While subtitled the The Life, The Legend. To me it felt that the author spent much more time adding to the legend of Willie Mays rather than revealing the true life behind the legend. ( )

An excellent, and very in depth, look into the life and career of one Willie Mays. Very well done and worth a read, if you have the time. ( )

James S. Hirsch’s Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend will likely long stand as the definitive biography of one of the greatest players in baseball history. Hirsch tried for years to get Mays to work with him on the book project, finally securing that cooperation after nearly giving up hope. In addition to granting interviews, Mays directed the author to friends, colleagues, and family members, and provided access to documents, photos, and other archival material. Combining this with Hirsch’s extensive research, we get a clear and fully rounded picture of the man on and off the field. Hirsch’s literary style and narrative techniques put this book a cut far above most other baseball biographies.

Between the foul lines we see Mays’s thrilling feats and accomplishments, his unmatched brand of baseball dynamism, and learn of his astute grasp of even the smallest nuances of the game. Hirsch follows the chronology of Mays’s brilliant career from his Negro League days with the Birmingham Black Barons to his pure joy of playing with the New York Giants, the long-delayed fan acceptance of him in San Francisco, and the sad and shaky final two years of his illustrious career with the New York Mets. The book is structured so that the timeline is occasionally interrupted with a chapter that specifically deals with a particular aspect of his life, such as racial issues or Mays’s lifelong devotion to children. This technique works well as it serves to help flesh out aspects of Mays’s character in a more focused manner.

And Hirsch does not pull any punches when dealing with Mays’s personality traits or his personal issues. In the early years of his career, Mays’s early innocence, trusting nature, and happy-go-lucky manner were seen as byproducts of his youthful inexperience, but as he grew into manhood those traits largely intact it appeared to simply reflect a naïveté that was sorely out of step with the complexities of the adult world. His continual forgiveness for racial slights prompted rebuke from civil rights activists such as Jackie Robinson. Indeed his ensuing marital and financial problems can be linked directly to his trusting nature. And from those episodes he came to trust no one in his later years but baseball players, children, and household pets. None from those groups would ever betray him. ( )

This very well written biography meticulously chronicles many—if not all—of the important events in the life of Willie Mays as both a superstar baseball player and a complex and often inscrutable man. Perhaps the most enlightening aspect of Hirsch’s comprehensive examination of Mays’ life is his ability to clearly contextualize Mays’ achievements and experiences as part of baseball history and American history.

Consequently, reading this book is comparable to reading a history of 20th-century America as viewed through the lens of one extraordinary man’s life; as he tells Mays’ story, Hirsch tackles many of the major issues of 20th-century America—namely race and racism, economics, and the growing popularity and cultural significance of sports. Hirsch spends a significant amount of time comparing and contrasting Mays’ role with respect to the civil rights movement with Jackie Robinson’s role. In this context, Mays appears to be a more conciliatory and less confrontational figure—which is true to character for him throughout his personal life and professional career. Whether playing the role of peacemaker in the Juan Marichal-Johnny Roseboro conflict (and the NY Mets fans vs. Pete Rose conflict during the 1973 NLCS) or patiently courting—over the course of years—his future second wife, Mays always chose the path of least resistance. This seeming passivity was often erroneously regarded as weakness or lack of fortitude, and Mays was sometimes left bitter and distrustful of others due to his experiences. Mays’ performance on the diamond and his genuine altruism, however, revealed a far more complex and compassionate man who valued harmony and peace above all else.

Hirsch has written a compelling biography of one of the most complex and celebrated figures in modern baseball history. Mays is not without his flaws, and this book is far from a hagiography, but Mays is, without a doubt, the epitome of class and a man worthy of the admiration that so many have for him.
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What can I say? I really enjoyed reading this biography of Willie Mays, who I saw play at the Polo Grounds as a kid. This is an authorized biography, so it doesn't explore every dark corner of Mays's life, but who wants to go there anyway? ( )