I knew who Clayton Kershaw was. But I knew very little about him other than he was a storied baseball pitcher who pitched for Los Angeles, but lived in Highland Park in Dallas and regularly sat a few rows away from my in-laws at church. (In fact, I sat two rows behind him at Christmas Eve service!)

But this book really pulled back the curtain and showed me a better picture of the full man that is Clayton Kershaw. The athlete, the son, the husband, the father. He is not just one thing, but rather each part of him informs all the others. I think the author did a great job contextualizing the baseball minutiae to give the lay person (me!) more understanding of how Kershaw fits into the scope of baseball history. In fact, although this book is about Kershaw, I think it also gives an excellent overview of the state of baseball today and how Kershaw's career is evidence of the evolution of the game during his time as a pro player. 

It's a real shame that this book was published in early 2024 before the Dodgers and Kershaw won the World Series. That would have been the perfect bow at the end of this book.

If you are someone who loves baseball or loves deep diving an elite athlete, this book is for you. This would be a great one to bookmark to gift for Father's Day. 

Content Warning: Language, Death

Thanks to Hachette for a gifted copy of this book to review.