Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Biography of an American Icon
Review: Leigh Montville's biography of the late , great Boston Red Sox slugger Ted Williams is certainly the most up-to-date as well as one of the better researched books available about this American icon. Taking us from Ted's unhappy childhood right up to the last sad chapter involving his death and the public battle over his remains waged by his children, Montville provides an engrossing and comprehensive portrait of a very complex and often mystifying man. This book provides an excellent companion piece to David Halberstam's "The Team Mates", which provides,I believe, a more insightful glimpse into the private life of Wiliams as revealed by some of his closest baseball friends, Dom DiMaggio, Johnny Pesky and Bobby Doerr. Reading both Montville's book as well as Halberstam's will provide any reader with a great overall portrait of the immortal Williams.This is an excellent book for any Red Sox fan or lover of baseball. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Great Read
Review: Love him or hate him, (who could possibly hate him), Ted Williams was a man's man. he lived his life the way he wanted. We all may not approve of all of it but he led a full life. The stories are great within the book. It lets us in on all the outside pressures he faced and some of the unfair treatment he received. I loved the book and it gave me an even more profound respect for his ability. Nothing comes easy or without a price. It also teaches me to have an ironclad will. Ted may not have had the sophistication of a Joe DiMaggio but after this read you'll respect Williams a hell of a lot more than Joltin Joe. You'll love this book
Rating:
Summary: The Whole Man -- Heroism, Infantile Behavior and All
Review: Sports biographies are usually the weakest version of that otherwise interesting genre, the celebrity biography. The weakness can usually be found in three areas. The subject didn't do much more than play a sport well. The biographee is a thoroughly loathsome person. The author didn't do his or her homework to talk about much other than sports. Even when all of those weaknesses are overcome, the book can still disappoint because the author is really just another sportswriter with starts in her or his eyes.
Ted Williams -- The Biography of an American Hero has none of those problems. As a result, I cannot recall a biography about a sports star that is nearly as good as this one.
But what can you say that is new about Ted Williams? It turns out that there's quite a lot that can be said because Mr. Montville went to the trouble to unearth much material that was previously unpublished. I could tell that I was in for a treat when the section on Mr. Williams's youth in San Diego included a detailed description of his family home based on a recent tour by the author. It also turns out that what people had to say about Mr. Williams was often so tough and painful that the material was suppressed until after he died . . . lest a lot of hard feelings follow. So you have pages and pages of things you've never read or heard about Ted Williams.
Mr. Montville also takes us into the room with Mr. Williams . . . both when he was on his good behavior . . . and when he was not. You get a sense of what it was like to be his friend, his teammates . . . or his enemy. Most painfully, you get a sense of what it was like to be in his family -- something you probably wouldn't wish on your worst enemy.
Most biographers have some big theory about their subject and skew their arguments and examples to make those points. Mr. Montville does you the honor of letting you decide. He sneaks up on you. Suddenly, when you least expect it (as happened at the time), wham you find out something new . . . such as during Mr. Williams's Hall of Fame speech. Mr. Montville then goes on to explain and elaborate on what it meant, including reactions of others. It's a very fine way to present the material. Nice job!
Ultimately, we have a problem understanding the sports successes of those who mostly labored before the days of televised games. There are few objective measures of what they did. Mr. Montville painstakingly tries to sort that out. For example, did you know that there was no sacrifice fly statistic when Mr. Williams batted over .400? If there had been, his performance would have been measured at a much higher number.
The bulk of the book covers the previously hidden side of Mr. Williams's life, which he sought to keep private. That is certainly right, and makes this a great biography.
Like many heroes (his was deserved for his war-time service and his devotion to helping those in need), Mr. Williams had feet of clay. Mr. Montville doesn't try to cover up for that. In fact, he finds a reasonably inoffensive way to remind you of Mr. Williams's appalling language and behavior throughout the book. Mr. Williams had rabbit ears, a hair-trigger temper, and kept grudges. You see how those weaknesses often related to his inherent intelligence and perfectionism which caused him to be too hard on others . . . and himself.
I came away feeling like I understood who Mr. Williams was . . . and why he was that way. That's more than I can say from most biographies I read . . . whether the subject is a sports star or a former president of the United States.
