Amazon.com: Carrying Jackie's Torch: The Players Who Integrated Baseball--and America: Steve Jacobson: Books

From Publishers Weekly
Veteran Newsday sports reporter Jacobson sticks mainly to the facts in this story of the African-American players who followed Jackie Robinson's lead into the major leagues. In his portraits of these 19 greats—who range from stars like Hank Aaron to lesser-knowns such as Mudcat Grant and Ed Charles—Jacobson bemoans the fate of so many might-have-beens and celebrates the success of the lucky few who actually received their just rewards. The hardships were legion, with almost every player recounting the difficulties of traveling a segregated country in the pre–civil rights era, when black athletes often couldn't patronize the same restaurants or the same hotels as their white teammates. In 1962 the St. Louis Cardinals helped bust down Jim Crow laws in Florida by buying their own hotel in St. Petersburg to avoid the problem during spring training. Although Jacobson's pen is a pedestrian one, he imparts a good many details on almost every page, due to the incomparable character of the men gathered in this honor roll of bravery. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"A significant piece of baseball and American history. Revealing, moving, and long overdue." —Bob Costas, sports announcer, NBC-TV

"This is a story that we need to continually tell. It goes beyond baseball, it goes beyond America." —Ken Burns, award-winning filmmaker, Baseball

"Brings forth...a missing link between the fragmentary integration of baseball, beginning with Jackie Robinson's dramatic arrival, and today's conditions." —Marvin Miller, retired executive director, Major League Baseball Players Association

"For all fans who appreciate well-told stories of perseverance and inspiration." —Tom Verducci, senior writer, Sports Illustrated

"A must-read for baseball fans...a chronicle of a nation in transition with black ballplayers as courageous agents of change." —Mike Bevans, executive editor, Sports Illustrated

"A valuable new book." —The New York Times

"Recommended." —Library Journal

"An important work for all baseball fans and historians." —New York Daily News

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Product Details

Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Lawrence Hill Books (January 1, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1556526393
ISBN-13: 978-1556526398
Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #844,319 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Inside This Book (learn more)

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
black umpire, white teammates, other black players, black teammates, other umpires, white players

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Carrying Jackie's Torch, World Series, Negro Leagues, Jackie Robinson, New York, Hall of Fame, American League, Babe Ruth, National League, Frank Robinson, New Jersey, Larry Doby, Henry Aaron, Los Angeles, Elston Howard, Monte Irvin, Red Sox, Jim Crow, Curt Flood, White Sox, Most Valuable Player, Kansas City, Bob Gibson, Tommy Davis, World War

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Customer Reviews

8 Reviews

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4 star:		(1)
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Average Customer Review

4.9 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book, 5+++ Stars!, May 26, 2007

By	Granten Lee (Maryland) - See all my reviews

I love to read, but I've had trouble for a while staying focused on a book and finishing it. I
love those books that once you pick them up, you can't put them down. This was one of those books.
The title is VERY appropriate. Recently, I got in an online debate about why Larry Doby was
seemingly ignored during the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's breaking the color barrier in
baseball. I think Larry Doby was a great man to his country (a WWII vet), to his family (remembered as
a good husband and father) and to the game (elected to HOF, 1998) but he was no Jackie Robinson. So many of the men in this book talk about how Jackie guided them and how they looked to him for inspiration.

I think some people today feel that racism is something you only find in a history book, that the struggles black players faced back then don't happen today. I was shocked to find out in this book that Ken Griffey Jr. was targeted by racist hecklers in Bakersfield, CA in 1988. In fact, he wasn't able to leave the park by himself that day because the racists were waiting for him in the parking lot.

I'm African-American. Reading this book did not make me bitter... it only gave me a true appreciation for these men and the crosses they bore to live out the American Dream while they played the National Pastime. And there is no rule that says blacks HAVE to play Major League baseball but I am always glad to see the legacy of Jackie Robinson continue, especially by those who do it with excellence and integrity.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Carrying Jackie's Torch, December 22, 2007

By	Francis Seidlinger "the ol' ump" (Orlando, FL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Being a Hank Aaron bibliographer, I found this work to be an excellent acknowledgment of African-American players who were able to play MLB. It is unfortunate that so many of the Negro League greats were unable to do so! Another great read! relevant to the younger generation of fan.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An ugly and shameful period of baseball, July 29, 2007

By	Barry Sparks "freelance writer" (York, PA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Even though former New York Mets outfield Vic Coleman proclaimed, "I don't know no Jackie Robinson and I don't care to," baseball fans surely know the story of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier.

All baseball fans, however, would do themselves a favor by reading this book about the other black players who integrated baseball. Integrating the game wasn't accomplished when Robinson stepped into the Dodgers' lineup in 1947. Black players suffered humiliating treatment in the minors and the major leagues for many years.

Jacobson, a sports reporter and columnist for Newsday for 44 years, brings together the experiences of 19 black players for a powerful testament to an ugly and shameful period of history and sports.

Jacobson tells the story of famous players such as Bob Gibson, Ernie Banks, Elston Howard, Frank Robinson, Hank Aaron and Lou Brock, as well as lesser known players such as Charlie Murray (Eddie's brother), Alvin Jackson and Ed Charles. No player (or person) should have endured what they did.

As a kid following baseball in the 1960s, I had no idea what black players had to endure. It didn't make any difference to us if a player was black or white. After reading this book, I have a lot more respect for their accomplishments and character.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Reminders Are Good For All Of Us
Author Steve Jacobson has tracked down various former black players who were willing to share their experiences on what it was like to break into major league baseball following... Read more

Published on March 24, 2007 by C. W. Emblom

5.0 out of 5 stars From a Colleague
"Many terrific things come to me due to this job, some by pure fortune. For example, The Post and Newsday have seats side-by-side at Yankee Stadium. Read more

Published on February 20, 2007 by Mathew Jacobson

4.0 out of 5 stars He who ignores history
This book should be required reading for all Americans of high school age and above. It transcends the world of sports and documents the predjudices and bigotry that are totally... Read more

Published on February 10, 2007 by CSteven Lekowski

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful and Important Book
Although I am old enough to remember the times, I never understood the plight of the Black baseball players who fought their way to the Big Leagues in the early days of baseball... Read more

Published on February 6, 2007 by ACE

5.0 out of 5 stars "Carrying Jackie's Torch" is Much More than a Book About Baseball
You don't have to be a big sports fan to enjoy this book. It's not just about baseball. "Carrying Jackie's Torch" is a sports story, a history lesson in desegregation, and has... Read more

Published on February 1, 2007 by Mark Dixon

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