True. Kostya Kennedy.

True. Kostya Kennedy.

The Four Seasons of Jackie Robinson.  

As we begin another baseball season, I decided to check out a book about one of the most famous and influential players of all time.     True, by Kostya Kennedy, explains a refreshed, detailed account of the life and times of Jackie Robinson, who did break the color line in major league baseball during the 1947 season but was also one on the most influential players of the 20^th century.       

The author breaks the story down in four “seasons”.   The segments were not necessarily Robinson’s best on the field performance but better described as important milestones that occurred in his life.  Part 1 describes some of Robinson’s time playing spring ball in Montreal as a new member of the Brooklyn Dodgers.    Part 2 expands upon his experiences during the summer of 1949, his third season with the Dodgers, where he and his family navigate the social ladder of Queens and Long Island.   Part 3 covers his experiences in the fall of 1956, his last season with the Dodgers and as a professional baseball player but also in the height of his popularity around the league and the country.   The last season takes place in 1972, the year Robinson died, where the author goes into great details of the players many accomplishments away from the field.   

Unless one loves to read about minute baseball game details, which were scattered throughout the book, the information Kennedy provided about Robinson away from the diamond was likely most intriguing.    The author addressed the Pasadena native’s relationship with owners, coaches, teammates and peers within the league.    Also included and firmly conveyed were the locations of where Robinson and his family lived in Brooklyn, Queens and Connecticut as well as symbolism behind that.  Regardless of season or location, there are plenty of examples of prejudice, racism and bigotry, that Jackie Robinson and his wife experienced, included throughout each book section.   The verbal abuse Robinson, who was born in Georgia just after World War I, faced during his playing days from both fans and opposing players is fairly well documented and known.   Another example was how later in life, even after all of his professional accomplishments, the Robinson family was rejected by a local country club in Connecticut.  

Kennedy, the author of several books including Lasting Impact, goes into personal details of Robinson’s health decline especially later in life.    The experience documented while Robinson had attended the funeral of former teammate, and close friend, Gil Hodges in Brooklyn.    The book notes that it was a bit of a white-knuckle affair for Robinson just to drive from his home in Stamford Connecticut to the church in the first place.    But as he sat in the car he realized he was not going to be able to move out of it on his own due to the many complications of diabetes and other health ailments he was now regularly experiencing which included loss of peripheral vision and bad knees partially due to considerable weight gain over the years. 

The book takes an in-depth look at much of Robinson’s personal life, in addition to his many health issues and struggles beyond the playing career.    The struggles of being on the road, eschewed by the white’s only lodging opportunities and the sting of teammates not standing up for them.   Another intriguing part of the book highlights where he lived while playing for the Dodgers.   Details include his apartment with his wife in Brooklyn.   Moving out to the near suburbs of Queens in St. Albans, which had been a white only neighborhood less than a decade earlier.   Eventually moving north to a statelier residence in suburban Connecticut, where he and his family would throw many outdoor galas in the summer.  

Robinson was equally busy with work as a product endorser and a manager in a coffee-company where he helped with personnel matters.    Kennedy portrays #42 as an outspoken individual, especially for civil rights issues.    He cultivated relationships with many well-known contemporaries in that era including direct correspondence with Martin Luther King jr. up until his assassination in 1968.  His outspokenness in current issues, particularly with racial matters, may have isolated him from Major League baseball as the author asserts once his playing days had ended. 

The book takes a bit of a turn in tone once the last season is reached.     There are fewer stories about his playing days and the games involved.    In fact, Kennedy seems to approach that part of the book as a near enshrinement for Jackie and wife’s accomplishments beyond his connection to baseball.   While some of the achievements were interesting, such as establishing foundations that helped less fortunate students gain access to a college education, it could be argued that the book was overly extended in that regard.

The book covers about 260 pages.  The author provides many useful details about his playing days, his early life and experiences beyond playing baseball.    Kennedy does not conceal how life may have been challenging for a black athlete/family in the middle of the twentieth century at different times including the tragic accident his eldest son suffered not long before Robinson passed away.   However, Robinson is clearly portrayed as a unique, honorable man of conviction, influential in the black and white community and respected among his peers.    He was the type of man that would sacrifice to save and protect others.   All of that and much more makes True a fascinating tale of an American sports hero who excelled on the field when given the opportunity but also pushed for even greater heights in all seasons of his life that was unfortunately cut well short.     

Discussion questions to ponder and pose to others:

Given all of the literature that exists connected to Jackie Robinson, why was this book important to write and publish?

Why is it important to continue reading and learning about the legacy of Jackie Robinson?

What are some key aspects that young people should know about Jackie Robinson as a baseball player and citizen off of the field? 

What is the significance of the book title?

What could be changed about the four seasons selected and analyzed within this book?

How much of an influence was Branch Rickey in regard to Robinson as well as the game of baseball?

• ·       You might like to read this book if you are a fan of Jackie Robinson.
• ·       You might like to read this book if you like to read about baseball players.
• ·       You might like to read this book if you covet stories about African American baseball players.
• ·       You might like to read this book if you are interested in reading about social conditions and civil rights for African Americans.
• ·       You might like to read this book if you seek stories that address historical race relations of the twentieth century. 

 

Read more from the author on X:   https://x.com/KostyaKennedy