But ultimately, I think I came away feeling that Mr. Williams was blessed in many ways -- not least of which was by who his biographer turned out to be. I have enjoyed Leigh Montville's columns in The Boston Globe and Sports Illustrated for decades, and have always considered him to be a writer first . . . and a sportswriter second. In this book, that gap has widened even further in favor of the writer. I hope he will favor us with many more biographies in the future.
The book includes Mr. Montville's famous SI obituary of Mr. Williams and Mr. Montville's recollections of when he met Mr. Williams in person. I thought the latter was an especially nice touch since it helped put his role as observer in perspective.
"Didja hear about the alligator?"
Rating:
Summary: A Flawed Hero
Review: Ted Williams was a crude, vulgar, womanizing, reluctant father who would give you the shirt off his back if he saw you were cold. At the end he was exploited by his son and wound up a late night comedy joke in death. This is not some cotton candy or tear down the icon report on his life, Leigh Montville presents Ted Williams in all aspects of his life on and off the field. An engrossing read!
Rating:
Summary: "Get a Good Pitch to Hit!"
Review: Ted Williams was the greatest hitters in baseball history. But there is so much more to him than baseball. Leigh Montville's biography is comendable on many levels, though far from perfect. Four and a half stars would be more adequate rating than I gave the book. Still the book is worth the price.
The books starts out jumping all over the place, making the story hard to follow. But once it begins the chronological story of his life, the book is well written. Montville plainly writes of the childhood neglect that influenced Williams life. The absence of his parents is largely the reason he behaved so immaturely early in his career. He was not used to living with rules, so the structure of professional baseball was an adjustment that caused a talented player to spend an extra year in the minors. Ted's only focus was baseball during his youth and career. He always picked people's brains, learning from anywhere he could about hitting. His dedication made people take notice. It is also how he developed his philosophy of hitting. Winning triple crowns and hitting .400 were among his great achievements. He would have hit .400 more than once if batting average were figured as it is today with sacrifices and walks not hurting the average. John Wayne was an actor, but Ted Williams lived the role. He served his country during World War II and the Korean War. Had Williams not sacrificed those years for his country, we would surpassed Ruth's home run record and no doubt other records as well. Yet he is still recognized as the greatest hitter in baseball history.
During his career the media gave the public the impression that Williams was a bad apple. But during his late career and in retirement, the public saw otherwise. Williams did have a foul mouth. His works of charity tell where his heart was. Knowing the good human being he was, it is unfortunate to read how his final years were spend. The way his son manipulated him is beyond shameful.
Despite the somber note most biographies end with, Montville had a different approach. He ended the book with an epilogue that is a collection of humorous antidotes with Williams as the star. It is wonderful that the book did not end on the same note as Ted's life.
Rating:
Summary: THE Williams biography
Review: The problem with most sports books is that they come off as one long box score, with just the most basic personal information, usually written at the Jr. High School level.
Leigh Montville has a home run(pardon the pun)with this book. A real, complete, mature biography. Williams from birth to death bed, in a fair and balanced fashion--what a biography is supposed to be. It is too easy to either idolize the subject of a biography, or to tear them down by airing all their diry laundry. To his credit, Montville does neither. Ted Williams comes off as an amazing athlete, pilot and fisherman. A perfectionist man's man, who often jumped to the aid of the sick and down and out. A lousy father and poor husband. A cranky individualist who didn't always like people around, but who nevertheless would be there for you in a second if times were bad.
In short, a human being, a man. Telling that life story is what a biography is all about.
With the people who knew Ted in his prime growing old, this will probably turn out to be the definitive Ted Williams book. Thanks to Leigh Montville for getting it right.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Book, from New England Viewpoint
Review: This biography is indeed a wonderful warts and all view of the great man's life. I grew up in Boston during the last years of Williams' career, yet learned many new things about him. His love of fishing and charity work is endearing. Ted was not a good husband or father. At times, I felt sorry for John-Henry, who is the bad guy in this book. There is no doubt the late John-
Henry's entrance into Williams' life was horrid, but Ted almost completely ignored his son until he was in his 20s. I fault
Montville for not being harder on Williams, especially as a father. Sometime, Montville comes across as an awe struck fan, not an objective author.The other problem with this book is that Montville does not seem to know that baseball exists outside of Boston and New York. In their late 70s, Williams and DiMaggio invite Stan Musial to tag along to an evening's conversation at Ted's house. Musial's batting numbers were close to Williams' and DiMaggio's, yet Montville makes it appear that Musial was lucky to get the invite. For a reality check, Montville might want to spend a week or two in St. Louis where Musial is like God. (I enjoyed all the Williams' cursing, by the way.) All and all a very good book, almost impossible to put down.
