56: Joe DiMaggio and the Last Magic Number by Kostya Kennedy

I have chosen to do my book review on 56, Joe DiMaggio and the Last Magic Number In Sports by Kostya Kennedy. This 368 page book is about Joe DiMaggio’s record-setting 56 consecutive games with a hit. It all starts on a May afternoon in Yankee Stadium in the year 1941. As Americans worry about the war that is going on in Europe, DiMaggio gets a hit in a game that is the hardly noticed beginning of the biggest baseball achievement of all times. It isn’t until he hits safely in 19 games that his streak is first really noticed. At the same time Lou Gehrig, the Iron Horse, died. As the streak extends, Joe feels more and more pressure on him. Kennedy includes parts about DiMaggio’s private life with his wife, Dorothy, and sections that talk about The View From Here, the improbability and odds of a 56 game hitting streak and other streaks.

In this thought-provoking novel, you are dragged back in time to the summer of 1941 to witness Joltin’ Joe’s terrific feat. You will experience the excitement from the whole country for two months during DiMaggio’s unrelenting streak. 56 has not received any rewards and there are no other books written by Kennedy. The recommended reading age isn’t specified, but I would say it is a young adult to adult novel. Richard Ben Cramer says, “Kennedy rescues The Streak from the numberish precinct of the record book and brings it back to the realm of drama which it dominated in 1941. He follows the ripples of DiMaggio’s doings to the wide world beyond baseball and delivers to us a tale that’s a delight.” Kirkus Reviews says, “Sports Illustrated senior editor Kennedy follows the days of Joe DiMaggio’s immortal hitting streak, evoking the mood of a long-gone America to which DiMaggio was a central figure.” If you liked the Baseball Card Adventures series by Dan Gutman including Mickey and Me then you might like this book even though it is more challenging. A quote from the book is “Muncrief looked over and saw Browns manager Luke Sewell emerging from the first base dugout. Was he coming to take Muncrief out of the game? Sewell had been on the St. Louis job for just a couple of weeks and he had an ornery side. ‘Walk him,’ Sewell said when he got out to Muncrief. The pitcher looked at his manager in surprise.” Is this the end of the streak? You have to read to find out. I highly recommend this book and I am sure you will like it.

Recommended by Christopher