Bill Gutman is a veteran writer of sports books for children and young adults, as well as adults. His research for Sammy Sosa: A Biography included long interviews with Sosa himself, coaches he played with, and ballplayers such as Mark Grace. Gutman's long record of publications about sports and his reputation for treating his subjects fairly has resulted in his having access to athletes who might not otherwise talk to other sportswriters. On the other hand, his flood of sports biographies for young adults has resulted in a diffident attitude among book reviewers, with some titles such as Sammy Sosa being overlooked, in spite of their popularity. One of the significant issues that arises when studying Gutman's writings is whether his works suffer from his writing too many during a given year.

Born in New York, but raised in Stamford, Connecticut, Gutman originally intended...