Why Sinatra Matters

Pete Hamill's classic tribute to Frank Sinatra.

In this unique homage to an American icon, journalist and award-winning author Pete Hamill evokes the essence of Sinatra--examining his art and his legend from the inside, as only a friend of many years could do. Shaped by Prohibition, the Depression, and war, Francis Albert Sinatra became the troubadour of urban loneliness. With his songs, he enabled millions of others to tell their own stories, providing an entire generation with a sense of tradition and pride belonging distinctly to them.

With a new look and a new introduction by Hamill, this is a rich and touching portrait that lingers like a beautiful song.

Pete Hamill is a novelist, journalist, editor, and screenwriter. His books include the forthcoming Forever (Little, Brown, January 2003), the bestselling novel Snow in August, and the bestselling memoir A Drinking Life. He writes a daily column for the New York Daily News and lives in New York City.