Jackie Robinson: A Biography

Greenwood Biographies

by Mary Kay Linge

When the Brooklyn Dodgers recruited Jackie Robinson from the Negro Leagues' Kansas City Monarchs in 1947, it marked a turning point both in baseball and civil rights history. Robinson became the first African American to play in the Major Leagues, and in doing so, led generations of black players into the previously all-white world of professional baseball. As one of the greatest players professional baseball has ever seen, Robinson fought fiercely for civil rights on and off the diamond throughout his lifetime, and in doing so became a great American hero.

Mary Kay Linge recounts the extraordinary story of Robinson's life-from his early childhood in the South, to his college years at UCLA, to becoming a Hall of Famer and a major figure in the NAACP. In analyzing the surrounding social and cultural contexts of Robinson's time, this biography examines the legacy of a man who forever changed baseball. A timeline, statistical appendix, bibliography of print and electronic sources for further reading, and photographs enhance this biography.

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Jesus Nunez · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Book wasn't bad but it didn't capture my attention long enough about Jackie Robinson's life and I thought i'd be interested but doesn't seem to my type of genre.

[Ryan Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mary Kay Linge did a nice job of describing Jackie Robinson's life in this book. She had a lot of detail that most biographies might not have, which gives you a better understanding of his life. This book has nearly every detail about Robinson's baseball career. It even has information about the racism that Jackie faced by being the first black man to play major league baseball. Some examples were when Jackie was hitting and the Phillies manager Ben Chapman yelled mean, hurtful names at him. The book showed the lengths that Jackie had to go to to be successful in the baseball world. It also gives you a sense of how Jackie Robinson changed the world for the better. This book also includes details on Robinson's teammates, Branch Rickey and his family. I would recommend this book to any one that wants to read a good reliable biography about Jackie Robinson or if you just want to read about a hero who inspired many people.