NEW YORK, Dec. 15 (UPI) -- Two men who wrote about Mickey Mantle have come out against plans for a fictional novel about the New York Yankees hall-of-famer.
Mickey Herskowitz and Phil Pepe -- who both wrote biographies on Mantle -- say author Peter Golenbock portrays Mantle in a negative light in his new fictional novel, the New York Daily News reported.
"Mickey wasn't a choir boy, but this is a terrible insult to his family to have to read something like this," Pepe said of Golenbock's "7: The Mickey Mantle Novel."
"And (author Peter) Golenbock is saying it's fiction? Why?" said the author of "My Favorite Summer 1956."
In his novel, due out in March, Golenbock portrays Mantle as a foul-mouthed womanizer, who even had a sexual relationship with film star Marilyn Monroe.
Herskowitz told the Daily News he completely understands why Mantle's sons -- with whom he worked on "All My Octobers" -- have distanced themselves from "7" by saying they had no involvement in its production.
