Luckiest Man

The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig

By: Jonathan Eig

Narrated by: Edward Herrmann

Length: 5 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

Lou Gehrig was the Iron Horse, baseball's strongest and most determined superstar, struck down in his prime by a disease that now bears his name. But who was Lou Gehrig, really?

Lou Gehrig is regarded as the greatest first baseman in baseball history. A muscular but clumsy athlete who grew up in New York City, he idolized his hardworking mother and remained devoted to her all his life. Shy and socially awkward, Gehrig was a misfit on a Yankee team that included drinkers and hell-raisers, most notably Babe Ruth.

Gehrig and Ruth formed the greatest slugging tandem in baseball history. They were the heart of the first great Yankee dynasty. After Ruth's retirement, Gehrig and a young Joe DiMaggio would begin a new era of Yankee dominance. But Luckiest Man reveals that Gehrig was afflicted with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) much sooner than anyone believes, as early as the spring of 1938. Despite the illness, he didn't miss a game that year, keeping intact his astonishing consecutive-games streak, which stood for more than half a century.

In Luckiest Man, Jonathan Eig brings to life a figure whose shyness and insecurity obscured his greatness during his lifetime. Gehrig emerges as more human and more heroic than ever.

©2005 Jonathan Eig (P)2010 Simon and Schuster Audio

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)

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.

must read!

fantastic book! love Edward Herman's narration. highly recommend this book to both non baseball fans and avid fans of the sport.

Iron Horse of Baseball

"Luckiest Man of the Face of the Earth," is the epic account of Lou Gehrig's 2,000 consecutive games played as a power hitting first baseman who would have netted 500 career home runs had ALS not snuffed out his life so quickly.

The author also reveals inside stories of Gehrig playing with two great Yankee legends from different Eras. Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio.

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.

Lou Gehrig As You Imagined Him

This is one book I didn’t want to end. With Edward Hermann’s always masterful narration, the story has such depth and richness. He’s simply the best. The story of Lou Gehrig is one for the ages, and his succumbing to ALS at such a young age is tragic. But he took it with grace and valor. Another Audible classic!!!
#Inspirational #Heartbreaking #Tearjerker #Athletes #Tagsgiving #Swwpstakes

Highly detailed and incredible book

Highly detailed book about the history and personality of Lou Gehrig! Great to understand him as a person and on his impact to the world.

Very moving

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

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.

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.

Lucky to have read this...

...and lucky to have a Dad, a Yankee fan who told me the stories of the great Lou Gehrig.

My Dad did not see him play but robbers the stories I was to believe he had. This book builds on the baseball stories but more importantly the lessons of hard work and importance of family Lou showed us and his parents showed him.

I am lucky as Lou was to have two parents that worked hard so that I might have an education and a life greater than theirs. I read the book but listening to this great story and hearing one of the speeches that has become a part of America and our great pastime made it even better the second time around.

If we all live our lives as Lou did on and off the field we too can be lucky.