Review of "Letters to Mickey With Mickey Mantle’s Last Letter to His Fans," by the Friends & Fans of Mickey Mantle

Review of

Letters to Mickey With Mickey Mantle’s Last Letter to His Fans, by the Friends & Fans of Mickey Mantle ISBN 0060183624

Five out of five stars

 This book is a collection of letters written to Mickey Mantle after his public acknowledgement of his longtime consumption of alcohol and the failure of his liver that led to his having a transplant. The letters reaffirm his position as a hero in the lives of the writers, some are typed while many are handwritten and sometimes difficult to read.

 The age of the writers varies from schoolchildren to people born before Mickey and the letters recapture the extent to which Mickey was a star while playing for the Yankees. One of the people I know once told me that when he was young he would have sold his soul for a Mickey Mantle baseball card. Many others felt that way, for some people, the only baseball players they have ever heard of were Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle.

 While the tone of the letters are upbeat, there is an underlying hint of sadness, for everyone knows that the illness from which he was suffering was largely self-inflicted. Mantle’s courage in facing his greatest test was real and to be commended, this book is a tribute to what he did after he hung up his glove.