Joltin' Joe DiMaggio by Jonah Winter

     This September, it seemed as if the entire nation came together to honor the twenty year career of New York Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter during his final game at Yankee Stadium.  Hailed for conducting his storied career and life in an distinguished manner, he was a throwback to an era of players gone by.  A time where our nation was in the midst of a Great Depression and another World War tragically loomed in the distance.  A time when a set of shoes worn by another Yankee (who had to overcome ethnic barriers), went on to become THE definition of a consummate gentleman both on and off the field, set foot on hallowed grounds and ignited the spirits of legions of fans with his quiet determination and dignity. Fans like my maternal grandparents, who undoubtedly felt tremendous pride in knowing that another child born from Italian immigrant parents like themselves, was on his way to achieving the American dream right in their hometown of The Bronx, New York.

     I am so pleased to know that a new generation will soon become familiar with the life of the legendary Joe DiMaggio with the release of author Jonah Winter's captivating Joltin' Joe DiMaggio.  As our tale begins, the year was 1934, and a young nineteen year-old son of Italian immigrants from San Francisco was signed by the New York Yankees after playing for a minor baseball team called the San Francisco Seals.  The pressure that the young DiMaggio was under when he was signed by the New York Yankees was enormous---drafted at a time when the legendary Babe Ruth recently retired, he was being brought in to fill some very large shoes.  Any person could have easily succumbed by the strain, but, while on the mound,  we see how he bounced back from a weak grounder, and he "..drove home a run and wound up on second base his first hit as a Yankee!  And so began Joe DiMaggio's life with the New York Yankees."
       And, what a career he had, as young readers will travel along with the "Yankee Clipper" and his teammates as they played teams in Pennsylvania and Washington, with Joe breaking records left and right.  Author Jonah Winter put a great deal of thought in this extremely informative book filled with rich details (including the"Author's Note & Stats" which contains further biographical and career stats) that are well-adapted for young readers to understand and appreciate.  Award-winning illustrator James E. Ransome's watercolor drawings add a warm, humble touch to Winter's descriptive tale.
     Ultimately,  young readers will see how the quiet, unassuming Giuseppe Paolo Di Maggio Jr, maintained a steady grace under the often crushing glare of media spotlight on his every move, throughout this storied career and personal life, which included his famous, yet all too brief marriage to another legendary star, the late Marilyn Monroe, until his passing on March 8, 1999 in Hollywood, Florida at the age of 85.

Joltin' Joe DiMaggio
Written by Jonah Winter & Illustrated by James E. Ransome
Publisher:  Atheneum Books for Young Readers (September, 2014)
Website: KIDS.SimonandSchuster.com
ISBN: 978-1416940807
Retails for $17.99 (Hardcover)
For ages 4 thru 8