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Kings and Pawns: Jackie Robinson and Paul Robeson in America
A path-breaking work of biography about the collision of two American giants, Jackie Robinson and Paul Robeson, whose lives would be forever altered by Robinson’s 1949 appearance before the notorious House Un-American Activities Committee—from one of the best sports and culture writers working today.
Kings and Pawns is the untold story of sports, fame, and politics through the lens of two transformative events at the dawn of Cold War America. The first occurred July 18, 1949, on a warm summer morning in Washington, D.C., when a reluctant Jackie Robinson, the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball star who integrated the game and at the time was the most famous Black man in America, testified at the behest of the House Committee on Un-American Activities to discredit Paul Robeson, the legendary athlete, baritone, and actor—himself once the most famous Black man in America. Robinson’s testimony would effectively end Robeson’s once iconic stage and screen career.
The second occurred June 12, 1956, in the midst of the final, demagogic roar of McCarthyism when a battered Robeson stood before that same committee after nearly a decade of government and public persecution. These two moments, seven years apart and in front of the most notorious government body in American history, would epitomize the Black American dilemma of straddling the impulses of patriotism and citizenship, protest and revolution. Robinson and Robeson represent the two poles of a people pitted against itself on the cusp of a nascent civil rights movement—with one man testifying in conflicted service to and the other in ferocious critique of—a country that would ultimately and decisively wound both.
In a time of larger political division, where Black athletes and entertainers are expected to take political positions (and are often silenced for doing so), the long-ago collision of these two titans reverberates today within and beyond Black America. From the revival of government “loyalty oaths,” questioning the patriotism of fellow citizens, and the return of Cold War-era rhetoric of “the enemy within” levied against fellow citizens, Kings and Pawns is a story that feels hauntingly present. What is past remains prologue.
Kings and Pawns is the untold story of sports, fame, and politics through the lens of two transformative events at the dawn of Cold War America. The first occurred July 18, 1949, on a warm summer morning in Washington, D.C., when a reluctant Jackie Robinson, the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball star who integrated the game and at the time was the most famous Black man in America, testified at the behest of the House Committee on Un-American Activities to discredit Paul Robeson, the legendary athlete, baritone, and actor—himself once the most famous Black man in America. Robinson’s testimony would effectively end Robeson’s once iconic stage and screen career.
The second occurred June 12, 1956, in the midst of the final, demagogic roar of McCarthyism when a battered Robeson stood before that same committee after nearly a decade of government and public persecution. These two moments, seven years apart and in front of the most notorious government body in American history, would epitomize the Black American dilemma of straddling the impulses of patriotism and citizenship, protest and revolution. Robinson and Robeson represent the two poles of a people pitted against itself on the cusp of a nascent civil rights movement—with one man testifying in conflicted service to and the other in ferocious critique of—a country that would ultimately and decisively wound both.
In a time of larger political division, where Black athletes and entertainers are expected to take political positions (and are often silenced for doing so), the long-ago collision of these two titans reverberates today within and beyond Black America. From the revival of government “loyalty oaths,” questioning the patriotism of fellow citizens, and the return of Cold War-era rhetoric of “the enemy within” levied against fellow citizens, Kings and Pawns is a story that feels hauntingly present. What is past remains prologue.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 20, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
February 2, 2026
I really enjoyed reading this book. The book details how Jackie Robinson and Paul Robeson were used as pawns by the U.S. government and media during the Red Scare to represent contrasting sides of Black political thought. The central event is Robinson’s reluctant testimony before the HUAC, where he was pressured to disavow Paul Robeson, a legendary singer and activist, which contributed to destroying Robeson’s reputation. A great history lesson. Highly recommend.
October 19, 2025
Howard Bryant, frequently recognized as one who masters in the exploration of race and sports, or more accurately race in sports, has brought his best stuff to this project and he delivered a gem. Over 13 chapters, this comprehensive and meticulously researched investigation delves into the intersection between Jackie Robinson and Paul Robeson. While Jackie Robinson is undoubtedly the more widely recognized name, this recognition is largely due to Paul Robeson’s exclusion from history due to being blackballed.
“Kings and Pawns” makes significant strides in rectifying this injustice. One of Jackie Robinson’s greatest faux pas was his inability to avoid being exploited. In Kings and Pawns we get the complete in-depth story of Jackie testifying before the HUAC and although his testimony was certainly a stab to Paul Robeson, what got left out of the popular retelling was Jackie Robinson’s comments on the US anti-Black racism issue. However, what you have here is the accurate retelling, popular sentiment be damned! The behind the scenes goings-ons are important, because it provides the reader with a more flushed out foundation.
