Rickey & Robinson
The True, Untold Story of the Integration of Baseball
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
In Rickey & Robinson, legendary sportswriter Roger Kahn at last reveals the true, unsanitized account of the integration of baseball, a story that for decades has relied on inaccurate, second-hand reports. This story contains exclusive reporting and personal reminiscences that no other writer can produce, including revelatory material he'd buried in his notebooks in the 40s and 50s, back when sportswriters were still known to "protect" players and baseball executives.
That starts, first and foremost, with an in-depth examination of the two men chiefly responsible for making integration happen: Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson. Considering Robinson's exalted place in American culture (as evidenced by the remarkable success of the recent biopic), the book's eye-opening revelations are sure to generate controversy as well as conversation. No other sportswriter working today carries Kahn's authority when writing about this period in baseball history, and the publication of this book, Kahn's last, is a true literary event. In Rickey & Robinson, Kahn separates fact from myth to present a truthful portrait of baseball and its participants at a critical juncture in American history.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Kahn's (The Boys of Summer) book a mix of memoir, history, and reportage subtly argues that the integration of baseball, accomplished through the efforts of Brooklyn Dodgers president and general manager Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson, did more to improve race relations in the U.S. than perhaps any other single act. Seemingly driven more by the logic of Kahn's memory he was a reporter who covered the Dodgers when the events described occurred than by the logic of narrative, the book is haphazardly organized. And though Kahn tells some new stories and spent time combing through Rickey's archives in the Library of Congress, the story as a whole is not "untold." Nonetheless, Kahn's writing is, as usual, fine and strong, and his anecdotes are engrossing. Kahn inserts himself into the story frequently, and he is as engaging a character as Rickey or Robinson, which is saying a lot. In spite of its flaws, this book makes for a good introduction to the story of Rickey, Robinson, and the integration of baseball.
