystery of Joe DiMaggio and brought him to life. In Joe DiMaggio The Long Vigil, we follow Joe from his beginnings, to his fame in baseball, into his two marriages and then on to his decline. And through it all, we begin to get a picture of the man behind the legend.

He was a man known for his grace and his dignity, a star centerfielder for the New York Yankees from the years 1936-1951. His career did not end with baseball however; he is also famous as the husband of Marilyn Monroe. A private man well respected and revered in sports, he was nevertheless second fiddle to Marilyn, a woman whose life was even larger than his own. While Joe DiMaggio The Long Vigil by Charyn certainly details the marriage reported at the time, this book is in no way about Marilyn, yet she is still a part of it.

Charyn uses the myriads of information on the life of “Joltin” Joe and wends it into a detailed look at his life, and the effects he had on those around him. As you read the information, you are at once drawn to Joe’s character, and yet put off by some of his reasoning. It is the story behind the story of a man who became a legend. It is also the story about a man who helped to build the legend of Marilyn as well.

He is a remarkable character, but with flaws that make his as human as the rest of us. He surrounded himself with people of character, unique and funny, and usually well known. He was friends with Frank Sinatra, Hugh Hefner and Ernest Hemingway to name a few. While the book takes you through his baseball years, along with his remarkable abilities, it also details his tortured relationship with Marilyn, the woman that captured his soul. There is sadness and despair, anger and frustration, and through it all Charyn keeps you caring and understanding about Joe’s past.

Even after Marilyn’s death, Joe persevered. In another odd and unusual way, he then became the representative for Mr. Coffee. Based on Joe’s inherent dislike of the press and speaking, this very private man moved into the spotlight in an unexpected way. This was one of the stranger evolutions in his life.

Here was a man, that in the course of his life had not just one, but three different careers that were amazing and yet larger than life. Charyn brings it all together and gives you a sympathetic and yet intense look at the man. With his love for Marilyn never diminishing, Joe nevertheless lived for 37 years after her death, and yet never forgot her. This is a personal look at the life of a man in turmoil and yet one that went on to a form of immortality through his abilities and the memories he carved.

If you are a sports fan, a Marilyn fan or just really enjoy a book that makes you think, you will enjoy Joe DiMaggio A Long Vigil. I waded into the material with certain expectation but found that I was nowhere prepared at the depth and scope of the story. Once started, I found Joe the Legend to be just a man after all, with the same pains and fears as we all have. Somehow, to me, I am even more amazed at his progress, and while you could say this could or would give you a more sympathetic look at Joe DiMaggio, I have actually just become a bigger fan. Here is a man, with all the fear and flaws that could derail him and yet he emerges as a legend and just a bit more.

This would be a wonderful book for a reading group and a must have for your library. This is an extraordinary telling of Joe the man.(less)

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Apr 11, 2011 Bob rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, non-fiction

Part of Yale's American Icon series, Charyn's sad, often even depressing, well written portrait of the inner life of one of The Game's greats portrays a man who lived in only two places, at the ballpark and in his love for Monroe, whose star was rising as his was descending. Very revealing, quite at odds with most of the written work on Jolting Joe, with lots of insight and information on baseball that should appeal to the fan or anyone who would like an intimate look at the flip side of an Amer...more

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Apr 23, 2011 Literary rated it 3 of 5 stars

Cover

I love the picture on the cover. The photographer captured a moment in time where DiMaggio seems almost content and happy with his second wife, Marilyn Monroe.

Plot/Main Character

Watching baseball is one of my favorite pasttimes. To get to know more about one of the greatest players, Joe DiMaggio, was a bonus for me.

Jerome Charyn has given readers a glimpse into the emotionally reclusive life of the Dago. I almost feel sorry for him. But then I think, "How much of the reclusiveness could he...more

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May 04, 2012 Jeff rated it 4 of 5 stars

Joe DiMaggio: The Long Vigil is one of the best baseball books I've read in some time and is certainly one of the best sports biographies of our time, though it's really more of a character study than a biography. Jerome Charyn is very passionate about his subject and paints a portrait of Joltin' Joe as only a true fan and student of the game could. Charyn portrays Joe as a complex and heavily burdened man who becomes the best there is at what he does, whose life has no meaning without baseball,...more

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Jan 18, 2012 Aly Baiter rated it 3 of 5 stars

Something was missing...maybe a bit of flatness. Perhaps, it was a mirror to Joe DiMaggio, himself. He's not a man, even on reflection, you can embrace. Interesting...despite how your left w/o depth of man or character, throughout the book (growing as you continue): man, I wish I could've seen DiMaggio play.

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May 03, 2011 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

An aboslutely fascinating read and I do not even follow sports. My full review may be read on my book review blog Rundpinne.

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Apr 24, 2011 Michelle Vasquez rated it 4 of 5 stars

Please read my full review of this book here:

http://lifeinreviewblog.wordpress.com...

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Mar 15, 2012 Lisa rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was a nice look into Joe's life after he left the Yankees. It was a little Marilyn heavy, but I have no doubt that his love for her made him behave the way he did later in life. He was truly a tortured soul whose one true place in life was center field.

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May 15, 2013 Nicole Sunderlin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Good read!

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About Jerome Charyn

Jerome Charyn has been teaching film for the past fourteen years at the American University of Paris. His novel, The Green Lantern, was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award and he has also received the Rosenthal Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Charyns new novel, The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson, an astonishing work that reveals the passions and heartbreak of Americas greate...more

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