MICKEY AND WILLIE Mantle and Mays, the Parallel Lives of Baseball's Golden Age

Baseball biographer Allen Barra describes the parallels in the lives of baseball greats Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays, whose long careers overlapped. Andrew Garman sounds as if he is narrating a documentary--his comfortable voice describes the subjects with emotion and drama but not too much. When it comes to quotes, he puts on a slight Southern accent for Mays and a bit of a twang for Mantle. Barra does a balanced job of revealing the players' accomplishments and flaws, and Garman animates the biography with just the right amount of emphasis. Barra, who inserts himself into the book on occasion, knows his subjects. Garman's narration sets the tone and keeps to a good pace. M.B. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2013]