Yogi Berra (1925–2015)

I was expecting a humorous little book about the funny things that Yogi Berra has said, but this turned out to be so much more than that. Yes, it's funny; yes, it's got cute stories and amusing anecdotes about some of Berra's more cryptic comments. But it's also a warm, vibrant picture of a cheerful man, who has loved his life, his career, and his family; and this love shines through in everything he has done. His optimistic, good-natured approach to life's problems is both refreshing and show more inspiring.

This little book is packed with pictures of Yogi playing with his children, relaxing with his friends (and other baseball superstars), and of course, working hard at America's favorite pasttime. It is not an autobiography; it doesn't even tell a single chronological story. Instead, this series of vignettes illuminates bits and pieces of Berra's life, particularly his famous Yogi-isms. I wasn't expecting the character of Berra to shine through so dramatically, but it's the heart and soul of this almost-memoir. I cannot think of a single other book I read, true or fictional, with a main character as genuinely cheerful and honest as Yogi Berra in this book. He was ambitious and hardworking, he was passionate about the game, and he was an inspiration. Through life's ups and downs, through the wins and the losses, Yogi maintained his positive outlook and his gentle good humor. show less

America got lucky twice: first they watched Yogi Berra as a baseball player and then they discovered him as a philosopher. Yogi managed to combine the essence of both and the delightful outcome is When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It! In this memoir, Yogi recounts his baseball days with candor and uses these examples to deal with life’s ups and downs. We learn about the good choices he made as well the mistakes, and what is superficial and what is really important. The advice he show more doles out with wit and humor turns out to good advice for young and old. A great book to own and to give as a gift. show less

This is an excellent book on leadership skills and team building. Unfortunately, the events referred to require the reader to have more than a summary interest in pro baseball and to have been a fan for the last 30+ years. That's a tall order. If you fall into that category, this book has a lot to offer. I'm not a Yankee fan but this book has so much historical information about America at the time and America's pastime that I raced through it. The book is organized into 15 separate show more chapters. Each has a theme clustered around what the Yankee tradition of team first was able to accomplish using that philosophy. Berra concedes that the times have changed and that it's almost impossible now to have that type of consistent dedication to team play. Still there are modern-day players who would have fit right into the old Yankee line ups. Berra does give critiques on the deficient play of some but overall the book aims to praise those individuals who sacrifice personal glory in order that the team as a whole may triumph. Berra is a Hall of Famer so his opinion carries weight. He doesn't throw it around lightly. He is probably most famous outside of the game for his aphorisms like "It's not over, till it's over", "When you come to a fork in the road, take it" and "It's deja vu all over again". Overall this is a great book with coauthor Kaplan making it all look effortless. This book will fall out of fashion, in my view, being tied to a style of play that is long gone and examples far too remote for most readers to remember. It's an undeserved absence in American sports writing, that it has to be so. Index, B/W photos show less

If you were expecting a book filled with "Yogi-isms", those (in)famous contortions of common truths, you've picked up the wrong book. Apparently Yogi is more than a little defensive that bon mots like "It ain't over 'til it's over" earned him a reputation as a latter-day Forrest Gump, and he's not going to take it anymore.

It sounds like Yogi, but the constant testimonials to his intelligence begin to - unless you are a dyed in the wool Yogi fan - generate a response similar to biting down on show more tin foil. I can't believe this book took more than a week to finish. I started it with anticipation, and each night it took more and more will power to pick it up and work through a few more pages. show less