BYB REVIEW: JOE DIMAGGIO: THE LONG VIGIL By Jerome Charyn

If we asked all the Bleeding Yankee Blue die-hards for there top five Yankees of all time, I would bet that everyone would include Joe DiMaggio there top 5. In fact, I think it would be safe to say that even the casual baseball fan considers Joe DiMaggio a true legend. Well, there is a new book out called Joe DiMaggio: The Long Vigil that is a must read! BYB was approached by the book’s publicist and asked if we would like to read the book and write a brief review. We jumped at the chance because we love the Yankees and cherish the history of the team. Here is my honest assessment of the book and why I think all Yankee fans and really, just any fan of America’s favorite pastime, will enjoy reading this book.

Joe DiMaggio: The long Vigil is a book that lifts the veil a bit into the life of Joe DiMaggio, the public figure. The author of the book is Jerome Charyn and he did an amazing job of presenting “Joltin’ Joe” as the true American icon that he is. Mr. Charyn wasn’t looking for gossip or sensationalized details of Joe D’s private life and I was happy to see that. He really showed me a side of “The Yankee Clipper” that I never knew existed. We all know about Joe D’s very public relationship and marriage to Marilyn Monroe but I had no idea the impact that relationship had on DiMaggio’s life after baseball and The Long Vigil goes into great detail about how it did.

I’ve read some books over the years about DiMaggio’s life off the field and none of those books ever seem to shed him in a good light. I think that’s just because most of these writers just didn’t care for the way Joe D didn’t allow them into his personal life. Mr. Charyn paints the life of Joe DiMaggio that seems more on target to me. He shows us how DiMaggio was indeed a complex man who might have been flawless on the field but not in his personal life. But, to me, that’s what makes Joe D such a American icon. I mean, he was a real person like you and I. Sure, he was famous and couldn’t walk out his door without being mobbed by the public and paparazzi but deep down inside, he was pardon the pun, "Regular Joe". The man suffered tragedy, was madly in love, was insecure at times, even broken, (stop me when if this doesn’t describe you and me), but, he was REAL.

I really enjoyed the book and I think all of you would as well. It‘s a quick, yet detailed read. Joe DiMaggio is an American icon and a GREAT Yankee, perhaps the greatest and make no mistake, the man had flaws, but who doesn‘t? After finishing The Long Vigil I have such a new respect for Joe DiMaggio and I’m even more proud that he was a New York Yankee. To paraphrase “The Yankee Clipper“... “I want to thank the Good Lord for making me a Yankee”, fan!

You can follow Joe DiMaggio: The Long Vigil on Twitter @JoeDiMaggio2011 and on
Facebook HERE.

Jerome Charyn is on Twitter @jeromecharyn as well as Facebook HERE.

You can also read about Jerome Charyn on his personal website.

You can read all about the Book Tour for Joe DiMaggio: The Long Vigil HERE.

Joe DiMaggio: The Long Vigil can be purchased at:Amazon.com or Barnes&Noble.com
or at your local bookstore.

Publisher: Yale University Press


--Mikey Blue, BYB Senior Writer




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