That allows readers to access a broader, diverse, and perhaps more compassionate perspective, perhaps avoiding the Jackie Robinson trope of him consistently being on the wrong side of history (Paul Robeson and Muhammad Ali).
If Mr. Howard Bryant had simply focused on Paul Robeson and amplified his greatness through biography and history, that would have been sufficient.
Alternatively, if Mr. Bryant had just examined Jackie Robinson’s remarkable story in the context of baseball and his place in history, that would have been equally valuable. But to combine both and add enough biographical elements of both men, he has swung for the fences and hit a HOME RUN! In a word, this book is excellent! Make room on your shelf, book arrives Jan. 20, 2026. Great big shoutout to Mariner Books and the author for an ARC!
“Kings and Pawns” makes significant strides in rectifying this injustice. One of Jackie Robinson’s greatest faux pas was his inability to avoid being exploited. In Kings and Pawns we get the complete in-depth story of Jackie testifying before the HUAC and although his testimony was certainly a stab to Paul Robeson, what got left out of the popular retelling was Jackie Robinson’s comments on the US anti-Black racism issue. However, what you have here is the accurate retelling, popular sentiment be damned! The behind the scenes goings-ons are important, because it provides the reader with a more flushed out foundation.
That allows readers to access a broader, diverse, and perhaps more compassionate perspective, perhaps avoiding the Jackie Robinson trope of him consistently being on the wrong side of history (Paul Robeson and Muhammad Ali).
If Mr. Howard Bryant had simply focused on Paul Robeson and amplified his greatness through biography and history, that would have been sufficient.
Alternatively, if Mr. Bryant had just examined Jackie Robinson’s remarkable story in the context of baseball and his place in history, that would have been equally valuable. But to combine both and add enough biographical elements of both men, he has swung for the fences and hit a HOME RUN! In a word, this book is excellent! Make room on your shelf, book arrives Jan. 20, 2026. Great big shoutout to Mariner Books and the author for an ARC!
October 4, 2025
Howard Bryant’s Kings and Pawns is a powerful and necessary read. He takes Jackie Robinson’s story beyond the myths we’ve been told and shows the weight he carried on and off the field. What hit me most was how he brings Paul Robeson back into the light. Robeson was one of the greatest athletes and entertainers of his time, yet his politics cost him everything. Bryant shows how both men shaped the fight for equality in different ways.
I also appreciated learning about Moses Fleetwood Walker, the true first Black player in the majors, which added even more depth. This book reframes history we thought we knew and reminds us that Bryant is one of the best writers on the intersection of race, sports, and politics.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (4.5 out 5)
Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for the ARC.
January 19, 2026
This book should be a requirement for high school US History and definitely in all college: history, humanity and social sciences courses. Arthur Howard Bryant, so eloquently gives us the lies of two Giants: Paul Robeson and Jackie Robinson.
It is an up close and personal look at how their lives were shaped by the Cold War and the tense, destructive intersect between them and the House Un-American Activities Committee. Robeson- “King “, took his stand and did not budge. He lost career, friends, and accolades because of his “communist”views. But given the circumstances in the United States at that time, particularly the south, the USSR did look good in the beginning for Black Americans. Robinson, initially seen as a “pawn “, was uncertain, unaware, and he unknowingly allowed himself to be used against Robeson and portray the US as “for equality “.
As the truths roll on, we see a widened and in-depth look at the government’s shortcomings and pitfalls. How it basically did what it wanted, to whom it wanted. The government’s view “integration is communism “; it remained a hard no on all attempts to desegregate up until the 1960s.
The life of Robeson, the first Black Othello, destroyed. Robinson who we know now as the second Black major leaguer in baseball, slowly but surely goes from pawn to King. His life’s achievement almost snuffed out if it weren’t for his wife, Rachel, and his profound accomplishments in baseball. Bryant brings these pieces together, like a strategic game of chess. History, retold through Kings and Pawns.
Thank you Mariner Books for the Advanced Reader Copy.
