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Gehrig and the Babe: The Friendship and the Feud
As the greatest pair of sluggers to play together in baseball history, Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig helped found the first Yankees dynasty. Together, the two men enjoyed unparalleled fame, all while being thrown together in railroad cars and hotels on the road trips of baseball's long season. How well teammates got along was an important part of every team's fabric, but none more so than the relationship between the boisterous, fun-loving Babe and the buttoned-down, conservative Gehrig.It is hard to imagine two ballplayers more different than these two; yet at the height of greatness, they forged a friendship that transcended being teammates. Beyond the Yankees, Ruth and Gehrig would spend much of their time between seasons together, trying to capitalize on their fame by barnstorming, touring, or working the vaudeville circuit.Tony Castro's latest exploration of Yankee history explores the relationship between these two great players and how such intimate friends became separated by the squabbles that can arise from knowing somebody too well for too long. What were the reasons for their falling out? How did their subsequent feud affect Ruth's future? Was it a key element in the Yankees' decision to let the Babe leave, never to take up the managerial role he desperately coveted? Years later, only Gehrig's imminent death reconciled the two men.Beyond the history of Ruth and Gehrig's relationship, Castro explains how they took on a joint role in popular culture that reflected more than just sports fame. "Gehrig and the Babe" are linked by lore and myth that span generations, not merely as heroic sports figures but as men united by a historic friendship as well.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2006
12 people are currently reading
42 people want to read
About the author
Tony Castro
9 books24 followersTONY CASTRO is a Harvard and Baylor University-educated historian, Napoleon Bonaparte scholar and the author of the landmark civil rights history "Chicano Power," which Publishers Weekly acclaimed as “brilliant… a valuable contribution to the understanding of our time.”
Tony's latest book, "The Book of Marilyn," is a "thriller about the hunt for Marilyn Monroe’s lost diary—holding secrets that could rewrite history, topple power, and cost lives. Some truths are too dangerous to survive."
From its Amazon.com listing:
HOLLYWOOD’S GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL • Late one fateful night in 1978, Los Angeles prize-winning journalist Alex De La Cruz finds himself face-to-face with the story of a lifetime. Standing on his doorstep is Josie Clémenceau, a mysterious middle-aged woman whose timeless beauty evokes the golden age of Hollywood—but her eyes speak of shadows and secrets long buried. In her hands is a discovery that could rewrite history: Marilyn Monroe’s lost diary.
“Blockbuster mastery at its best… A gleefully explosive novel impossible to put down.” — LAMonthly.org
“An ingenious, pulse-quickening Hollywood-political suspense thriller.” — The Angeleno
What begins as a memoir of a movie star’s dazzling life quickly takes a darker turn. Hidden within the diary’s pages are revelations that shatter the mythos of America’s past. Marilyn Monroe, it turns out, had unwittingly stumbled upon a web of conspiracy tying the Mafia, anti-Castro operatives, and rogue CIA agents to one of the 20th century’s most infamous events: the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Before she could reveal what she knew, Marilyn was silenced.
Now, Alex and Josie are plunged into a high-stakes race to uncover the truth. But powerful forces—spanning the worlds of politics, organized crime, and Hollywood’s elite—will stop at nothing to keep the diary’s secrets buried. What begins as an investigation spirals into a deadly game of cat and mouse, where every step closer to the truth puts Alex and Josie in greater peril.
As the lines between past and present blur, Alex discovers that Josie’s connection to Marilyn Monroe might be far deeper—and more dangerous—than she’s revealed. The diary isn’t just a link to history; it’s a ticking time bomb that could expose decades of corruption and deceit.
With whip-smart dialogue, relentless suspense, and a plot that unfurls like a tightly wound thriller, The Book of Marilyn is more than a conspiracy novel—it’s a brilliant reinvention of the genre. Part Hollywood noir, part political intrigue, and wholly captivating, this is a heart-pounding tale of secrets, power, and the unyielding search for truth.
Get ready for a novel that will leave you breathless until its final, unforgettable twist.
As a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, Tony studied under Homeric scholar and translator Robert Fitzgerald, Mexican Nobel laureate Octavio Paz, and French history scholar Laurence Wylie. While at Harvard, he was a regular lecturer at the JFK Institute of Politics.
