Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “Ron Santo: For Love of Ivy - The Autobiography of Ron Santo” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

Ron Santo: For Love of Ivy - The Autobiography of Ron Santo

by Ron Santo

4.17 of 5 stars 4.17 · rating details · 18 ratings · 5 reviews

Ron Santo has a remarkable story to tell, from the trauma of a serious illness to his fame as one of the greatest third basemen in the history of baseball.Loaded with untold stories about the greatest players ever to grace the game, and updated for seasons to come, this book will delight not only Cubs fans, but baseball fans everywhere.

Hardcover , 224 pages

Published January 7th 2004 by Bonus Books Inc (first published May 1st 1993)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

Or buy for

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Ron Santo , please sign up .

Be the first to ask a question about Ron Santo

Lists with This Book

Coming To Terms With Type 1 Diabetes by Debbie Young

The Isles of Langerhans, a Magical Kingdom, and Diabetes by Lisa Jeffery

Don't Call Me Sugarbaby! by Dorothy Joan Harris

Diabetes

13th out of 38 books — 20 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-26 of 26)

filter | sort : default (?) | rating details

Nov 29, 2011 Drew Leverton rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ron Santo’s purpose in writing Ron Santo: For Love of Ivy was to share his experiences as a major league athlete and as a person dealing with diabetes. Ron had a rough time growing up without a father and said, “Sports saved me.” He also wanted people to know that despite having diabetes it is still possible to do anything you want. Initially, he kept his diabetes a secret, but later shared it with the public and raised lots of money for diabetes research.

The themes of the book were to follow yo Ron Santo’s purpose in writing Ron Santo: For Love of Ivy was to share his experiences as a major league athlete and as a person dealing with diabetes. Ron had a rough time growing up without a father and said, “Sports saved me.” He also wanted people to know that despite having diabetes it is still possible to do anything you want. Initially, he kept his diabetes a secret, but later shared it with the public and raised lots of money for diabetes research.

The themes of the book were to follow your dreams and to overcome adversity. When Ron was a boy, he never thought it would be possible to make it to the major leagues and play with the greats, but he was lucky enough to live that dream and be a great player himself. Doctors didn’t know a lot about diabetes at the time and people weren’t expected to live very long, but this made Ron more determined to fight and beat the disease. .

The style of this book was a narration. Ron Santo and Randy Minkoff described Ron’s baseball career in chronological order from the time he entered at age eighteen, through his career with the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox, and on to his time as a Cubs broadcaster. Narration lets the reader see how Ron Santo’s career progressed over time. This is an effective style for sharing his life story because it lets you see all of the things he faces, good and bad, from his childhood through adulthood. This style lets the reader see the high points in Ron Santo’s career such as his happiness at being signed to the Cubs and his Golden Glove awards, along with his lows which included losing his parents in a car accident and being diagnosed with diabetes.

I thought the book was very good and inspirational especially for people who are fighting diabetes around the world. I liked reading about Ron Santo’s baseball career and all of the great players he played with. There was nothing I disliked about the book or would change about it. It is not similar to any other books I have read. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys baseball history and stories about overcoming disabilities.

...more

flag Like · see review

May 02, 2015 John Mccorkle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Two of my grandchildren, Christian (10) & Hayden (8), found this book at a book fair. Knowing my love for baseball and the Cubs, they bought it for me with their own money. I thoroughly enjoyed Ron Santo telling his life story!

flag Like · see review

Mar 22, 2013 Aaron Million rated it 3 of 5 stars

I grew up listening to Ron on WGN Radio and really enjoyed his enthusiasm for the Cubs, along with his rapport with both Harry Caray and then Pat Hughes. Fun book to read concerning baseball in the 60s, and also his valiant struggle with juvenile diabetes.

flag Like · see review

Dec 30, 2011 Katie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Not too bad for a book written by an athlete.

flag Like · see review

Sep 21, 2010 Hannah is currently reading it

Just about done with it - such a interesting career he had. He's my favorite sports announcer, I loved learning more about him.

flag Like · see review

Todd rated it 3 of 5 stars
Aug 03, 2015

Jeffrey Hoffman rated it 4 of 5 stars
Feb 13, 2015

Craig rated it 5 of 5 stars
Nov 10, 2014

Steven rated it 3 of 5 stars
Jun 13, 2014

Julie marked it as to-read
May 13, 2014

Jason rated it 4 of 5 stars
Jan 05, 2014

Jennifer marked it as to-read
Aug 20, 2013

Jonah rated it 2 of 5 stars
Mar 13, 2013

Brian is currently reading it
Mar 05, 2013

Sami Murphy marked it as to-read
Nov 05, 2012

Lauren rated it 5 of 5 stars
Oct 08, 2012

Jd Van hyning marked it as to-read
Aug 03, 2012

Eric rated it 4 of 5 stars
Jul 11, 2012

Ted rated it 4 of 5 stars
May 15, 2012

Scott rated it 5 of 5 stars
Jul 24, 2012

Cortney marked it as to-read
Feb 15, 2012

Andie added it
Nov 17, 2011

Heather Santiago rated it 5 of 5 stars
Jul 27, 2011

Krisandgreg rated it 5 of 5 stars
Apr 08, 2011

Daniel Butcher rated it 5 of 5 stars
Sep 22, 2010

Highlander 41 rated it 5 of 5 stars
Sep 23, 2009

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

Books by Ron Santo

Few and Chosen Cubs: Defining Cubs Greatness Across the Eras

Living the Dream: An Inside Account of the 2008 Cubs Season

Billy Williams: My Sweet-Swinging Lifetime with the Cubs

More…

Share This Book

Share on your website

title link	preview: Ron Santo: For Love of Ivy - The Autobiography of Ron Santo
avg rating	preview: Ron Santo: For Love of Ivy - The Autobiography of Ron Santo Goodreads rating: 4.17 (18 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3965542-ron-santo?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348764890l/3965542.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3965542-ron-santo?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Ron Santo: For Love of Ivy - The Autobiography of Ron Santo by Ron Santo[/url]