First published 2009
Alex Rodriguez commanded the highest salary in baseball history and seemed destined to break the sport's most sacred records. At 32, he became the youngest player to reach 500 home runs. The Yankees locked him into a contract that would span his entire remaining career. Then in February 2009, everything collapsed when Sports Illustrated published Selena Roberts' investigation revealing A-Rod's performance-enhancing drug use during his 2003 MVP season with Texas. Rodriguez admitted to steroid use from 2001 to 2003, but Roberts discovers he was hiding much more. She traces his path from childhood in New York and the Dominican Republic through his legendary high school years to the major leagues. Roberts uncovers how his drug use likely began in high school and continued into his Yankees tenure. She exposes his secretive business dealings, his relationship with Madonna, his devotion to Kabbalah, and the insecurities that drove him to rely on a motivational coach before every game. The man teammates nicknamed "A-Fraud" emerges as baseball's most conflicted superstar.
Genres: biography, american, sports, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: deception, fall-from-grace
Setting: Dominican Republic, New York, Texas
Period: 2003, 2009
272 pages · Hardcover · Harper
Content warnings: drug-use