Tucson Festival of Books

Jane Leavy



Richard Mallory Allnut

Jane Leavy is the author of The New York Times bestsellers "The Big Fella: Babe Ruth and the World He Created," "The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle and the End of America’s Childhood," and "Sandy Koufax: A Lefty’s Legacy," and the comic novel "Squeeze Play." Her latest book is "Make Me Commissioner." She has written for many publications including The Washington Post, The New York Times, Newsweek, and The Los Angeles Times. She grew up on Long Island where she pitched briefly and poorly for the Blue Jays of the Roslyn Long Island Little League 

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Awards: Seymour Medal for Baseball History & Biography, Finalist for National Book Award for Biography


Scheduled events:
Back to the Future in Sports?
There was a time when boxers and baseball players were the true heroes of American sports. Are those golden ages now past, or are they ready for a resurgence? Let’s ask Jane Leavy and Mark Kriegel, both of whom should know.

Integrated Learning Center Room 130 (Seats 143, Wheelchair accessible)  View this venue on the Festival map
Sat, Mar 14, 1:00 pm - 1:55 pm
Sports
Signing area: Sales & Signing Area - Integrated Learning Center (following presentation)  View this venue on the Festival map

Panelists: Mark Kriegel, Jane Leavy
Moderator: Ryan Finley
Sponsors: Session made possible courtesy of Sara Cohen, The Neymeyer Family, Alice and Bill Roe
"Fixing" Sports
Sports face some big challenges. At the top are gambling and the games' integrity, fairly compensating women athletes and a long-term declining interest in our "national pastime." This panel will expand on these problems and offer thoughts on how they can be fixed.

Integrated Learning Center Room 120 (Seats 300, Wheelchair accessible)  View this venue on the Festival map
Sun, Mar 15, 11:30 am - 12:25 pm
Sports
Signing area: Sales & Signing Area - Integrated Learning Center (following presentation)  View this venue on the Festival map

Panelists: Christine Brennan, Danny Funt, Jane Leavy
Moderator: Michael Guymon
Sponsors: Session made possible courtesy of Hudson Group, Marshall Foundation, Rebecca Schroer and Bradley LeBoeuf

Books:
Make Me Commissioner
I Know What's Wrong with Baseball and How to Fix It
Sports
Grand Central Publishing
September 2025
ISBN 9780306834684
400 pages
Buy now

The Big Fella
Babe Ruth and the World He Created
Sports
HarperCollins
October 2018
ISBN 9780062380227
656 pages
Buy now