Luckiest Man

The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig

By: Jonathan Eig, Jonathan Eig - introduction

Narrated by: Edward Herrmann

The definitive account of the life and tragic death of baseball legend Lou Gehrig.

Lou Gehrig was a baseball legend—the Iron Horse, the stoic New York Yankee who was the greatest first baseman in history, a man whose consecutive-games streak was ended by a horrible disease that now bears his name. But as this definitive new biography makes clear, Gehrig’s life was more complicated—and, perhaps, even more heroic—than anyone really knew.

Drawing on new interviews and more than two hundred pages of previously unpublished letters to and from Gehrig, Luckiest Man gives us an intimate portrait of the man who became an American hero: his life as a shy and awkward youth growing up in New York City, his unlikely friendship with Babe Ruth (a friendship that allegedly ended over rumors that Ruth had had an affair with Gehrig’s wife), and his stellar career with the Yankees, where his consecutive-games streak stood for more than half a century. What was not previously known, however, is that symptoms of Gehrig’s affliction began appearing in 1938, earlier than is commonly acknowledged. Later, aware that he was dying, Gehrig exhibited a perseverance that was truly inspiring; he lived the last two years of his short life with the same grace and dignity with which he gave his now-famous “luckiest man” speech.

Meticulously researched and elegantly written, Jonathan Eig’s Luckiest Man shows us one of the greatest baseball players of all time as we’ve never seen him before.

Critic reviews

"As my consecutive games streak grew, my curiosity about Lou Gehrig also grew and I wanted to learn more about him and what kind of person he was. Jonathan Eig's book, Luckiest Man, really helped me put all of the pieces together and gain a solid understanding of Lou, both on and off the field. I thought it was a wonderful book that provided insights about Lou, his amazing life and outstanding career."
-- Cal Ripken, Jr.

"This is a book for Yankee fans, baseball fans, and anyone who wants to read about a man whose determination and heroism inspire us today."
-- Rudolph W. Giuliani

"Jonathan Eig's portrait of Lou Gehrig is as elegant, understated, and powerful as the Iron Man himself."
-- Jane Leavy, author of Sandy Koufax: A Lefty's Legacy

"With splendid results, Jonathan Eig separates fact from fantasy in his stirring portrait of an athlete dying young. The Lou Gehrig he presents is more subtle, nuanced, and indeed more neurotic than the stiff, cardboard figure we previously knew. All of which makes Gehrig¹s tragic final struggle more moving and profound. A wonderful book."
-- Roger Kahn, author of The Boys of Summer

"The ancient maxim 'Never get to know your heroes' does not apply to Lou Gehrig, the tragic Yankee whose life is so deftly and thoroughly examined by Jonathan Eig in this superb biography."
-- Fay Vincent, former commissioner, Major League Baseball

A great story and wonderful naration

I had this book on my wish list for some time and decided to listen to it. should have a long time ago. I knew just the basics of Lou Gehrig,s story. this brought just enough of his life into focus without going into a lot of detail that can often get tedious. Edward Hermann was the perfect narrator for this book. I have over 300 books in my audible library, this is one of the best.

Lou Gehrig — Luckiest Man

Great story, very well told. Mr. Eig is an awesome writer. I listened to this book because I enjoyed his MLK book so much.

Just an incredible story.

So well written. Luckiest man on the face of the earth. Inspirational is quite the understatement. Worth the read and worth the listen.

Very moving

Absolutely incredible, story of Lou Gehrig and his graciousness in life and death. Well written and well read, highly recommended.

Good bio

There is a human on the other side of ALS/Lou Gehrig’s disease and I have always felt he deserves to be known for more than his illness. Of course baseball fans know him, but too many people don’t. This book shared the human side of Lou Gehrig and I loved it.