He is also a popular public speaker known for his wit and humor. He most recently lectured at his alma mater, Baylor University, on The Religion of Sports: From Michelangelo to Derek Jeter.
Tony lives in Los Angeles with his wife Renee LaSalle and Jeter, their black Labrador retriever. Their two grown sons, Trey and Ryan, and their families also reside in Southern California.
Tony's latest book, "The Book of Marilyn," is a "thriller about the hunt for Marilyn Monroe’s lost diary—holding secrets that could rewrite history, topple power, and cost lives. Some truths are too dangerous to survive."
From its Amazon.com listing:
HOLLYWOOD’S GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL • Late one fateful night in 1978, Los Angeles prize-winning journalist Alex De La Cruz finds himself face-to-face with the story of a lifetime. Standing on his doorstep is Josie Clémenceau, a mysterious middle-aged woman whose timeless beauty evokes the golden age of Hollywood—but her eyes speak of shadows and secrets long buried. In her hands is a discovery that could rewrite history: Marilyn Monroe’s lost diary.
“Blockbuster mastery at its best… A gleefully explosive novel impossible to put down.” — LAMonthly.org
“An ingenious, pulse-quickening Hollywood-political suspense thriller.” — The Angeleno
What begins as a memoir of a movie star’s dazzling life quickly takes a darker turn. Hidden within the diary’s pages are revelations that shatter the mythos of America’s past. Marilyn Monroe, it turns out, had unwittingly stumbled upon a web of conspiracy tying the Mafia, anti-Castro operatives, and rogue CIA agents to one of the 20th century’s most infamous events: the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Before she could reveal what she knew, Marilyn was silenced.
Now, Alex and Josie are plunged into a high-stakes race to uncover the truth. But powerful forces—spanning the worlds of politics, organized crime, and Hollywood’s elite—will stop at nothing to keep the diary’s secrets buried. What begins as an investigation spirals into a deadly game of cat and mouse, where every step closer to the truth puts Alex and Josie in greater peril.
As the lines between past and present blur, Alex discovers that Josie’s connection to Marilyn Monroe might be far deeper—and more dangerous—than she’s revealed. The diary isn’t just a link to history; it’s a ticking time bomb that could expose decades of corruption and deceit.
With whip-smart dialogue, relentless suspense, and a plot that unfurls like a tightly wound thriller, The Book of Marilyn is more than a conspiracy novel—it’s a brilliant reinvention of the genre. Part Hollywood noir, part political intrigue, and wholly captivating, this is a heart-pounding tale of secrets, power, and the unyielding search for truth.
Get ready for a novel that will leave you breathless until its final, unforgettable twist.
As a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, Tony studied under Homeric scholar and translator Robert Fitzgerald, Mexican Nobel laureate Octavio Paz, and French history scholar Laurence Wylie. While at Harvard, he was a regular lecturer at the JFK Institute of Politics.
He is also a popular public speaker known for his wit and humor. He most recently lectured at his alma mater, Baylor University, on The Religion of Sports: From Michelangelo to Derek Jeter.
Tony lives in Los Angeles with his wife Renee LaSalle and Jeter, their black Labrador retriever. Their two grown sons, Trey and Ryan, and their families also reside in Southern California.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
June 28, 2018
This is a sloppy book, despite the author’s extensive credentials. It needs better editing—there are numbers of typos and even incomplete sentences.
It also contradicts itself on several key points—for instance, an early chapter suggests the Babe was sterile. Later chapters suggest the daughter (Dorothy) he adopted with his first wife Helen was in fact his biological child. The two can’t co-exist; make up your mind and edit out the argument not chosen.
It is poorly organized, chapters jumping from topic to topic and not continuing to build on the previous chapter. It is vaguely chronological, but not strictly so, so there is a great deal of confusing jumping around from year to year, which also leads to unnecessary repetition.
It is an easy smooth read, though.
It also contradicts itself on several key points—for instance, an early chapter suggests the Babe was sterile. Later chapters suggest the daughter (Dorothy) he adopted with his first wife Helen was in fact his biological child. The two can’t co-exist; make up your mind and edit out the argument not chosen.
It is poorly organized, chapters jumping from topic to topic and not continuing to build on the previous chapter. It is vaguely chronological, but not strictly so, so there is a great deal of confusing jumping around from year to year, which also leads to unnecessary repetition.
