In this exuberant biography, Wilson (Pudge: The Biography of Carlton Fisk) takes an in-depth look at Ernie Banks (1931–2015), the beloved Chicago Cubs player whose trademark phrase “Let’s play two” summed up his joy at playing the sport. Drawing from interviews with Banks’s childhood friends and teammates, Wilson delivers a solid look at the Hall of Famer, who played his entire 19-season career for the Cubs and amassed 512 home runs. He takes readers from Banks’s childhood in segregated Dallas of the 1940s through his early years as a member of the Negro League’s Kansas City Monarchs (“Midwestern white fans had never before had cause to cheer for a black man”), and to Chicago, where Banks developed his genial “Mr. Cub” persona, which came out of his belief in the American Dream and in “hard work and patience, and being a good role model.” In workmanlike prose, Wilson expertly chronicles Banks’s development as a player, presenting a detailed look at how he was “one of the two best shortstops the game has even known,” until a 1961 injury forced him to play first base for the rest of his career. This is an insightful look at the truth and the legend of the man forever known as “Mr. Cub.”

Publishers Weekly

Wilson is a former college baseball player, a member of the Society for American Baseball Research, and the author of four previous books on baseball. He’s a serious student of the game, a meticulous researcher, and a fine writer . . . Wilson provides details of Banks’ North Dallas youth, his stint with the Kansas City Monarchs, and his emergence in the fifties as one of baseball’s first Black stars . . . Wilson gets behind Banks’ cheerful persona to reveal the man’s deep-seated melancholy, again using interviews to bring out a complex personality. A well-constructed, empathetic biography.

Booklist

Born in 1931, Ernie Banks grew up in segregated North Dallas, Texas, in an area today known as the Dallas Arts district. A multisport star in school, Banks began his professional baseball career with the Kansas City Monarchs in the latter years of the Negro Leagues and in 1953 became the first African American to play for the Chicago Cubs. On his way to becoming “Mr. Cub,” perhaps the most beloved player in franchise history, Banks was an 11-time all-star and twice earned the National League’s "most valuable player" award during a 19-year career in the major league. Wilson, an independent baseball historian, supplemented his research by interviewing several people from all stages of Banks’ life to assemble this excellent and comprehensive biography. Racial issues related to Banks and the Cubs are interwoven with coverage of the arc of Banks’ career, including the tenure of Buck O’Neil as the first African American major league coach. The failure of the Cubs to reach the playoffs during Banks’s career and his sometimes difficult post-career years are well covered. This book would be a welcome addition to most academic libraries.

Choice Reviews

When Doug Wilson writes about Ernie Banks it is done with care, admiration, research, and respect. . . . filled with sustenance, detail and documentation. The comments he includes of people who knew Banks enhances the storytelling of Let’s Play Two. Yet Wilson’s own words tell us much on the page. Very early in the book we get a detailed painting of Ernie Banks and not a quick photograph. . . . Wilson’s insight into Ernie Banks also carries over into his excellent commentary about the Negro Baseball League [and] If one knows more about Willie Mays or Hank Aaron it’s then essential to read Let’s Play Two.

New York Journal of Books

The book is an insightful look at Ernie’s entire life and career. It does more than just describe his accomplishments on the field; it also analyzes the importance of his career, with much emphasis on the history of the Cubs franchise. . . . A biography of Ernie Banks was long overdue, and thankfully Wilson filled the void with Let’s Play Two. If you need something to do between Cubs games this spring, I would recommend picking up a copy of this book.

Wrigleyville Nation

Wilson skillfully provides his readers with a balance of insightful detail about Banks’ playing days and personal life. . . . the detail with which Wilson masterfully depicts Banks will leave readers convinced that Banks was nothing other than a man who humbly appreciated every accomplishment he achieved in his lifetime. . . . Wilson’s Ernie Banks comes alive in a way that allows readers to immerse themselves in his tremendous strength, agility, and talent that the man known as Mr. Cub always brought to the game.

Spitball: The Literary Baseball Magazine