Major League Baseball's Opening Day 1951. Nineteen-year-old Mickey Mantle puts on the New York Yankees' famous white pinstriped uniform. His stomach roils. Sweat beads his brow. Today his first major league game in front of a near-capacity crowd at Yankee Stadium, and there is one man Mickey doesn't want to disappoint above all others: his father.

Mickey Mantle: Rookie in Pinstripes  is the uplifting true story of how a painfully shy teenager from rural Commerce, Oklahoma, became one of the biggest stars in Major League Baseball. While he looked to Joe DiMaggio for inspiration and dreamed of someday playing with that great New York Yankee, Mickey's true hero was his dad.

Raised during the Depression, Mickey learned how to catch, hit, and field the ball from his father, Elvin. In high school, Mickey suffered a football injury that revealed a serious bone disorder. He wondered if he would ever play baseball again. But with the support and love of his father, he overcame his affliction and signed with the New York Yankees in 1949.

A moving story of Mickey's early years in baseball, from his difficult rookie season to his triumphant return in 1951, Mickey Mantle portrays the everlasting bond between father and son and the making of one of baseball's greatest legends.



Tom Stanton
Author of "Ty and The Babe"
"Fred Glueckstein takes us back to 1951 and the glorious debut of an American baseball legend, Mickey Mantle. This is the most detailed account yet of Mantle's rookie year, and it's a joy to read -- perfect for Yankee fans of all ages."


David H. Fischvogt
Director of Education and Programming
Sports Legend Museum at Camden Yards and
the Babe Ruth Birthplace
"Fred Glueckstein's latest book, Mickey Mantle: A Rookie in Pinstripes, brings back so many memories of Mickey and the Yankees during the early 50s. From his high school days in Oklahoma through the '51 World Series, Fred chronicles Mickey's early years, as he takes us behind the scenes as well as on the field. Yankee fans, both young and old will enjoy reliving those moments as they read this book."


Tracy Roberts
Write Field Services
One of the most famous and beloved baseball legends of all times is Mickey Mantle. Many books and articles have been written about the sports hero. In his book, Mickey Mantle, Rookie in Pinstripes, author Fred Glueckstein, delivers an in-depth account of Mickey Mantle's life covering his early life and his 1951 rookie year.

Glueckstein presents a comprehensive story of how events in Mickey's young life, particularly his relationship with his father, early teammates and coaches, as well as significant incidents that influenced and shaped him to become a baseball legend. Glueckstein chronicles his childhood as a "shy youngster with blond hair and freckles from rural Oklahoma." Raised in a family with a strong work ethic, readers will gain insight into the deep connection Mickey had with his father and the trials and tribulations he faced and conquered. Not only do we gain insight into his personal struggles, Glueckstein also shares the influences of such baseball greats as Yogi Berra, Hank Bauer and Phil Rizzuto. Memorable events such as meeting Joe DiMaggio were both emotional and inspiring: "With Joe DiMaggio, I couldn't even mumble hello. It was as if you needed an appointment just to approach him." Readers will also discover how other baseball legends felt about Mickey.

Along with a very detailed account of Mickey's childhood and rookie year, Glueckstein is able to capture the excitement of the era making one feel as though they are reliving legendary moments in baseball history. What makes the story such a fascinating and compelling read is how much research went into writing the book which includes documented conversations, letters, pictures of Mickey during childhood, and baseball stats. The book is skillfully crafted to allow readers to see a personal side of Mickey that was burdened with such struggles as personal loss, overcoming weaknesses in terms of playing performance, and the pain endured from physical injuries. Readers will gain a candid look into how the baseball legend was made with the strong influence of his father shaping his determination, resolve, dedication, and the love of the game. It is an inspiring story of never giving up on a dream.

Mickey Mantle is highly recommended not only to baseball fans, but to readers who enjoy stories about sports legends that understood that the driving force for success wasn't fame or fortune, but the true love of the game.


Charles Ashbacher
*****Five Star Rating
Top Amazon Reviewer
A great baseball book, June 7, 2008
One day in the 1970's, the conversation between and a co-worker and I drifted to great baseball players. He told me that when he was a child, he would have sold his soul for a Mickey Mantle baseball card. That sums up the feelings many of us had for Mickey Mantle. He was an astonishing player, had he not been injured and forced to play with pain all those years, it is likely that he would have set records that even the steroid powered modern players could not have touched.

This book is an account of Mickey's play in 1951, his rookie year with the Yankees. While the emphasis is on Mickey and his play that season, there is enough background so that you can understand the relationship that he had with his father Elvin (Mutt) Mantle. It was a close one, yet Mutt was always tough with Mickey, reminding him how hard life is. That firmness was necessary when Mickey was contemplating dropping baseball and returning to Oklahoma. This would have meant a return to the zinc mines and quite likely an early death.

Glueckstein writes with a masked deep feeling, he maintains objectivity, yet you can see the passion he has for the subject. I started the book late in the evening and finished it early the following morning, stopping only for the necessary nature breaks. This is a book that all fans of the great Mickey and baseball will enjoy.


Dr. Michael Philliber
Reader Views - www.readerviews.com
Most people have heard of the great ball player Mickey Mantle, but few know the story of his rapid rise from obscurity to distinction, and the hurdles he had to overcome to get there and stay there. Fred Glueckstein has masterfully captured part of the famous baseball player’s life in his short book “Mickey Mantle: Rookie in Pinstripes.” This book, written for young adults, will be enjoyed by anyone desiring to learn about Mantle’s early years, and how he rose from out of the Depression and Dust Bowl to the 1951 World Series.

Though Glueckstein could have written a full biography of Mantle’s life, he has intelligently limited his scope to the baseball star’s rookie year with the New York Yankees, and all that led up to that formative time. By narrowing his range, Glueckstein has been able to both focus his attention to the important parts of Mantle’s early years in Oklahoma, Kansas and his first year with the Yankees, and to provide young adults an easily readable book that will inspire their desire to succeed and never give up.

“Mickey Mantle: Rookie in Pinstripes” is the story of a young Oklahoma boy whose father and grandfather worked hard in the zinc and lead mines by day, and then at night poured themselves into helping Mickey become a superb switch hitter, able to hit solid homeruns from either the left or right side of home plate. This is the story of a young man who learned that he had a serious bone disease while in high school, and yet never let it stop him. This is a story of a developing success that failed and then overcame his failure to soar high in baseball history. This is a story of a father’s encouraging drive and a son’s determined love.

In this nicely-bound, well-edited book, “Mickey Mantle: Rookie in Pinstripes,” Glueckstein has pulled together loads of batting averages and other important statistics for the baseball fanatic. And yet the author has also woven in the personal side which makes the story come alive before the reader’s eyes. Everything from snippets of personal dialogues, to snatches from his personal letters to his future wife, Merlyn Johnson, the humanness of a Major League Baseball star comes out.

If the reader is looking for an easy, inspiring, well-written book that will encourage both younger and older, then I recommend “Mickey Mantle: Rookie in Pinstripes,” by Fred Glueckstein.



Interview by Tyler R. Tichelaar of Reader Views
Click the link for the full interview