It is an up close and personal look at how their lives were shaped by the Cold War and the tense, destructive intersect between them and the House Un-American Activities Committee. Robeson- “King “, took his stand and did not budge. He lost career, friends, and accolades because of his “communist”views. But given the circumstances in the United States at that time, particularly the south, the USSR did look good in the beginning for Black Americans. Robinson, initially seen as a “pawn “, was uncertain, unaware, and he unknowingly allowed himself to be used against Robeson and portray the US as “for equality “.
As the truths roll on, we see a widened and in-depth look at the government’s shortcomings and pitfalls. How it basically did what it wanted, to whom it wanted. The government’s view “integration is communism “; it remained a hard no on all attempts to desegregate up until the 1960s.
The life of Robeson, the first Black Othello, destroyed. Robinson who we know now as the second Black major leaguer in baseball, slowly but surely goes from pawn to King. His life’s achievement almost snuffed out if it weren’t for his wife, Rachel, and his profound accomplishments in baseball. Bryant brings these pieces together, like a strategic game of chess. History, retold through Kings and Pawns.
Thank you Mariner Books for the Advanced Reader Copy.
January 27, 2026
I learned so much from this book. I grew up listening to the songs of Paul Robeson and knowing about Jackie Robinson as a Dodgers fan. Yet this book brings a new perspective on both of these men and their history in the civil rights movements and baseball race issues through the author’s writing and deep research. What a time in history and I imagine what Robeson’s life and contribution might have been without the persecution by the government. I think in general we know more about Robinson’s struggles and contributions but we don’t hear about Robinson’s involvement in Robeson’s persecution and the Robeson’s many gifts were didn’t get to enjoy to due blacklisting. I imagine this pitting against one another was common as well. Such a sad and difficult time in history that gets repeated again and again.
January 22, 2026
Tragic in every way.
September 23, 2025
“Kings and Pawns,” by Howard Bryant, is a brilliant, well-researched book that brings to life anew Jackie Robinson and Paul Robeson, two great athletes and civil rights pioneers who, in the 1940s and 1950s, were essentially and unwillingly pitted against each other by bigots with no actual interest in civil rights.
Paul Robeson has, by and large, been lost to history but, in his time, was one of the greatest college football players of all time, then a graduate of Columbia Law School, and then a world-renowned actor and singer. However, his left-leaning politics led to the end of his career and his ostracism from both the entertainment industry and the civil rights movement.
Everyone knows the story of Jackie Robinson - the first Black player in the MLB and has heard the stories of how Branch Rickey, a pious Christian, took great risk to bring Robinson to MLB, and how Robinson has been lionized as a civil rights pioneer and how, by his on-field play and off-field stoicism, opened the door for others.
However, Bryant does a masterful job of showing the truth behind the scenes. He shows how Robeson was ostracized by the NAACP and a mainstream civil rights movement that was afraid of being tarred as Communist at a time when it was fighting for voting and other basic rights. I had heard of the Peekskill concerts in 1949, where left-leaning concertgoers were attacked by mobs and then basically blamed for it, but Bryant brings to life what was going on behind the scenes. I had also never heard of how Robeson challenged HUAC, by bringing up slavery and the mistreatment of Blacks in the US. In that testimony, you see a through line from Robeson’s description of not being treated as a “colored man” in Russia to Muhammad Ali’s famous speech about the Vietcong when he refused induction into the army (“the Vietcong never called me n*****.” )
I had heard vaguely of how Robinson had testified to Congress, but had no idea that it was HUAC, that he was brought there to essentially condemn Robeson but how he used it primarily to bring to light the mistreatment of Blacks. Bryant also does a great job of severely damaging the myth of Branch Rickey as pious, courageous and concerned.
Ultimately, Bryant shows how two lions of civil rights both ended up embittered and on the outside of the movement, and he restores the fullness of two men who had become 2-D representations.
As an aside, he also gave me new understanding of Moses Fleetwood Walker, the first Black player in the precursor to the MLB.
Bryant may be the best writer on the intersection of sports and race working today, from “Shut Out” to “Full Dissidence” to “Kings and Pawns.”
This honest review was given in exchange for an advanced reader copy from NetGalley and Harper Collins.
Paul Robeson has, by and large, been lost to history but, in his time, was one of the greatest college football players of all time, then a graduate of Columbia Law School, and then a world-renowned actor and singer. However, his left-leaning politics led to the end of his career and his ostracism from both the entertainment industry and the civil rights movement.
Everyone knows the story of Jackie Robinson - the first Black player in the MLB and has heard the stories of how Branch Rickey, a pious Christian, took great risk to bring Robinson to MLB, and how Robinson has been lionized as a civil rights pioneer and how, by his on-field play and off-field stoicism, opened the door for others.
