True: The Four Seasons of Jackie Robinson
By Kostya Kennedy; St. Martin’s Press, 278 pages, $29.99
Royals. He then jumps to 1949, when the Dodger star glowed brightest, capturing the National League’s most valuable player award. In 1956, Robinson retired after a rocky season that included feuds with management and long stints on the bench, as well as glorious glimpses of his unique greatness. The book ends in 1972, with Robinson as a lion in winter, slowly fading, still fighting.
Kennedy’s approach allows him to linger over scenes, painting lush portraits of telling moments from Robinson’s career. He depicts how Jackie and his wife, Rachel, drew sustenance from their stint in Montreal, where local fans gave friendship and comfort. He portrays how Black fans cheered their hero with a deep, almost spiritual pride. He renders the everyday indignities and terrifying death threats during spring training in the Jim Crow South.
Some vivid passages describe Robinson on the base paths, showcasing his astonishing physicality and attacking philosophy. “None of Robinson’s contemporaries displayed his ability to start and stop and start and stop and start again, to jink his way past fielders and potential tags, to rattle and embarrass and elude,” writes Kennedy. “He would hover at times and then explode. For Robinson, each time on base promised an essay into new possibilities.”
At his best, Robinson dominated every facet of the game. During his 1949 MVP season, he led Brooklyn to the pennant while hitting .342 with 16 home runs, 38 doubles, 12 triples and 124 RBI. He stole 37 bases, scored 122 runs, turned 119 double plays and laid down 17 sacrifice bunts.