Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball

The book is very well written and I felt a balanced look at Pete's Rose's life and career. As a person Pete comes across as a much flawed human and not a very nice one. As a baseball player you appreciate the success he had and the effort that it took for Pete to get there There is evidence that Pete may have used a corked bat at the end of his career to help break Ty Cobb's hit record but throughout his baseball life hard work and hustle helped him overachieve and become one of the all-time greats on the field. I generally like to read about the life of ballplayers that played before I was born but I saw the author do a presentation about the book and I was intrigued to pre-buy it. I'm really glad I did as not only did I learn a lot about Pete Rose but Keith O'Brien is a skilled writer. I look forward to reading another of his books, whatever the subject I am sure it will be interesting. I read all the notes and sources in the back of the book after I finished reading the story and you can see that he is a professional journalist in the amount and quality of research that went into writing this book. I very much appreciated the amount of first hand interviews that he conducted including many with Pete himself (until Pete suddenly stopped taking his calls). I'm sure readers will have different feelings about Pete after reading the book. I found myself thinking that Pete was a whole lot worse of a person than I previously knew, but at the same time, at the end of the book, I'm left feeling sorry for him and what his life has become.

Great book about Pete Rose. I was never really a fan of his but very informative book about a ball player with a lot of problems.

Greatest sports book I’ve read. Author tells all the truth. Doesn’t editorialize. I spent most of my beach vacation with this book and it was well worth it! Love Pete Rose! And sometimes hate Pete Rose! Still can’t stop loving the man. Superbly written book! Will look at more by this author.

This well researched and well documented biography of Pete Rose tells Pete's story from his earliest days as an overachieving athlete to his somewhat lucky start in professional baseball to his legendary record breaking major league career. Much of this story is already known by even the casual baseball fan. But it is Pete's dark side which is laid bare in this biography. His womanizing, his neglect of his own children and finally his gambling all bring about his downfall. Pete violated the cardinal rule in baseball, namely do no bet on baseball games, particularly your own team. The documentation for his gambling is clearly laid out. And the 35 years from Pete's banishment from baseball to the present is a great standalone story but side by side with his 25 year baseball career is a Shakesperean tragedy. A great read.

If you are a fan of 70s and 80s baseball, I highly recommend this book. It is not a typical hero worship sports biography but a compelling story of a complicated and flawed man who happened to accomplish a lot on the baseball diamond.

Good read. It shines la very different light on the Red Machine

I had preconceived notions before reading this book. The first, that Pete Rose is a bad person. The second, that Keith O'Brien was still going to be able to suck me into this story. Both of them turned out to be true!If you somehow don't know who Pete Rose is, he was a baseball player who had the most hits ever. This is a big deal. In O'Brien's Charlie Hustle, you get to the full Pete Rose story. O'Brien has a knack for somehow taking these big stories, like his previous (and amazing) book Paradise Falls, and telling them in a way that is both interesting throughout but never manipulative. There is a version of this book where the author could excuse everything Rose did or make the argument he has lost enough. Another version focuses on his many negative actions or just his general personality.Which brings me back to my preconceived notion. I was already knowledgeable enough about Rose to know I wouldn't like him any more than when I started. However, O'Brien made it so that when I tell people why, I have way more facts to bolster my view. In fact, I bet someone who wants to stick up for Rose would say the same. Whichever view you have, you are going to enjoy it. That's why this is such a damn good book.(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and the author.)

Pete Rose was such a monumental sports figure in the 1970s. His grit, determination and skills on the field were as celebrated as his well deserved hubris. He was a true sports hero but lurking beneath the surface he was besieged by many demons that manifested in his addictions to gambling, womanizing, and perpetually enhancing the myth of Pete Rose. An incredibly well written bio of a man who was as talented as he was self absorbed and insouciant. A truly great book.

Good story telling of him