However, Bryant does a masterful job of showing the truth behind the scenes. He shows how Robeson was ostracized by the NAACP and a mainstream civil rights movement that was afraid of being tarred as Communist at a time when it was fighting for voting and other basic rights. I had heard of the Peekskill concerts in 1949, where left-leaning concertgoers were attacked by mobs and then basically blamed for it, but Bryant brings to life what was going on behind the scenes. I had also never heard of how Robeson challenged HUAC, by bringing up slavery and the mistreatment of Blacks in the US. In that testimony, you see a through line from Robeson’s description of not being treated as a “colored man” in Russia to Muhammad Ali’s famous speech about the Vietcong when he refused induction into the army (“the Vietcong never called me n*****.” )
I had heard vaguely of how Robinson had testified to Congress, but had no idea that it was HUAC, that he was brought there to essentially condemn Robeson but how he used it primarily to bring to light the mistreatment of Blacks. Bryant also does a great job of severely damaging the myth of Branch Rickey as pious, courageous and concerned.
Ultimately, Bryant shows how two lions of civil rights both ended up embittered and on the outside of the movement, and he restores the fullness of two men who had become 2-D representations.
As an aside, he also gave me new understanding of Moses Fleetwood Walker, the first Black player in the precursor to the MLB.
Bryant may be the best writer on the intersection of sports and race working today, from “Shut Out” to “Full Dissidence” to “Kings and Pawns.”
This honest review was given in exchange for an advanced reader copy from NetGalley and Harper Collins.
January 21, 2026
Happy publication day to this latest volume from Howard Bryant! I had previously read and loved Bryant’s biography of Rickey Henderson, and while this read a little different than a traditional biography, it really shed light on a relatively unknown piece of Black history. I am a big baseball fan and felt familiar with Jackie Robinson’s story and I also knew something about Paul Robeson, having visited the Paul Robeson House in Philadelphia many years back. However, I didn’t know how their stories intertwined in the way that Bryant explicates and I didn’t realize Robeson dealt with so many challenges being labeled as a Communist. I think Bryant told this story without pitting Robinson and Robeson against each other, as many did at the time, and I left the book feeling sympathetic for both of them. This book gives a new perspective on two very influential and impactful Americans and I would definitely recommend it!
*I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
*I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
September 15, 2025
I have read a number of books about Jackie Robinson but Howard Bryant's book takes Mr. Robinson's life and influence in a direction I have not read and rarely considered. Jackie's famous appearance before the House UnAmerican Committee (HUAC) has frequently been either a footnote in a larger biography or framed almost as good (Jackie) vs bad (Paul Robeson). Using recently discovered or released information as well as contemporaneous accounts Mr. Bryant looks at this interaction and life of both men before and after this interaction. Mr. Bryant also looks at this "dispute" in the larger context of American history and America's treatment of its black citizens. I was almost immediately grabbed when Mr. Bryant includes Paul Robeson's testimony to MLB leadership Commissioner Landis and the MLB team owners in the early 1940's about baseball integration. This is a meeting I had never heard of yet Mr. Bryant has the primary source records showing how Paul Robeson at the time maybe the most famous Black man in the world sought MLB integration and contributed to the now infamous show tryout the Red Sox gave to Jackie Robinson and Sam Jethroe. There is so much in this book that is either new or compiled in a new way that I would almost spoil it by writing too much. In short, if you are a baseball fan, Jackie Robinson fan, or history fan this book is an essential read. Even if you are none of these you may enjoy it as so much of what Mr. Bryant's details happened in the late 40's to 1960's is relevant today's political climate. Wonderful read. Thanks Net Gallery for the advance copy.
January 25, 2026
Thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I’ve read a few books about Jackie Robinson as well as watched Ken Burns’ documentary a few times. I knew of Paul Robeson and his career and political views, but not well-versed. Kings and Pawns brings together two people that define the Black experience in America at a certain time.
Both men testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee, which was a witch hunt against American Communists. This meticulously sourced biography attempts to unpack Cold War era repression and the moral dilemmas faced by public figures back in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The broad look at the cultural battle over racial identity, protest, and patriotism is explored through the words and actions of these two men. The blend of sports, entertainment, and political intrigue is as relevant today as it was in the last century.
