True

"On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson became the first African American Major League Baseball player in modern baseball. There had been others in the late 1800s, namely Bud Fowler and Moses Fleetwood Walker, until Cap Anson refused to play with or against teams with Black ballplayers. This is what started the color line that Robinson broke. <br/><br/>In True, Kostya Kennedy takes a deep dive into 4 "seasons" of Robinson's life and shows us not only more about the ballplayer, but also the man. Those seasons are 1946 when Robinson integrates the Montreal Royals and the International League in his long season in the Minor League, 1949, the year he is named National League MVP, 1956, the final season of his career, and 1972, the year Robinson died. There is also a section called Afterlife, which tells what his widow, Rachel has been doing since his death and the impact Jackie Robinson has had on this country.<br/><br/>I really enjoyed this style of biography. I feel like I have a much better understanding of Robinson as a whole person, not just as a pioneering baseball player. I liked how we got glimpses into the bond between Robinson and his wife and their three kids. <br/><br/>Kennedy also does a fantastic job with imagery, it made me feel like I was right there at the ballpark watching him play. He also really made you feel the emotions that he and his family felt as they were on this journey of integrating baseball and the Civil Rights movement. It was cool to see how he had an impact on other people, including people who were kids at the time he was playing and the people who lived in Montreal in 1946. <br/><br/>I would recommend this to anyone who is a baseball fan or history buff. My appreciation to St. Martin's Press, author Kostya Kennedy, and NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this book. All opinions are my own."