Big Papi by David Ortiz

Hey, Bro!  Here is a conversational biography from one of baseball's biggest figures, David Ortiz.  Sportswriter Tony Massarotti gets a 'with' on the byline, but this book is clearly mostly Mazzerotti's work transcribing and organizing many conversations with the Red Sox slugger.  Massarotti presents summaries and scene-settings to add to Big Papi's story of his childhood, life in the minors, and rise to one of the world's most recognizable baseball players.  As biographies of current celebrities go, it's interesting.  But Massaroti's writing is clearly intended to set Ortiz up as a hero figure rather than a more nuetral, objective biographical analysis.  Fans of Big Papi, the Red Sox, or perhaps baseball in general will enjoy this look at Big Papi's life, but it's not a biography with a lot of reach beyond that fan base. Fortunately for me, I fit into all those categories quite nicely and enjoyed the backstory to one of my favorite players.