Book Description

A biography of Jackie Robinson, the first African-American to play baseball in the major leagues, discussing his childhood and family, his athletic success in college, the racism he encountered in the Army, and his baseball career with the Brooklyn Dodgers. ... Read more

Book Description

A biography of Jackie Robinson, the first African-American to play baseball in the major leagues, discussing his childhood and family, his athletic success in college, the racism he encountered in the Army, and his baseball career with the Brooklyn Dodgers. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The man who broke the colored barrier in baseball
This juvenile biography of Jackie Robinson, the man who broke the "color barrier" in baseball, is part of the excellent Journey to Freedom series produced by the African American Library.The story told by Tony De Marco begins with the story of Branch Rickey, who coached the 1904 Ohio Wesleyan University baseball team and watched the team's only black player face discrimination.Rickey vowed to fight racism, setting the stage for the singing of Robinson to a professional contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers half a century later.Students will find out about how, ironically, baseball was probably Robinson's worst sport.In high school and college he lettered in not only baseball but football, basketball and track as well.They will also learn of a famous episode when Robinson was in the army and was court-martialed for refusing to move to the back of a bus.But mostly they will learn about Robinson's distinguished baseball career and his involvement in the civil rights movement after his retirement.However, when students read more adult biographies of Robinson they will discover that this particular volume understates the overt racism that confronted Robinson.I hope that in reading this book, students get an idea of why Jackie Robinson was picked by Branch Rickey to be the first black player in the Major Leagues, because it was as much a question of character and temperament as it was ability on the diamond.For me the two most important sports figures of the 20th-century have always been Babe Ruth and Jackie Robinson; everybody else is on a lower plateau than that pair of iconic figures. ... Read more

Book Description

Designed especially for beginning readers, First-Start Biographies trace the childhood years of famous men and women who overcame obstacles and achieved greatness. Illustrated in full color. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A basic introduction to the life of Jackie Robinson
This juvenile biography of Jackie Robinson by Lucia Raatma is part of the Compass Point Early Biographies series.Young readers will learn how Jackie was a great athlete who served in the army and then played baseball in the Negro Leagues before becoming the first black to play in the Major Leagues.Raatma covers the highlights of Jackie's career, what he did in the years after he retired, and how he is remembered and honored today.Because it is written for younger readers, this book tends to avoid getting into details.The book tell how Jackie earned a school letter in four sports but not that he was an All-American in football; the court-martial he faced while an officer in the U.S. army is generalized as being about his "views" rather than for refusing to sit in the back of the bus; and the 50th anniversary of his breaking the color line in baseball is identified with a stamp honoring Jackie and not the fact that his number 42 was retired by EVERY team in the major leagues.Consequently, while this book will introduce very young readers to the remarkable life and accomplishments of Jackie Robinson, there is so much more to learn about the man in other books. ... Read more