When the Boston Red Sox won their first world championship in 2004 after a virtual lifetime of futility, readers enjoyed a glut of books about that fabled franchise. Last fall, when the Chicago Cubs won their first title since 1908 --- a lifetime plus --- it was only natural that the publishing industry follow suit.

There are obvious similarities between these two clubs, including a legendary “curse” for each franchise. For the Red Sox, it was the “Curse of the Bambino,” brought about when the team’s owner, Harry Frazee, sold a young Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees because he needed dough to follow his real love: producing theatrical plays. For the Cubs, it was the “Curse of the Billy Goat.” Long story short for that one: William Sianis, owner of the Billy Goat Tavern, brought his pet goat and business mascot to the Cubs’ home at Wrigley Field for the fourth game of the 1945 World Series against the Detroit Tigers. After numerous complaints, both were given the boot. According to legend, Sianis proclaimed, “Them Cubs, they ain't gonna win no more." Indeed, that was the last time the team appeared in the World Series, suffering through decades of mediocrity until they stunned the baseball world by winning the title in 2016.

"While several other books have covered the topic of Sianis’ whammy, the author employs a style that educates the reader without the standard 'just the facts, ma’am' used by so many other writers."

This is the focus of Rich Cohen’s excellent new offering, THE CHICAGO CUBS: Story of a Curse. While several other books have covered the topic of Sianis’ whammy, the author employs a style that educates the reader without the standard “just the facts, ma’am” used by so many other writers. In fact, just a few chapters in, I was wondering if there was an audio version (there is) because this tale lends itself as much to hearing the words as seeing them.

The fate of the Cubs is very personal to Cohen, who grew up in the Chicago area. He ditched school as a teenager more than he probably should have to attend games, which were primarily held during the daytime in those years; there were no lights at Wrigley until 1988. His fortunes rose and fell with the team despite his father’s warnings against becoming a fan, armed with the knowledge only maturity can bring that the Cubs would just break your heart.

And they did, time and time again. Even when they were good (infrequently), even when they were just a few outs away from getting to the World Series, a little voice in the minds of hardcore fans would remember that the other shoe always inevitably drops, whether in the form of a poorly timed error by a usually reliable first baseman (1984) or a man in the stands inadvertently interfering with a Cubs outfielder (2003). Both instances turned potential victory and advancement into soul-crushing losses.

Cohen --- whose previous work includes TOUGH JEWS: Fathers, Sons, and Gangster Dreams; THE SUN & THE MOON & THE ROLLING STONES; and MONSTERS: The 1985 Chicago Bears and the Wild Heart of Football --- reminds us that the Cubs were winners once, way way back when. Things really started going south for the Second City when the team moved into Wrigley Field, famous for its ivy-covered outfield walls. But, in fact, those “friendly confines” proved a curse in itself. When the wind blows in, Cohen notes, it’s a pitcher’s dream; blowing out is a nightmare (the Cubs once lost a 10-inning game to the Philadelphia Phillies, 23-22, a score more appropriate for the Bears of the NFL). It was impossible to find the right mix of players that could produce a winner.

Add to their woes a poor combination of ownership (Philip K. Wrigley, the gum magnate, was not really interested in the game; the attractive field that bore the family name was the real star of the show); on-field management (Leo Durocher disliked veterans and rookies alike); and players. That is, until Theo Epstein came on the scene as president of baseball operations in 2011. Epstein, as a reminder, was the Yale-educated GM of the Red Sox during their resurgence. So in a sense, we have him to thank for the explosion of Sox- and Cubs-related literature over the last decade plus. Cohen’s is the latest and greatest in this genre.