What I found most interesting about the narrative put forth in Kings and Pawns is that the author did not attempt to play Jackie Robinson against Paul Robeson, as society did back in the day. There’s sympathy for the plight both of the men had, as public figures who were Black and successful in their careers. There’s always been an effort by white society to pit successful minority against successful minority to bring them down a peg or two.
This was a very interesting read that sheds more light on a terrible time in our country’s history, when a modern-day witch hunt was allowed to fester in our society.
I’ve read a few books about Jackie Robinson as well as watched Ken Burns’ documentary a few times. I knew of Paul Robeson and his career and political views, but not well-versed. Kings and Pawns brings together two people that define the Black experience in America at a certain time.
Both men testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee, which was a witch hunt against American Communists. This meticulously sourced biography attempts to unpack Cold War era repression and the moral dilemmas faced by public figures back in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The broad look at the cultural battle over racial identity, protest, and patriotism is explored through the words and actions of these two men. The blend of sports, entertainment, and political intrigue is as relevant today as it was in the last century.
What I found most interesting about the narrative put forth in Kings and Pawns is that the author did not attempt to play Jackie Robinson against Paul Robeson, as society did back in the day. There’s sympathy for the plight both of the men had, as public figures who were Black and successful in their careers. There’s always been an effort by white society to pit successful minority against successful minority to bring them down a peg or two.
This was a very interesting read that sheds more light on a terrible time in our country’s history, when a modern-day witch hunt was allowed to fester in our society.
October 24, 2025
A timely book indeed… In this time of fear and uncertainty, when allegiances are questioned on a daily basis, what better time to read a book that tells a similar story, from a time not too distant in this country’s past.
Let me get to it…this book is excellent, whether you like history books, books on culture and race, or just like a book you can’t seem to put down for two minutes. This book has it all; drama, racism and the struggle of those both fighting it and suffering from it. Loyalty, character smears, dirty tricks, patriotism and what it’s really worth. This book put quite a bit into perspective for me, and I’m certain you will find it just as relevant as I do, if not more so. I could sing the praises of the author, Howard Bryant, for many more paragraphs here, but the best salesperson for this book is the book itself. A book of the year contender to anyone with any sense, I implore you all, READ THIS BOOK!
Let me get to it…this book is excellent, whether you like history books, books on culture and race, or just like a book you can’t seem to put down for two minutes. This book has it all; drama, racism and the struggle of those both fighting it and suffering from it. Loyalty, character smears, dirty tricks, patriotism and what it’s really worth. This book put quite a bit into perspective for me, and I’m certain you will find it just as relevant as I do, if not more so. I could sing the praises of the author, Howard Bryant, for many more paragraphs here, but the best salesperson for this book is the book itself. A book of the year contender to anyone with any sense, I implore you all, READ THIS BOOK!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
This was a really interesting book. It's more like an intro on the story of how two legendary athletes became pitted against each other during the HUAC Red Scare era of the 1950s. The book made me more interested in learning about the journeys of Jackie Robinson and Paul Robeson, each wrestling with Jim Crow America in their unique own ways.
It was a bit of a slog to get through, because I kept getting so mad at the unmitigated racism they faced that I had to take breaks from reading lasting several days.
Uncorrected proof won in a Goodreads giveaway.
It was a bit of a slog to get through, because I kept getting so mad at the unmitigated racism they faced that I had to take breaks from reading lasting several days.
Uncorrected proof won in a Goodreads giveaway.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
Excellent, as is to be expected from Howard Bryant. Less a baseball book than a political history, Bryant creates a dual portrait of Jackie Robinson and Psul Robeson that captures how each navigated (or more accurately, were manipulated by) the political landscapes of their time. It's a fascinating read and one that manages to make the universally adored Robinson seem more human and make the unfairly maligned Robeson just a little less forgotten. If you're looking for the ultimate intersection of sports, race, and politics, this is the book for you.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
One of the best books I read in 2025. Pages and pages of revelations about baseball, politics, and the lives of Jackie Robinson and Paul Robeson. Mr. Bryant's work is excellent. Well-researched, with new sources unavailable to previous Robinson and Robeson scholars, and very readable. I could not stop recommending this book, even to non-baseball fans. I plan to buy copies of this book to give to some folks who I know would appreciate it.
January 25, 2026
Great writing. Full of little known facts about two great African American heroes. It saddened me to learn that it was a white establishment person that goaded Robinson to let down another great American of greater talent than himself, being an actor, singer, sportsman and civil rights activist Robeson. Shame on racist America. It is writings like this that tells the real worth of white America to those who immigrate here from countries where such racism is unknown.
