The Last Innocents

The Collision of the Turbulent Sixties and the Los Angeles Dodgers

By: Michael Leahy

Narrated by: Joe Barrett

Legendary Dodgers Maury Wills, Sandy Koufax, Wes Parker, Jeff Torborg, Dick Tracewski, and Tommy Davis encapsulated 1960s America: white and black, Jewish and Christian, wealthy and working class, pro-Vietnam and anti-war, golden boy and seasoned veteran. The Last Innocents is a thoughtful, technicolor portrait of these seven players - friends, mentors, confidants, rivals, and allies - and their storied team that offers an intriguing look at a sport and a nation in transition.

Michael Leahy places these men's lives within the political and social maelstrom that was the era when the conformity of the 1950s gave way to demands for equality and rights. Increasingly frustrated over a lack of real bargaining power and an oppressive management who meddled in their personal affairs, the players shared an uneasy relationship with the team's front office. This contention mirrored the discord and uncertainty generated by myriad changes rocking the nation: the civil rights movement, political assassinations, and growing hostility to the escalation of the Vietnam War.

©2016 Michael Leahy (P)2017 Tantor

Critic reviews

"[A] gripping narrative...By using their personal experiences to tell the story of an oft-recounted era of American history, Leahy's book packs an unanticipated jolt of humanness." ( Publishers Weekly)

LAST INNOCENTS HIT A GAME-WINNING HOME RUN! 🇺🇸⚾️🇺🇸⚾️🇺🇸⚾️

Superb retelling of the 1960s Los Angeles Dodgers, Walter Alston, Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Maury Wills, Wes Parker, and the rest of their team, along with difficult team GM Buzzi Buvasi and their tight-fisted cheapskate owner, Mr. Walter O'Malley!

Great stories, and superb narration.
Perfect, like Mr. Koufax, if you love MLB History!

GRADE: A

If I wasn’t already a Dodger fan. I would be now!

Great accounting of the turbulent 60s and how the great Los Angeles Dodgers dealt with the changing world. The best books provide insight and reveal previously unknown information. This book checks those boxes.
As a longtime Dodger fan, I knew the names and some of the stories, but now I know even more, and with a greater understanding and appreciation.
Sandy Koufax, we already know and love. But the details about Wes Parker and Maury Wills were so revealing, and humanizing! They’re heroes now, 60 years later.
And then there is narrator Joe Barrett. I’m sure not everyone appreciates his unique voice and delivery, but give the man a chance and he’ll become a favorite. He is just so good! For me at least, if he’s reading it, I’ll listen.

Lend It An Ear

To all septuagenarians, baseball enthusiasts, and Dodger fanatics, I urge you to turn your ears to this masterpiece.

The Dodgers of the 60s

A good account of the Dodgers in the 60s with a focus on Koufax, Wes Parker, Don Drysdale, and Maury Wills.

Excellent

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story captures the story of the Dodgers and the country in the 1960s. I also really enjoyed the narration.