REVIEWS FOR TRADING MANNY
Library Journal, Feb. 2012
Gullo, Jim. Trading Manny: A Story of Fathers, Sons, and Reclaiming the Game. Da Capo. Apr. 2012. c.272p. ISBN 9780306820175. $23. SPORTS
This book is about more than baseball. Gullo, who has written for Sports Illustrated and other publications, gives us a funny, heartbreaking, and thought-provoking story about baseball, the steroid scandal, and his son Joe, who grows here from age seven to 11. Joe had worshipped the baseball players who became involved in the steroid scandal brought to light by the Mitchell Report of 2007. He had considered them heroes capable of superhuman feats. Gullo writes of striving to be a good father while explaining hard truths to Joe and maintaining his own love for the game. He explores allegations against specific players (including Manny Ramirez, Joe’s favorite before the scandal named him a juicer), but this is primarily the story of Gullo and his son as they travelled around the majors over a few summers, redefining their relationship and rediscovering their love of baseball in the post–Mitchell Report era. VERDICT A book that will be enjoyed and appreciated by even the most jaded of baseball fans. —M.M.
Seattle Metropolitan, April 2012
NORTHWEST BOOKSHELF: TRADING MANNY
Rage Against the Steroids Machine
Portland Oregonian, March 11, 2012
For any adult who wants to convey a love of baseball to youngsters, the opening scene of "Trading Manny: How a Father and Son Learned to Love Baseball Again" is unforgettable. Jim Gullo, a McMinnville author, is chatting with his 7-year-old son, Joe. Joe's baseball cards are arrayed in front of him. Typically, Joe sorts his baseball cards by team or position in the field or some other logical protocol. Not this time...read more
Deseret News, Salt Lake City, April 29, 2012
"The biggest stars of 'Trading Manny' are fatherhood and the relationship between a father who looks for lessons to share and a son who absorbs them from his greatest hero." -- Tad Walch (click here to read the full review)
USA TODAY: BASEBALL'S NEW LITERARY PROSPECTS
Some terrific books in this round-up, and we were thrilled to be included:
Reader Comments
ROB JACQUES: "This book is a 'must-read' for any father whose son is interested in playing sports."
JIM KASLIK: "While Gullo weaves the beautiful tapestry of his son's youth and their bonding through baseball, he does it in such a beguiling way that I couldn't help but think back through my own child's youth, and the activities we shared, and how those were shaped decades earlier by my youth and my youthful passions."
Click here for more reader reviews from Amazon.com
INTERVIEWS
Jim and Joe Appear on the "Here & Now" Show on WBUR Radio in Boston
This interview aired on April 4th, 2012 and can be heard in entirety on the WBUR website:
http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2012/04/04/father-manny-baseball
Jim & Joe Interview on Portland's "Think Out Loud" Radio Show
We had this terrific interview with the very charming and engaging Dave Miller on Wednesday, March 28:
ARTICLES & PROFILES
Writing From a Personal Place -- Profile of Jim Gullo
Jim Gullo has experienced the world as a travel writer. Now, in his first serious novel, he's exploring more personal territory...
http://www.newsregister.com/article?articleTitle=journey+to+a+personal+place--1299798333--265--
Steroids & a Little Boy's Baseball Cards
(This was the story that spurred the research that would become TRADING MANNY.)
Baseball came all in a rush to my son Joe last summer. He got a Major League Baseball videogame for his seventh birthday that featured real players, and suddenly he was hooked. All at once he learned statistics, strategy and personalities, putting faces and physiques to real players' names...
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/12/27/opinion/main3650505.shtml?source=search_story
Fountain of Youth Author Profile from Penn Yan Chronicle-Express
My former hometown of Penn Yan, New York got wind of Fountain of Youth and realized that it was the inspiration for the fictional town of Morongo in the book. Here's a story about FOY, with an interview with Jim:
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