News
‘The Big Fella’ is not just another bio of Babe Ruth
In the News & Observer Is there anything new to learn about Babe Ruth? Countless books have been written about him, probably more than the number of home runs he sent soaring above American League fences. For almost a century, Ruth has been the subject of endless...
Read an Exclusive Excerpt for The Big Fella at SI.com
“How Babe Ruth Became the Model for the Modern Celebrity Athlete.” This story appears in the Oct. 8, 2018, issue of Sports Illustrated.
Watch Jane’s Pitch
At the Yankee home game against the Orioles on Friday, September 21, Jane threw out the first pitch! The last homestand of the regular season ended in a win for Babe's old team, 10-8.
Sioux City’s Hersom is Excited for Big Fella
Terry Hersom, columnist at the Sioux City Journal, shares his thoughts on Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, and the brother who knew the Big Fella well.
Starred Review from Publishers Weekly
As Leavy points out, Ruth lived as hard as he played; he "imbibed whatever life had to offer." Ruth's accomplishments and his appetites for drink and women (he had several extramarital affairs) coincided with the rise of sports journalism and marketing, and his...
The Big Fella is a Top 10 in Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly posted its list of the Top 10 Memoirs & Biographies coming in Fall 2018: This fall sees some striking memoirs by and biographies of movie and TV notables, big-name athletes, and important political figures: Always Look on the Bright Side of Life:...
Would the Babe Still Be a Star?
Award-winning sportswriter Jane Leavy tells Smithsonian Magazine that the Bambino would be as big a personality as he was in his own time.
15 Best Books on Baseball to Read
Signature-Reads.com selected Sandy Koufax as one of the 15 books to read before the start of baseball season. They write: Koufax's name is incredibly well known, but the player is also incredibly private. Jane Leavy does all baseball-fans a service by offering this...
The Stacks Chat
Originally published in the Bronx Banter blog in 2003, this interview with Alex Belth was recently added to The Stacks Reader. Alex: Did you always want to be a sportswriter? Jane: I wanted to be a sportswriter because I wanted to be a writer, and a teacher once told...
Jane Leavy… in Her Own Words
In his 1973 book "No Cheering in the Press Box," author Jerome Holtzman chronicled the lives of the greatest sports journalists of his generation. Four decades later, students at the University of Maryland Philip Merrill College of Journalism are updating the concept...