Harvey Frommer's Remembering Fenway Park is a piece that surprised me.
I have to admit before reviewing Harvey Frommer's Remembering Fenway Park I was a little skeptical on how authentic an experience it could actually be. Frommer's already written 40+ sports books in his life, including Remembering Yankee Stadium, so right away I could see that this was a professional, and not a die-hard writing the book, which made me worried about a cookie cutter formula being applied to the most precious of jewels, Fenway Park.
On the surface this is not really a problem at all. I mean, it's not like David Halberstam was a die-hard Sox fan when he wrote The Teammates, and it's not a prerequisite when writing a book on the Team by any means, however, for something as personal as Fenway Park, it'd help. All this said, when my advanced copy showed up in the mail I was instantly blown away. This is not a book meant to be read cover-to-cover to then be shelved away on a forgotten book case for eternity. It's a book that's meant to be slowly grazed upon and washed over you, presented on a coffee table with pride, and used as a conversation piece. Even if illiterate, the quality of the well made book, and the depth of the amazing pictures found within, are enough to get you lost for hours in times now past.
The trick that Frommer pulls that may be part of his "cookie cutter" approach is that this is an oral narrative history. However, once past the impeccable presentation, this is what truly holds the book up, for it's the voice of the people who've made Fenway so special that contribute to the pages within. Forrmer players, managers, writers, and all likes inbetween contribute their thoughts and memories in Remembering Fenway Park. Having Johnny Pesky doing the foreword doesn't hurt Frommer's chances of endearing himself with Red Sox fans either. While the $45.00 asking price is a little steep, it's a price worth the money if not in possession of a good Red Sox coffee table book, and it's something you'd find yourself going back to often, and aging well. Frommer may have a professional formula applied to his sports books such as Remembering Fenway Park, lucky for us though, he's one hell of an alchemist, and he represented our church with a white gloved treatment of care.
OVERALL: 8.5/10
Purchase Remembering Fenway Park here - http://harveyfrommersports.com/remembering_fenway/
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