FAREWELL TO SPORT

David Stifel brings the perfect voice to this aptly named collection of essays on sports, first published in 1938. Emotions run the gamut from sadness to disgust, and Stifel deftly covers them all. The book is broken into chapters on separate individuals--Babe Ruth, Gene Tunney, Gertrude Ederle, to name a few--as well as individual sports and topics such as women, blacks, and the future of sport. Some of what Gallico says is a bit outdated, but much remains prescient. Gallico's perspective is well worth preserving, and Stifel's narration captures the writer's frank opinions on a bygone era. M.B. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2015]