A Season in the Sun

The story of Mickey Mantle's magnificent 1956 season

Mickey Mantle was the ideal hitter for the atomic age, capable of hitting baseballs harder and farther than any other player in history. He was also the perfect idol for postwar America, a hero from the heartland whose smile could sell anything.

In A Season in the Sun , acclaimed historians Randy Roberts and Johnny Smith recount the defining moment of Mantle's legendary career: 1956, when he overcame a host of injuries and critics to become the most celebrated athlete of his time. Taking us from the action on the diamond to Mantle's off-the-field exploits, Roberts and Smith depict Mantle not as a wholesome role model or a bitter alcoholic, but a complex man whose faults were smoothed over by sportswriters eager to keep the truth about sports heroes at bay. An incisive portrait of an American icon, A Season in the Sun is an essential work for baseball fans and anyone interested in the 1950s.