How to Be Like Jackie Robinson: Life Lessons from Baseball's Greatest Hero

by Pat Williams

Long before the blockbuster movie "42" was conceived, Pat Williams told the story of the courage, commitment and character of Jackie Robinson. Pat Williams is a master storyteller. Through deeply inspiring examples using Jackie's own words and actions, How to Be Like Jackie Robinson proves that, not only is he one of our greatest heroes, but he is also one of our greatest teachers. Unlike most biographies on Jackie Robinson, this book profiles his amazing life and offers valuable lessons drawn from his experiences that directly apply to practical, everyday improvement and personal success. How to Be Like Jackie Robinson is one of the ten dynamic books in the How to Be Like character biography series, which draws out important lessons from the life of each subject. When Jackie Robinson stepped onto Ebbets Field on April 15th, 1947, he broke the color line -- the first African-American ever to play baseball in the major leagues. Robinson was not only a baseball hero, but also an amazing agent for social change who played an invaluable role in the civil rights movement. On and off the field, Robinson was a man of great talent, character and courage--a true hero and great national treasure. In this book based on more than 1,000 interviews, Pat Williams tackles one of the most influential people in recent history. Fans will discover not only how Jackie Robinson became one of the most amazing athletes in baseball, but just as importantly, how they can learn from many of his life choices and experiences

Genres: Baseball

260 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Patrick Livingston Murphy Williams was an American sports executive, who served as senior vice president of the Orlando Magic. Williams began his career as a minor league baseball player, and later joined the front office of his team. In the late 1960s he moved into basketball, with his biggest achievements being the 1983 title of the Philadelphia 76'ers and being a partner in the creation of the Orlando Magic.

Reviews

[Edgar Tirado · Rating 4 out of 5]

Your writing in “ How to be like Jackie Robinson” really made me enjoy the reading. Many books use the highest level of figurative language that may be hard to understand for some readers. Meanwhile, the reading was easy to understand while stile wrote at a high level. I also enjoyed the extra quotes incorporated into the book which were delights to read. Overall was an easy fun book to read and I enjoyed reading the text.

Even though the book had many delights, not everything can be perfect. Though the reading was easy to understand, the book didn’t seem like it was high enough level at times. I enjoyed it being easy to read but you could use higher-level language to give the book the feel of more intelligence to the reader. Overall higher-level word choice will make this book feel more complete.


I’m still questioning something about you and the book. My first question for you would be. Did you know Jackie Robinson on a personal level? If you did know him on a personal level how close were you guys. Another question I had for you just in general. How would it have affected history if Jackie had never broken the color barrier?

[Jim Serger · Rating 5 out of 5]

You don't have to be a baseball fan to enjoy this great book--all you need is to understand how one person can have a positive influence on others. The author really did his home work on this book--he stated it took him three years to conduct all his interviews, read reference books and it really showed through on his work. Beautiful and captivating book for all ages. I learned a ton.