It is an easy smooth read, though.
April 26, 2018
I spent 3/4 of the book waiting to find out the (alleged) sources of “the feud.” I won’t list them here but I had already heard most them when the author (I won’t speak ill of a fellow Yankees fan) spilled the beans in an interview with Mad Dog Russo so there really wasn’t much more to learn. Rather repetitious in spots as well. A decent read but, aside from the allegations, there wasn’t much more to it.
July 24, 2023
Another very good book by Tony Castro. Well-researched and well-written.
November 5, 2022
In Gehrig and the Babe: The Friendship and the Feud, author Tony Castro appears to have taken the approach that so many baseball books do these days: choose a very specific topic, begin researching but discover there is only enough actual content to fill a long article, but nowhere close to enough for a full book, but nevertheless proceed undeterred and fill the book with fluff, extraneous details, diversions, and tangential material. Add large-face type, wide spacing, and generous margins, and BOOM! You got yourself a book.
Despite being about two of my all-time favorite players, this book is not good. It is hard to follow, jumping all over the place chronologically, repetitive on certain issues, and generally a jumbled mess. We get a very high-level view of baseball in the 1910s-1930s, a lot of quick-sketch bios of the various people in Ruth's and Gehrig's lives, but there really isn't much to narrative itself. Ruth and Gehrig played together, were friends though perhaps not as close as the public believed, and had a feud. That's really about it, especially since most of the major people involved were pretty tight-lipped about what happened.
Pass on this one.
Despite being about two of my all-time favorite players, this book is not good. It is hard to follow, jumping all over the place chronologically, repetitive on certain issues, and generally a jumbled mess. We get a very high-level view of baseball in the 1910s-1930s, a lot of quick-sketch bios of the various people in Ruth's and Gehrig's lives, but there really isn't much to narrative itself. Ruth and Gehrig played together, were friends though perhaps not as close as the public believed, and had a feud. That's really about it, especially since most of the major people involved were pretty tight-lipped about what happened.
Pass on this one.
July 17, 2018
I enjoyed this book for a couple of reasons. First, as a man of a certain age, the combination of Ruth and Gehrig conjures up the time when baseball statistics meant something and records were aspired to but rarely broken. Beyond that, I had not read about that era of baseball in a long time and I appreciated learning some personal details about each of these two mythic players. That said, it wasn't a great book. Whether it was the writing or the editing, I found myself rereading various passages for meaning as a swirl of adverbs, prepositions and antecedents swirled around in a less that cohesive structure. I also felt that there was more repetition of anecdotes than I needed to get a feel for the time. As a nice, non-fiction diversion, especially for an old school baseball fan, this was a good read but don't expect Pulitzer Prize writing. Much like the bromance between these two icons, it just isn't there.
April 21, 2021
If your a true Yankee fan then this book is for you.It's all about the 1st two Yankee Superstars The Babe & The Iron Horse(Ruth & Gehrig)This book tells of there ups & downs in Baseball & off the field.They never really were great pals but they did get along on & off the field.The Feud was really about there wife's & Gehrig's Mom.Babe & his wife were over the Gehrig's house just about all the time Ruth loved Gehrig's Mom's cooking(hell he loved everyone's cooking)but he really loved Lou's Mom the most.The feud started when Gehrig's mom said she thought Ruth's Daughter was not dressing as she should & the Babe was the problems that's how the feud really started & they never spoke again on or off the field they were still both playing for the Yankees.The feud finally ended at Gehrig's farewell speech at yankee Stadium.No one really knew just how bad Lou was & that he would only have a few years to live.so I recommend reading this book to know all the right answers.
July 19, 2022
I had not given much thought to weather Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth had a friendship before listening to the audio book of Gehrig and the babe.
I got interested in learning about Lou Gehrig because I was watching the movie The pride of the Yankees. In the book it talks about how when Clark Gable batted he batted right handed and ran to third base instead of first base and wore a backward number. Then the film would be reversed so that it looked like he was batting left handed. Clark Gable did not have a good left handed swing so that is why he batted right handed.
It was interesting to learn about Lou and Babes childhoods. I was aware of some of Babe Ruth's childhood but, not much.
