October 1964

"Compelling . . . [ October ] 1964 is a chronicle of the end of a great dynasty and of a game, like the country, on the cusp of enormous change." — Newsweek

David Halberstam, an avid sportswriter with an investigative reporter's tenacity, superbly details the end of the fifteen-year reign of the New York Yankees in October 1964. That October found the Yankees going head-to-head with the St. Louis Cardinals for the World Series pennant. Expertly weaving the narrative threads of both teams' seasons, Halberstam brings the major personalities on the field—from switch-hitter Mickey Mantle to pitcher Bob Gibson—to life. Using the teams' subcultures, Halberstam also analyzes the cultural shifts of the sixties. The result is a unique blend of sports writing and cultural history as engrossing as it is insightful.

"Superb reporting. . . . One of the many joys of this book is the humanity with which Halberstam explores the characters as well as the talents of the players, coaches and managers. These are not demigods of summer but flawed, believable human beings who on occasion can rise to peaks of heroism." — Chicago Sun-Times

"Halberstam's latest gives us the feeling of actually being there—in another time, in the locker rooms and in the minds of baseball legends. His time and effort researching the book result in a fluency with his topic and a fluidity of writing that make the reading almost effortless. . . . Absorbing." — San Francisco Chronicle

This ebook features an extended biography of David Halberstam.