Vida: His Own Story

by Bill Libby

Genres: Baseball

248 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1972

About the author

Bill Libby was an American writer and biographer best known for his prolific work on sports figures, authoring more than 65 books that chronicled the lives of athletes and explored the world of professional and college sports. A Navy veteran and graduate of Indiana University, Libby began his journalism career as a sports editor before moving on to the New York Post. His writing captured the stories of legends such as Wilt Chamberlain, Rocky Marciano, and Pete Rose, and he also co-wrote books on celebrities and public figures. His 1975 book Champions of College Football remains a notable effort to retrospectively designate national champions across decades.

Reviews

[Brian Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much of the book really IS his own story, as the ratio of quoted to non-quoted material is incredibly high. Libby had ridiculous access to the superstar in his first season (during which he won 24 games, the Cy Young and the MVP awards). Especially because so much of the story revolves around the nonstop media coverage of Vida’s life. I love looking back at full-length biographies told in the midst of the subject’s career; Blue was really just getting started at this point. The A’s had yet to win even the first of their three World Series championships in the 1970s.

[Robert Rosenberg · Rating 2 out of 5]

my brother read it so i read it...