One thing I was not aware of was that Joe DiMaggio was on the Yankees with Lou Gehrig.
I also enjoyed learning about the deal with the Boston Braves when Babe Ruth deal with the Boston Braves. And it was not a good deal for him.
I never knew that Babe Ruth was a womanizer.
I also never knew that the pubic did not know the truth that Lou Gehrig had until I think it was court case.
Anyway for me it was exciting to learn more about Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth. For me Gehrig and the babe was exciting listening about two great baseball players.
I got interested in learning about Lou Gehrig because I was watching the movie The pride of the Yankees. In the book it talks about how when Clark Gable batted he batted right handed and ran to third base instead of first base and wore a backward number. Then the film would be reversed so that it looked like he was batting left handed. Clark Gable did not have a good left handed swing so that is why he batted right handed.
It was interesting to learn about Lou and Babes childhoods. I was aware of some of Babe Ruth's childhood but, not much.
One thing I was not aware of was that Joe DiMaggio was on the Yankees with Lou Gehrig.
I also enjoyed learning about the deal with the Boston Braves when Babe Ruth deal with the Boston Braves. And it was not a good deal for him.
I never knew that Babe Ruth was a womanizer.
I also never knew that the pubic did not know the truth that Lou Gehrig had until I think it was court case.
Anyway for me it was exciting to learn more about Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth. For me Gehrig and the babe was exciting listening about two great baseball players.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 17, 2019
I read this book with the anticipation of learning more about the relationship between these baseball greats. It was difficult to read in that the format did not flow and it seemed very basic.
There were too many stats and not enough depth given in the personalities and relationships. I didn’t feel I learned much that was new although people with little knowledge of baseball heroes may find it more informative.
There were too many stats and not enough depth given in the personalities and relationships. I didn’t feel I learned much that was new although people with little knowledge of baseball heroes may find it more informative.
February 5, 2020
Castro's book was obviously well researched and presents a compelling story. The problem I had was that the organization was fairly slap-dash and that made things difficult as a reader. Sometimes, Castro repeated himself or veered from chronological order for no apparent reason. Had this book been better organized, I would have enjoyed it more. As it is, it's not an unpleasant read, but wouldn't be my first choice for a biography of either man.
October 23, 2018
Decent book about Gehrig and Ruth. I've read a lot of books about both and there wasn't really anything special about this book. Seemed somewhat superficial, just skimming the surface of both of these guys. Didn't learn anything new. But it was a fairly fast read and probably a good book for someone who doesn't know much about these guys.
April 24, 2019
As someone not too interested in baseball but knowing who Babe Ruth and Lou Garic were I appreacited the on-site into their relationship as that is what drew me to the book. It seems to be a book that if created earlier would not have had the same impact as the info wasnt available then. If you're into baseball there is that included as well.
October 17, 2025
Overall, I enjoyed this book. I learned a different side to both Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth. I'm seeing where others found mistakes and I did catch the contradiction of Babe being sterile yet having fathered Dorothy with a mistress. It does make me question what else it wrong with the book.
How did this book find me? It is about baseball and in the Audible+ catalog until October 21.
How did this book find me? It is about baseball and in the Audible+ catalog until October 21.
June 25, 2022
An engaging and enlightening dual biography of Babe Rutb and Lou Gehrig. Not much - and nothing new - on the frienship and the feud. An enjoyable summer read. Already queued up Castro's Dimag & Mick for my next read.
January 16, 2024
Always an interesting topic for me, but I couldn't give this one more than three stars. Lots of repetition from chapter to chapter.
The narrator for the audiobook is Barry Abrams who does a sufficient job.
The narrator for the audiobook is Barry Abrams who does a sufficient job.
September 25, 2018
I loved it so will you!!!
February 25, 2019
Very good book that goes further in depth of the pair’s complicated relationship.
March 21, 2020
Fascinating read and great insights on the life and times and relationship of two of baseball’s biggest giants. If you love sports, this is a must read.
June 14, 2020
A great read about two American Icons and great athletes. Learned a lot about each the Babe and Lou Gehrig. I thought I would learn more about the feud. Maybe you will feel differently. Enjoy!
July 1, 2020
There was interesting information in this book but I found that it bounced all over the place and was repetitive. He did not write it in linear fashion and I don't think it worked.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews