Hank Greenberg: The Story of My Life

by Hank Greenberg, Ira Berkow (Editor)

Once in a great while there appears a baseball player who transcends the game and earns universal admiration from his fellow players, from fans, and from the American people. Such a man was Hank Greenberg, whose dynamic life and legendary career are among baseball's most inspiring stories. The Story of My Life tells the story of this extraordinary man in his own words, describing his childhood as the son of Eastern European immigrants in New York; his spectacular baseball career as one of the greatest home-run hitters of all time and later as a manager and owner; his heroic service in World War II; and his courageous struggle with cancer. Tall, handsome, and uncommonly good-natured, Greenberg was a secular Jew who, during a time of widespread religious bigotry in America, stood up for his beliefs. Throughout a lifetime of anti-Semitic abuse he maintained his dignity, becoming in the process a hero for Jews throughout America and the first Jewish ballplayer elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Genres: Baseball, Sports

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

Reviews

[Joel Haas · Rating 2 out of 5]

The autobiography of a modest, somewhat private person, unfortunately, does not shed significant light on the subject.

Hank Greenberg is a legend in multiple communities. As a Jewish Detroit Tiger fan who loves baseball history (and US history) I am right in the middle of the venn diagram of 'interested in Hankus Pankus.' However, while not bad, the insights into his thoughts in this book are lacking.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're a fan of baseball or look up to Hank Greenberg in any way, give it a read, as I did. It's an easy, quick autobiography filled out somewhat by Ira Berkow after Hank passed away. Honestly, I enjoyed the documentary "The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg" a bit more, but this is a sound telling of his life in his own words. As such, without an author to hound him, it lacks the depth I wanted to see. Berkow adds it to a degree, but not so much as one might expect.