Why Sinatra Matters

By: Pete Hamill

Narrated by: Joe Knezevich

In honor of Sinatra's 100th birthday, Pete Hamill's classic tribute returns with a new introduction by the author.

In this unique homage to an American icon, journalist and award-winning author Pete Hamill evokes the essence of Sinatra--examining his art and his legend from the inside, as only a friend of many years could do. Shaped by Prohibition, the Depression, and war, Francis Albert Sinatra became the troubadour of urban loneliness. With his songs, he enabled millions of others to tell their own stories, providing an entire generation with a sense of tradition and pride belonging distinctly to them.

With a new look and a new introduction by Hamill, this is a rich and touching portrait that lingers like a beautiful song.

Critic reviews

"The most intimate and thoughtful eulogy for 'the Voice'....It leaves you wanting to listen again to Sinatra's best songs."—Entertainment Weekly

"As succinct and laconically classy as its title."
—Adam Woog, Seattle Times

"Hamill's illuminations are considerable without ever stooping to facile psychologizing....He does a better job of placing Sinatra's saga in a social and political context than any of his biographers have....Why Sinatra Matters is most valuable in its explication of how Sinatra came to formulate a musical style that was a sound track to urban American life."
—Dan DeLuca, Philadelphia Inquirer

"A graceful reminiscence of Sinatra after hours serves as the frame for shrewd reflections on the singer's art, his personality, his audience, and--most interesting--his ethnicity, a subject about which Hamill, against all odds, contrives to say fresh and persuasive things."
—Terry Teachout, New York Times Book Review

"A brief but eloquent homage....Hamill succeeds--convincingly, with natty aplomb--in explaining why Sinatra, even now, matters."
—Tom Chaffin, LA Weekly

I Wanted More

A great book but for me it ended too abruptly. Wish it had covered his entire life. Also wish more of his music was included. But Sinatra fans will enjoy the book.

Wonderful!

I thought that I knew most of Sinatra's story only to learn that there was so much more to learn.

Great Story

Thank you, Joy Bahar for recommending this book. This was a great history lesson.

important book for every Trump supporter

for everyone whose family did not immigrate to the United States, meaning no one, substitute the word Mexican for the word Italian.

Great Sinatra book!

Enjoyed listening to this book! The author brought a clearer picture about Sinatra’s personal and professional life. It showed how his life was affected by the new century and how he impacted it. Hamill is a exceptional writer.