Rod Carew

April 15, 2020
Rod Carew is a baseball Hall of Famer: the 1967 American League Rookie of the Year, the 1977 Most Valuable Player, and a seven-time batting champion in a nearly two-decade career with the Minnesota Twins and California Angels. Fame in sports, however, does not insulate its stars from life's vagaries. This moving autobiography, while providing many anecdotes about Carew's interactions with fellow Hall of Famers such as Tony Oliva, Harmon Killebrew, Reggie Jackson, and Nolan Ryan, focuses on his life after he retired as a player. Carew's youngest daughter, Michelle, died of leukemia at 18, and his marriage didn't survive the tragedy. Life wasn't done with Carew. His own health problems led to a heart transplant, and the donor heart came from a former NFL player, Konrad Reuland. Subsequently, a bond developed between Carew and the Reuland family. Carew's later life, we learn, was as remarkable as his playing career: he has worked tirelessly to expand the bone-marrow registry, helped raise millions for pediatric cancers, and promoted awareness of heart disease and organ donation. A heartfelt and moving memoir by one of baseball's greats.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)