01/10/2022

Journalist Kennedy (Lasting Impact), a former Sports Illustrated editor, takes an idiosyncratic and heartfelt look at the enduring legacy of sports pioneer Jackie Robinson through four seminal chapters of his life. Beginning with the spring of 1946, Kennedy reports on Robinson’s time in the minor leagues as a member of the Montreal Royals. There, the field became a stage for Robinson’s athletic gifts—including his uniquely rigid batting stance, which, Kennedy writes, “may have been the most notable and influential of them all.” After joining the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 as the first Black man to play in Major League Baseball, Robinson delivered on the promise of his rookie year by being named the league’s MVP in the summer of 1949. The fall of 1956 saw Robinson’s career end on a down note: he struck out in his final at-bat for the Dodgers, ending the World Series against the Yankees. With the winter of 1972 came the retirement of Robinson’s number, 42, and his death from a heart attack. Lyrical throughout, Kennedy’s narrative radiates with reverence and ends on a resonant note with his description of Robinson’s funeral procession in Harlem: “ gathered thick along the sidewalks.... There was a time in many of lives when Jackie Robinson carried the brightest light of hope.” Baseball fans shouldn’t miss this. (Apr.)

"[Kennedy] brings to life Robinson’s greatness as a player as well as providing perspective on his place in American history for his dedication and determination for civil rights. . .the story of... [a] groundbreaking moment in baseball’s — and the country’s — history." — The San Diego Union Tribune

"This is a marvelous addition to the library on the ever-important, ever-enigmatic Jackie Robinson, one of the towering figures in the Civil Rights Movement. Kennedy has given us four remarkable ‘snapshots’ of Jackie at this most brave and vulnerable moment."

— Ken Burns, filmmaker

"True is a captivating reminder of Jackie Robinson’s greatness not only as a baseball player and trailblazer, but also as a fearless activist for the equal rights and fair treatment of all people. Reading it, I said to myself time and again: “I wish I could have met him.”

—John Grisham

"In these latter days, when Jackie Robinson's titanic sports legacy can be expressed in more nuanced human terms, and in terms of the struggle for human rights, Kennedy's restrained, patient, immensely readable biography might well be where a younger generation — grown curious about the great Robinson — can commence."

—Richard Ford

"There has been so much written and said about Jackie Robinson that one might think that there is nothing left to say. But Kostya Kennedy's True: The Four Seasons of Jackie Robinson not only offers an innovative approach to biographical writing but fresh insights and information about Robinson. Even what we thought we knew is cast in a new context. An absolutely fascinating and compelling read. A truly masterful book."

—Gerald Early, author of A Level Playing Field: African American Athletes and the Republic of Sports

"Once again, the excellent Kostya Kennedy has found a unique way of vivifying the life of one of baseball's most imposing figures. But, unlike his previous biographies of Joe DiMaggio and Pete Rose, this one is devoted to someone whose impact on the game — and on our national culture — has only intensified since his playing days. True befits the greatness of the man whose life it chronicles."

—Daniel Okrent, author of Nine Innings, Last Call, Great Fortune (finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in History), and The Guarded Gate

"The 75th anniversary of the day Jackie Robinson became the first Black man to play in the Major Leagues is the perfect time to remember a great baseball player and an even greater American. Kostya Kennedy’s True tells Robinson’s story beautifully, a sweeping narrative rich in detail and full of riveting and important stories that should be told and retold for generations."

—Christine Brennan, USA Today sports columnist and bestselling author of Inside Edge

"An idiosyncratic and heartfelt lookat the enduring legacy of sports pioneer Jackie Robinson ... Lyrical throughout, Kennedy's narrative radiates with reverence and ends on a resonate note with his description of Robinson's funeral procession in Harlem ... Baseball fans shouldn't miss this.” —Publishers Weekly

"Kennedy brings literary grace to his subject, illuminating Robinson's sizzling style on the ballfield, his colossal significance in American culture, his complex humanity and his enduring legacy ... he paints lush portraits of telling moments from Robinson's career ... and renders the everyday indignities and terrifying death threats during spring training in the Jim Crow South ... True explains Robinson in striking, human terms." — Aram Goudsouzian, The Washington Post

