Electric October - by Kevin Cook (Paperback)

About the Book

The epic World Series between the Yankees and the Dodgers and the six men whose lives were changed forever.

Book Synopsis

The 1947 World Series was "the most exciting ever" in the words of Joe DiMaggio, with a decade's worth of drama packed into seven games between the mighty New York Yankees and the underdog Brooklyn Dodgers. It was Jackie Robinson's first Series, a postwar spectacle featuring Frank Sinatra, Ernest Hemingway, and President Harry Truman in supporting roles. It was also the first televised World Series--sportswriters called it "Electric October."

But for all the star power on display, the outcome hinged on role players: Bill Bevens, a journeyman who knocked on the door of pitching immortality; Al Gionfriddo and Cookie Lavagetto, bench players at the center of the Series' iconic moments; Snuffy Stirnweiss, a wartime batting champion who never got any respect; and managers Bucky Harris and Burt Shotton, each an unlikely choice to run his team. Six men found themselves plucked from obscurity to shine on the sport's greatest stage. But their fame was fleeting; three would never play another big-league game, and all six would be forgotten.

Kevin Cook brings the '47 Series back to life, introducing us to men whose past offered no hint they were destined for extraordinary things. For some the Series was a memory to hold onto. For others it would haunt them to the end of their days. And for us Cook offers new insights--some heartbreaking, some uplifting--into what fame and glory truly mean.

Review Quotes

"[An] entertaining slice of baseball history."--Booklist

"[An] essential summer read . . . a fascinating deep dive into the unlikely characters that made the 1947 World Series between the Yankees and Dodgers a classic."--New York Post

"A magnificent, Hall of Fame caliber addition to baseball literature."--George F. Will


"A poignant study that goes beyond baseball."--New York Times


"A wonderful book by someone who clearly loves the game and the seemingly small moments that cement that love. Bravo!"--Ken Burns

"An impressively reported, smoothly written book."--Kirkus Reviews

"An outstanding collection of stories about men, about life and about one glorious World Series, it is one that all baseball readers should add to their libraries."

"Entertaining, well-researched history.... In profiling the lives of these six overlooked men, Cook reveals the complicated reality of baseball's golden era."--Publishers Weekly starred review

"Heartfelt and entertaining. . . . Cook's narrative is splendid, but the subtext of his book is even better."--Wall Street Journal


"The 1947 World Series had everything: Joe DiMaggio and Jackie Robinson, Yankee Stadium and Ebbets Field. . . . Kevin Cook offers a fine appreciation of the games, the subplots, and the personalities that made '47 a true Fall Classic."--Bob Costas

About the Author

Kevin Cook is the author of Ten Innings at Wrigley: The Wildest Ballgame Ever, with Baseball on the Brink, the award-winning Tommy's Honor (the basis for the feature film), and Kitty Genovese: The Murder, the Bystanders, the Crime That Changed America. He is a former senior editor at Sports Illustrated.