I am a huge fan of Howard Bryant's work. He's a trenchant, thoughtful commentator on the intersection of race and sports, beginning with "Shut Out" through "Full Dissidence," and I always look forward to what he has to say.

Having said that, it felt, at times, like "Rickey" was a conventional sports biography with the standard chronology. I don't know if that's the result of Rickey Henderson, while a singular player, being a guarded or just apolitical (like most athletes) but it never felt like you got a sense of the man and his place in the greater scope of sports beyond the statistics. Mr. Bryant did do a very good job explaining his relationships with his managers, especially Billy Martin.

Very early and later on in the book, Mr. Bryant did do a great job on the Great Migration to Oakland (and its effect on baseball) and how the stories told about Rickey by an overwhelmingly white press may have impacted not only the perception of him but of all Black players. I'd like to see a book delving more into those topics, using Rickey Henderson as a jumping off point, but perhaps that's unfair of me. I picked up a book about Rickey Henderson and feel like it...covered Rickey Henderson too much.

Still, it was well worth reading and I recommend it and his other works.

Thank you Net Galley for providing an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Finally, Rickey Henderson receives the full-blown bio treatment that he deserves and it comes from the only author in the game that can successfully pull it off in Howard Bryant. Bryant went to the ends of the Earth to interview as many people as possible to tell Rickey's story, and his thoroughness shines through within the pages of this read. Rickey, both on and off the field, was a truly unique figure in baseball history and anyone interested in the sport would truly enjoy this book.

But, the book is a lot more than the story of a baseball player's life. Bryant weaves in social, political and cultural aspects of Rickey's life in a way that only he can accomplish. The migration of African-Americans from the South to the Oakland area in the 1960s is key to the story and Bryant spends time detailing the history. Bryant also goes to great lengths to explain the ways in which Rickey was misunderstood by team executives, fans and, especially, the media during his playing days.

This is one to put on your list, as well as the list of any baseball fan and, to a large extent, anyone interested in learning more about race, sports and society in America during the second half of the 20th Century.

Ricky Henderson, retired now, although not officially, is the king of steals, baseball's all time steals leader by quite a lot, the all time runs scored leader, and the unintentional walks leader (2nd on all walks after Bonds). He played major league ball from 1979 to 2003 and was an unstoppable force of nature. Bryant's new biography offers an easy to read, well researched look at one of the greatest and most unique players ever. The biography not only gives the play by play stars, but offers a look at Rickey's controversies from both sides. Not only was Rickey one of the greatest ever, but he never stopped letting everyone know that with braggadocio, with hotdogging and showing off, and often an attitude that craved respect for his accomplishments, often measured by salary. Bryant also tackles with great skill the subject of race in sports and Rickey's feeling that he was treated differently because of race and that his animated show-off was not appreciated because of it. Bryant's narrative deftly brings out all sides of these issues. This is a must-read for baseball fans.