"An appreciative biography of Jackie Robinson ... A sturdy combination of sportwriting and social history." — Kirkus

"What emerges from True above all is that Robinson was baseball's man for all seasons, a mixture of great conscience, great grace and, not least, astonishing physical skill ... Mr. Kennedy's chronicle is less a biography of man than a story of a distant time ... True pays homage to a beautiful game." — David M. Shribman, The Wall Street Journal

"An unconventional biography of the baseball legend. The author writes about the four most important years of Robinson's life ... Kennedy notes that Robinson was not only an incredible baseball player but also an outstanding person who endured much throughout his life and career and paved the way for so many athletes today ... A fantastic, well-written biography; fans of baseball and of Robinson's career (on or off the field) must read this captivating book." — Gus Palas, Library Journal

★ 03/01/2022

American baseball has seen some truly legendary players. While they all left their mark on the sport, few had the impact that Jackie Robinson did on the game and on society. Robinson's impact transcended baseball because he broke the color barrier in 1947. Even now, 75 years after his first at bat, Robinson's importance cannot be overstated. In this latest work, Kennedy (56: Joe DiMaggio and the Last Magic Number in Sports) has written an unconventional biography of the baseball legend. The author writes about the four most important years of Robinson's life, spanning the time from Branch Rickey's signing him to the Brooklyn Dodgers to the athlete's final years as a second baseman—all while Robinson endured racism from fellow athletes, opposing teams, and baseball fans. Kennedy notes that Robinson was not only an incredible baseball player but also an outstanding person who endured much throughout his life and career and paved the way for so many athletes today. The inclusion of occasional photographs and illustrations is a bonus. VERDICT A fantastic, well-written biography; fans of baseball and of Robinson's career (on or off the field) must read this captivating book.—Gus Palas

Much has been written about the trailblazing of Jackie Robinson, the first Black man to play Major League baseball. Author Kostya Kennedy adds his biographical touch to a rich subject. Kevin Kenerly narrates with a dramatic voice, which works because it is aligned with the emotional tone of Kennedy’s writing. The author follows Robinson through his life and career, focusing on personal moments more than statistical achievements. Kenerly’s narration is a good example of voice marrying words. There was a loneliness about Robinson, and Kenerly captures that especially well. Such theatrical emphasis doesn’t always work with audiobook narration, but it does so here—beautifully. M.B. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

2022-01-11
An appreciative biography of Jackie Robinson (1919-1972) and his role in the integration of Major League Baseball.

When he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1962, notes Kennedy, editorial director at Meredith and a former Sports Illustrated senior writer, Robinson “asked that his plaque make no mention of his role in integrating baseball.” The diffidence is curious, since Robinson famously faced court-martial while serving in the Army for refusing to vacate a bus seat reserved for Whites—10 years before Rosa Parks—and had been an active supporter of and fundraiser for the civil rights movement. Indeed, as the author shows, Robinson was a first in many ways—especially as the first Black player to work in MLB in the 20th century, by the design of executive Branch Rickey, who believed that the time had come for the sport to show the rest of American society the way to treat all citizens equally. Regrettably, as Kennedy writes, the lessons were hard-won. Robinson may have been an equal on the field, but when the Brooklyn Dodgers traveled, Robinson often dined alone in his hotel room, discouraged or forbidden from entering Whites-only dining areas. Even in the supposed racial haven of Canada, where Robinson played while being groomed in the minor leagues, he encountered the “clear marginalization of Black Montrealers, the small-in-numbers populace who lived for the most part in particular areas of town, who stayed only in particular hotels or rooming houses, who found jobs in labor and service.” Robinson didn’t go out of his way to make waves, nor did his friend and fellow Black player Roy Campanella, who insisted, “I’m no crusader.” Yet, in his quiet determination, Robinson opened numerous doors. There’s not much new in Kennedy’s life of Robinson, but it’s always good to be reminded of his greatness and significance in any big-picture view of modern America.

A sturdy combination of sportswriting and social history.