3.5
I Never Had It Made
ByPublisher Description
Before Barry Bonds, before Reggie Jackson, before Hank Aaron, baseball's stars had one undeniable trait in common: they were all white. In 1947, Jackie Robinson broke that barrier, striking a crucial blow for racial equality and changing the world of sports forever.
is Robinson's own candid, hard-hitting account of what it took to become the first black man in history to play in the major leagues.
recalls Robinson's early years and influences: his time at UCLA, where he became the school's first four-letter athlete; his army stint during World War II, when he challenged Jim Crow laws and narrowly escaped court martial; his years of frustration, on and off the field, with the Negro Leagues; and finally that fateful day when Branch Rickey of the Brooklyn Dodgers proposed what became known as the "Noble Experiment"—Robinson would step up to bat to integrate and revolutionize baseball.
More than a sports story,
also reveals the highs and lows of Robinson's life after baseball. He recounts his political aspirations and civil rights activism; his friendships with Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, William Buckley, Jr., and Nelson Rockefeller; and his troubled relationship with his son, Jackie, Jr. It endures as an inspiring story of a man whose heroism extended well beyond the playing field.
"Affecting and candid . . .
offers compelling testimony about the realities of being Black in America from an author who long ago became more a monument than a man, and his memoir is an illuminating meditation on racism not only in the national pastime but in the nation itself." —
"A disturbing and enlightening self-portrait by one of America's genuine heroes." —
"An important book that should be widely read." —
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesI Never Had It Made Reviews
3.5
“Jackie Robinson was a polarizing figure who had much to endure being the first black player in Major League Baseball as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers. This book was about more than his years as a baseball player. It is about his life before, during, and after baseball. It’s an interesting read if you are interested in Jackie Robinson the man rather than Jackie Robinson the baseball player.”
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