This Old Man: All in Pieces

This Old Man: All in Pieces is a collection of essays and reflections by longtime New Yorker writer Roger Angell, published when he was 94 years old. The book spans multiple decades of writing and covers topics from baseball and aging to loss and literature. The essays move between personal stories of Angell's life in Manhattan and observations about American culture through the latter half of the 20th century. His coverage of baseball forms a significant portion of the collection, drawing from his years as The New Yorker's baseball correspondent. Angell writes about his experiences with grief after losing his wife and daughter, while also sharing memories of his career in publishing and his relationships with writers like Vladimir Nabokov and John Updike. The collection includes pieces about his stepfather, E.B. White, and his mother, who was The New Yorker's first fiction editor. Through these varied pieces, the collection creates a meditation on mortality, memory, and the ways humans find meaning across different stages of life. The writing demonstrates how personal history intertwines with cultural shifts, showing one man's perspective on nearly a century of American life.

Readers value Angell's reflections on aging, baseball, and New York life, with many noting his sharp wit remains intact at age 93. The collection of essays resonates with older readers who connect with his perspectives on loss, memory, and later-life experiences. Likes: - Clear, precise writing style - Personal stories about marriage, aging parents, and pets - Baseball commentary spanning multiple decades - Humor throughout serious topics Dislikes: - Scattered organization of essays - Some pieces feel dated or too brief - Baseball content can be dense for non-fans - A few readers found the tone occasionally pretentious Ratings: Goodreads: 3.9/5 (456 ratings) Amazon: 4.4/5 (132 ratings) Sample reader comment: "His description of grief after losing his wife hit me hard. The way he writes about mundane details makes even small moments meaningful." - Goodreads reviewer Several readers noted the book works better when read in small segments rather than straight through.

The Boys of Summer by Roger Kahn A sportswriter's memoir weaves baseball history with personal reflection through stories of the Brooklyn Dodgers and American culture of the 1950s.

Essays of E.B. White by E. B. White White chronicles decades of New York life, nature observations, and cultural shifts through precise, understated prose pieces originally written for The New Yorker.

Life Itself by Roger Ebert The film critic's memoir presents discrete episodes from his career, relationships, and battle with illness while documenting the transformation of American media.

The Art of the Personal Essay by Phillip Lopate The collection spans centuries of observational writing that blends personal experience with cultural commentary in the same tradition as Angell's work.

Between Them: Remembering My Parents by Richard Ford Ford examines his parents' lives and his own childhood through interconnected memoir pieces that capture mid-century American life and family relationships.

🌟 Roger Angell wrote for The New Yorker for over 70 years, becoming the magazine's longest-serving contributor in its history. 📚 At age 93, Angell became the first nonplayer or manager to receive the Baseball Hall of Fame's J.G. Taylor Spink Award for writing excellence. ✍️ The book's title "This Old Man" comes from Angell's award-winning essay about aging, which he wrote at age 93 and first published in The New Yorker in 2014. 🎭 Despite being E.B. White's stepson, Angell carved his own literary path, becoming particularly renowned for his baseball writing, which has been called the finest baseball prose ever written. 📖 The collection includes pieces spanning multiple decades, featuring everything from baseball commentary to dog ownership, and even includes a heartfelt meditation on the death of his wife Carol in 2012.