This objective and unauthorized book is the most complete account yet of this signal player's life and career, which has brought him five World Series rings. Jeter has become emblematic of talent, teamwork, and tradition, not to mention charitable endeavors (funded in part by his off-season work as a pitchman). The author reveals a lot of new information about Jeter's rise to stardom and the influence his parents continue to have as he maintains his reputation as the best-known scandal-free sportsman in America-although Jeter may not like the descriptions of some of his dating habits. Insightful about Jeter's minor league days and touching on his personal life, the book tantalizes with predictions about possible position changes and the length of Jeter's career. An excellent selection for those interested in baseball generally and in pinstripes particularly.-G.R. (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

This solid chronological account of Jeter's life begins with his parents' biracial marriage and Jeter's boyhood prediction that he would grow up to play for the Yankees, then follows him through a 15-year career that to date has included 11 All-Star selections and five World Series titles. O'Connor (Arnie & Jack) nicely details Jeter's high and lows, with his in-depth accounts of the 1992 draft, in which the senior from Kalamazoo (Mich.) Central High School somehow went to the Yankees as a #5 pick. He then recounts Jeter's on-field and off-field struggles during his first minor league season, giving readers a rare glimpse of the superstar at his most anxious and vulnerable. While O'Connor doesn't shy away from charting Jeter's various romances, exploring his feud with Alex Rodriguez, or documenting the shortstop's inability to forgive even the smallest slight, there isn't much new information or controversy, so those looking for the inner-torment of Joe DiMaggio, the braggadocio of Ted Williams, the social activism of Hank Aaron, or the controversy of Jose Canseco are out of luck. Still, O'Connor peppers the bio with enough hidden gems about the notoriously private ballplayer to make this the most thorough and intriguing work on Jeter so far. And O'Connor's ability to reconcile Jeter the man with Jeter the ballplayer means that even Red Sox fans may enjoy this bio. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

O'Connor says he was searching for the tangible explanation for Derek Jeter's intangible grace, and he searches for nearly 400 pages. It's a mighty effort, but a flesh-and-blood athlete and person never quite emerges. Sourcing countless interviews and games watched, O'Connor makes a hero's journey, nearly a hagiography, out of the New York Yankees shortstop's story. Jeter is the prince, the good son, the tireless worker. O'Connor uses baseball lore and the tropes and rhythms of folktales to limn Jeter's family life and early career, including the fact that he had a Mariah Carey poster in his teenage room. He also charts Jeter's strong relationship with former Yankees manager Joe Torre, another hero on the journey, as well as his more complicated relationship with fellow Yankees star, Alex Rodriguez. The glory years of the late 1990s and the team's drought after the turn of the century receive thorough coverage as well. Jeter's recent contract renewal with the only team he ever wanted to play for ends the story. Hardly a perfect sports bio, but essential for Yankees fans.--DeCandido, GraceAnne A. Copyright 2010 Booklist