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The Big Bam (Abridged): The Life and Times of Babe Ruth Audiobook
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(3.05) - 635 listener ratings
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He was the Sultan of Swat. The Caliph of Clout. The Wizard of Whack. The Bambino. And simply, to his teammates, the Big Bam. From the award-winning author of the New York Times bestseller Ted Williams comes the thoroughly original, definitively ambitious, and exhilaratingly colorful biography of the largest legend ever to loom in baseball—and in the history of organized sports. “[Montville is] one of America’s best sportswriters.” —Chicago Tribune Babe Ruth was more than baseball’s original superstar. For eighty-five years, he has remained the sport’s reigning titan. He has been named Athlete of the Century . . . more than once. But who was this large, loud, enigmatic man? Why is so little known about his childhood, his private life, and his inner thoughts? In The Big Bam, Leigh Montville, whose recent New York Times bestselling biography of Ted Williams garnered glowing reviews and offered an exceptionally intimate look at Williams’s life, brings his trademark touch to this groundbreaking, revelatory portrait of the Babe. Based on newly discovered documents and interviews—including pages from Ruth’s personal scrapbooks —The Big Bam traces Ruth’s life from his bleak childhood in Baltimore to his brash entrance into professional baseball, from Boston to New York and into the record books as the world’s most explosive slugger and cultural luminary. Montville explores every aspect of the man, paying particular attention to the myths that have always surrounded him. Did he really hit the “called shot” homer in the 1932 World Series? Were his home runs really “the farthest balls ever hit” in countless ballparks around the country? Was he really part black—making him the first African American professional baseball superstar? And was Ruth the high-octane, womanizing, heavy-drinking “fatso” of legend . . . or just a boyish, rudderless quasi-orphan who did, in fact, take his training and personal conditioning quite seriously? At a time when modern baseball is grappling with hyper-inflated salaries, free agency, and assorted controversies, The Big Bam brings back the pure glory days of the game. Leigh Montville operates at the peak of his abilities, exploring Babe Ruth in a way that intimately, and poignantly, illuminates a most remarkable figure.
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"Baseball's most Legendary Athlete explodes from the pages...A Biography that captures the Complete Story...from Ruth's Hard Scrabble days as an orphan thru his meteoric rise as perhaps the most iconic Figure in the Game of Baseball....Truth eclipses Fiction as the story comes alive thru a thorough exploration of the Man, Myth, and Legend...The headlines everyone has come to be familair with...PLUS a behind the scenes exploration into his Vices; and those hidden commentaries regarding the REAL relationships both on the Field and Off that keep you turning the pages until his tragic struggle with Cancer ended his Storybook Life on 8/16/48 at the age of 53...."
— Patrick (4 out of 5 stars)
The Big Bam Listener Reviews
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" A warts and all view of Babe Ruth. No sugar coating. Good read. "
— Kent, 2/20/2014 -
" He led such an interesting life. He was kind of a disgusting person - physically, morally, pretty much in every way - but you just can't help but love the guy for how he played the game. Just imagine if he could have used steroids like today's players...that would have been something to see. "
— Dan, 2/13/2014 -
" Just a really good biography. Not the world's hardest subject, mind, but it was neither sappy nor preachy, hagiography nor hater. I even learned a few things about the Babe from the book. I haven't read any other Bambinbios, but this one would certainly be a good place to start for anybody wanting the story of (sorry Ted Williams but it's the truth) the greatest hitter who ever lived. "
— Randal, 2/2/2014 -
" Good choice if you need a concise bio on the Babe. Compact and streamlined, The Big Bam covers his entire life in as much detail as the casual baseball fan needs. Biography buffs will want something that digs deeper into his personal life, while rabid baseball fans will desire more in depth analysis about his career, and for those in the middle with little-to-no knowledge of the man beyond the basics that everyone and their grandma already knows, this will be just right. "