January 28, 2026
An excellent book about a time in America that has some echoes of today, is this what we are becoming? I was a child at this time in American history remember a few things, mostly the building of backyard bomb shelters and curling up under our school desks for shelter drills. This book was an eye opener to the greater picture and how it affected two important, talented men in the US.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
A necessary history that ties together two kings of their time and deftly illustrates the ways in which the mighty get turned into pawns by the powerful.
January 26, 2026
Had no idea how much they both accomplished. That feels very purposeful now with this information.
January 31, 2026
Howard is amazing at contextualizing the moments contained within this book.
February 2, 2026
An excellent history, linking two extraordinary people, illustrating great political changes… especially regarding race and the law.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Ali vs. Frazier. Federer vs. Nadal. Jackie Robinson vs. Paul Robeson? I did not have that last one on my bingo card but then again, I didn't know who Robeson was until I read Kings and Pawns by Howard Bryant.
Bryant tells the story of how the battle over communism set Jackie Robinson on a collision course with former athlete and stage actor Paul Robeson. The stakes were high as this was all happening right in front of the witch hunt that was the House Un-American Activities Committee. It's not a place you wanted to be.
Bryant's book is an easy read from a prose perspective, but a challenge for me from a content perspective. When I read my books, I want a full accounting whenever possible. I want characters fleshed out and dissected. It's the history nerd in me. For instance, sainted Branch Rickey does not come off well in this book. He's not a full villain, but Bryant does take some of the shine off his halo. He was progressive, but only in comparison to his contemporaries. (Before you think there is race involved in who looks good and bad, I would point out that Robinson himself takes quite a few hits in this and yes that pun is very intended.)
However, once I locked in on Bryant's true thesis, I was able to understand that I wasn’t giving myself over to the narrative. Bryant is not telling the story of Robinson or Robeson. He is myth-busting and shining a light on the less than holy aspects of the entire story. Robinson was led along politically. Robeson wasn't a full-on communist, but he certainly didn't repudiate Stalin. Rickey did take on segregation, but not purely out of the kindness of his own colorblind heart.
Bryant also has an uncanny ability to know when to drop some sweet, sweet primary source quotes. There are a few times where I found myself saying, "Well, Howard, you are going to need to back that idea up!" only to have the author use a quote directly from Robinson, Robeson, Rickey, or another primary character.
To put a fine point on it, this is not a book about a sainted baseball legend. This is a challenging narrative about an overlooked and messy event in history. It’s a hell of a book.
(This book was provided as an advance reader copy by Mariner Books. All opinions are my own since my ego wouldn't allow it any other way.)
Bryant tells the story of how the battle over communism set Jackie Robinson on a collision course with former athlete and stage actor Paul Robeson. The stakes were high as this was all happening right in front of the witch hunt that was the House Un-American Activities Committee. It's not a place you wanted to be.
Bryant's book is an easy read from a prose perspective, but a challenge for me from a content perspective. When I read my books, I want a full accounting whenever possible. I want characters fleshed out and dissected. It's the history nerd in me. For instance, sainted Branch Rickey does not come off well in this book. He's not a full villain, but Bryant does take some of the shine off his halo. He was progressive, but only in comparison to his contemporaries. (Before you think there is race involved in who looks good and bad, I would point out that Robinson himself takes quite a few hits in this and yes that pun is very intended.)
However, once I locked in on Bryant's true thesis, I was able to understand that I wasn’t giving myself over to the narrative. Bryant is not telling the story of Robinson or Robeson. He is myth-busting and shining a light on the less than holy aspects of the entire story. Robinson was led along politically. Robeson wasn't a full-on communist, but he certainly didn't repudiate Stalin. Rickey did take on segregation, but not purely out of the kindness of his own colorblind heart.
Bryant also has an uncanny ability to know when to drop some sweet, sweet primary source quotes. There are a few times where I found myself saying, "Well, Howard, you are going to need to back that idea up!" only to have the author use a quote directly from Robinson, Robeson, Rickey, or another primary character.
To put a fine point on it, this is not a book about a sainted baseball legend. This is a challenging narrative about an overlooked and messy event in history. It’s a hell of a book.
(This book was provided as an advance reader copy by Mariner Books. All opinions are my own since my ego wouldn't allow it any other way.)
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews