George Herman Ruth was never one to share a spotlight. But then again, why should he have? Yet encroaching onto Ruth’s spotlight is what “War Fever: Boston, Baseball, and America in the Shadow of the Great War” endeavors. True, the Bambino retains a Barrymore’s share of his newest stage, but Randy Roberts and Johnny Smith aim at telling a grander story. The authors have written previous books together, including “Blood Brothers: The Fatal Friendship Between Muhammed Ali and Malcolm X.” Here they attempt both a broad portrait of Ruth’s milieu and a narrower look at a portion of his career: specifically 1917-19, as pitcher Ruth became slugger Ruth and larger-than-life Ruth.
The subtitle of “War Fever” gives “Boston” pride of place over “baseball.” Beantown is the hub—pardon the expression—upon which their narrative turns, for “War Fever” highlights not merely the Babe but two other Bostonians strongly affected by the Great War: Karl Muck, conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and U.S. Army Major Charles W. Whittlesey, commander of the “Lost Battalion” that for six agonizing days found itself hopelessly trapped behind German lines during October 1918’s bloody Meuse-Argonne offensive.