— Jason, 1/31/2014 -
" The Sultan of Swat, the King of Crash, the Colossus of Clout, the Great Bambino! Babe Ruth is an American cultural icon. And this book is a very revealing look at his life. Definitely a flawed character blessed with amazing talent. "
— Jared, 1/28/2014 -
" Montville has a flair for taking you into the world of the person he is writing on. Sometimes raw and occasionally vulgar this book gives a sense of what it was like to live in Babe Ruth's world. It is an interesting and recommended read for those interested in bigger than life people and the historical context that surrounds their lives. "
— Kevin, 1/4/2014 -
" Fun book, not too terribly serious, but gives both a fine overview of Ruth and his life and times, and also a nice feel for New York City in the Roaring '20s. Montville works the vernacular a bit harder than is necessary, but has mastered the material. "
— Jack, 12/31/2013 -
" Its ok so far, the writer repeats lots of discredited facts and ahhh lets see how I feel by the end of the book... "
— Katherine, 12/28/2013 -
" So far this is everything that I had hoped for in a sports bio... "
— Mike, 12/1/2013 -
" Very interesting look into the Babe, and really Baseball in the teen's and twenties. "
— Jim, 10/27/2013 -
" Pretty interesting and thorough biography of Babe Ruth, very readable. "
— Nick, 10/7/2013 -
" Babe Ruth as a real human rather than a larger-than-life Tall Tale. Funny thing is, he really was larger than life in several respects. "
— Paul, 9/15/2013 -
" Great read. Really great portrayal of Ruth, good and bad. "
— David, 6/29/2013 -
" Good story of Babe Ruth. "
— Midge, 3/17/2013 -
" Fair to middlin'. Fair because of the subject and middlin' because of the writing. "
— Rob, 2/21/2013 -
" A very good story about a unique person. Great details about a very, very interesting individual. "
— Tim, 9/1/2012 -
" I loved this book ... "
— Thomas, 8/26/2012 -
" I learned a lot about Ruth. I had no idea about the last portion of his life. It was actually prettyu heart breaking. It's just too bad documentation was so sparse back during his time. "
— Kyle, 7/23/2012 -
" i've read a lot of baseball books. This was up there with the best. "
— Luigib, 6/12/2012 -
" A terrific follow-up to Montville's previous baseball bio of Ted Williams. A must read for baseball fans with an interest in the history of the game. The Babe truly was a larger than life character. "
— Raimo, 3/8/2012 -
" Truth is stranger than fiction. The Babe was the Babe. "
— Matt, 9/21/2011 -
" A warts and all view of Babe Ruth. No sugar coating. Good read. "
— Kent, 1/27/2011 -
" i've read a lot of baseball books. This was up there with the best. "
— Luigib, 12/27/2010 -
" It seems like Babe Ruth a part of the fabric of the American story of the underdog who makes good. He's more than a baseball hero; he's an American hero. "
— Todd, 5/17/2010 -
" Biography of the Babe. Reads like a novel. "
— Kris, 1/28/2010 -
" i;m a yankee fan so perhaps biased "
— Goatville9, 9/29/2009 -
" Fair to middlin'. Fair because of the subject and middlin' because of the writing. "
— Rob, 7/16/2009 -
" I wanted to read a book about baseball - and babe ruth is baseball! an intersting story but i probably could have watched the Biography special on him and i would have learned about the same... "
— Stacy, 6/21/2009 -
" Very interesting look into the Babe, and really Baseball in the teen's and twenties. "
— Jim, 3/15/2009
About Leigh Montville
JD Jackson is a theater professor, aspiring stage director, and award-winning audiobook narrator. He is a classically trained actor, and his television and film credits include roles on House, ER, Law & Order, Hack, Sherrybaby, Diary of a City Priest, and Lucky Number Slevin. He is the recipient of more than a dozen Earphones Awards for narration and an Odyssey Honor for G. Neri’s Ghetto Cowboy, and he was also named one of AudioFile magazine’s Best Voices of the Year for 2012 and 2013. An adjunct professor at Los Angeles Southwest College, he has an MFA in theater from Temple University.
About Adam Grupper
Adam Grupper, award-winning narrator, has garnered honors from AudioFile magazine, Publishers Weekly, iTunes, the Society of Voice Arts and Sciences, and the Audio Publishers Association. He has been in eleven Broadway productions, including the acclaimed revival of Fiddler on the Roof. His film and television credits include The Rebound, Homeland, Master of None, Music and Lyrics, Two Weeks Notice, Elementary, and Allegiance.