Rating:
Summary: A must read for Williams fans...
Review: This book is a must read for Williams fans, Red Sox fans and baseball fans in general. I felt this book was one of the most balanced books I have read aboout Williams. Not only does it pay tribute to his success on the field and in the air during WW II and Korea, but also decribes his many faults. I have always been a fan of Montville and this book, simply put, is a great one.
Rating: 
Summary: Average bio
Review: This is a decent bio on Ted Williams, but it really falls apart in the end. The author seems intent on demonizing John Henry, William's son, and he spends too much of the book on Ted's sad final years and the bizarre situation after his death. Had the book focussed more on his prime baseball years it would have been much better.
Rating:
Summary: Great biography, depressing ending
Review: This is a fascinating and illuminating book about a talented baseball player, a military hero, and a cantankerous curmudgeon - Ted Williams. Montville does a terrific job of encapsulating the Splendid Splinter's eventful 83 years into a fascinating 500-page book, complete with nearly a hundred black-and-white photographs, many never before seen. If you're looking for a biography of Ted Williams this is probably the one to get; it covers his entire life, something that his 1969 autobiography doesn't do (obviously). Montville doesn't shine much new light onto the Public Ted - any true baseball fan is already familiar with his battles with the media, his 406 average in 1941, his weak performance in the 1946 World Series, the two military interruptions to his baseball career, his storybook home run in his final at-bat, etc. We already knew that stuff. Where the book truly shines is in illuminating the Private Ted... The selfish Ted, who'd drag uninterested wives along with him on fishing trips, and who'd rather be alone in a boat somewhere than be present for his children's births; his lustful enjoyment of his hobbies was more important than his family. The angry and blasphemous Ted, who'd spit at fans and frequently (and colorfully) take the Lord's name in vain with a smattering of the f-word and his favorite modifier, "syphilitic." The lonely Ted, who married three beautiful trophy wives, had teammates and friends all over the country, yet still lacked the unconditional love he desperately needed. Somehow Montville manages to paint Williams as sympathetic, lovable, and even heroic, while still telling the story of a bitter and cranky man. Thankfully, there were at least a few caring people in Ted's life to help diffuse his negativity and give him unconditional love: Louise Kaufman, the grandmotherly woman who became Ted's longtime companion after his three failed marriages to younger women, and the male nurses who took care of him during his final decade on Earth. Sadly, the book (like Williams's life) ends on an unavoidable down-note. Montville frightens us with the awful tale of Ted's money-grubbing son, John-Henry. Here the author fairly throws objectivity aside, painting the younger Williams in tones reminiscent of Shakespeare's Iago. John-Henry's underhanded machinations and obvious treatment of Ted as a meal ticket rather than a beloved father left me feeling sad and depressed at the story's end. Junior was more concerned with his progenitor's ability to sign and sell valuable autographs than his comfort and welfare during his declining years. The demon seed of Ted Williams kept his father's friends and loved ones from calling and visiting, and then - in an act which violated Ted's wish for cremation, as per his will - John-Henry had his father cryogenically frozen after his death. Thus began the fighting and infinite court proceedings between Ted's offspring - an embarrassing and surreal coda to a life otherwise lived with integrity and dignity. A great book about a great man. As sports biographies go, it's surely one of the best - just like Ted. (News update: John-Henry Williams, 35, died of leukemia in March 2004. Perhaps now the legal maneuvering will stop; perhaps Ted can at last be cremated and have his ashes spread across the waters of Florida, just as he wanted. Meanwhile, thanks to John-Henry, the decapitated head of Ted Williams remains in a frozen vat in Arizona.)
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