Jackie Robinson and the Integration of Baseball (Paperback)

by Scott Simon (Author)
Key Phrases: black ballplayers, official segregation, major league clubs, Jackie Robinson, Branch Rickey, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
As the clich‚ goes, if Jackie Robinson hadn't existed, someone would have had to invent him. In fact, much of this mini-bio by National Public Radio's Simon serves to dismiss the oft-spoken argument that much of Robinson's legend (and that of his patron, the Brooklyn Dodgers' general manager Branch Rickey) can be attributed to the mythmakers who have made a career for themselves deifying the man who integrated baseball's National League in 1947. Simon revises the revisionists not by analyzing the rose-tinted image many have painted of Robinson and Rickey, but rather by allowing each man to be human and decidedly flawed. Not allowing his shortcomings (a brash temper, a noted rebelliousness and a not insignificant amount of baseball snobbery) to define his performance as a player was Robinson's greatest success, and Simon (Home and Away) illustrates that point ably. He doesn't tell readers anything they don't know about Robinson, Rickey, the Dodgers, Brooklyn and the state of race relations in the 1940s, but he does a slightly more thorough job than most of illuminating Jackie's one and only year playing for Brooklyn's farm club in Montreal, the place where Rickey's "noble experiment" actually began. This episode is often overlooked by everyone except Montrealers, who take no small amount of pride in their role as pioneers. (Simon notes that Robinson's earlier tryout with the Boston Red Sox was for naught, quite possibly because that team's farm team played in conservative, segregated Kentucky rather than liberal, cosmopolitan Montreal.) While no new ground is covered, Simon's account of Robinson, Rickey and the integration of baseball is as thorough and accessible as the reader is likely to find.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal
What does Simon, host of National Public Radio's Weekend Edition, bring to the Robinson legacy? The standard was set by Jules Tygiel's 1997 update of his great 1983 book, Baseball's Great Experiment: Jackie Robinson and His Legacy. For the casual reader who may not wish to slog through Tygiel's 432 pages of history and sociology, Simon's 176 pages may be just the ticket. This more modest book-part of Wiley's new "Turning Points" series focusing on "defining" historical events-deals primarily with Robinson's life, from his service in the army during World War II through his first couple of seasons with the Brooklyn Dodgers. In writing about Robinson, Simon also tells the story of segregated America. To a younger generation not familiar with Jim Crow society, the world rendered so vividly through Simon's writing will seem like another planet. The reader has to be reminded that this iniquitous period of American history was not all that long ago. Simon's book does not reveal anything new about Robinson, but for those not completely familiar with his story, this is an excellent place to start. Readers familiar with the story can still enjoy a wordsmith's craft. It is much the same quality as his work on National Public Radio. Enthusiastically recommended.
Randall L. Schroeder, Wartburg Coll. Lib., Waverly, IA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (March 23, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470170417
• ISBN-13: 978-0470170410
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #560,696 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Perfect read for a Saturday morning, October 17, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Jackie Robinson and the Integration of Baseball (Turning Points in History) (Hardcover)

This book is a perfect two-hour read for a Saturday morning after listening to the author on NPR's Saturday Morning Edition. The reader can hear Mr. Simon's distinctive and familiar voice when reading the pages. The book is not intended to be a comprehensive history on baseball's integration or a biography of Jackie Robinson, as noted in the opening pages. Rather, it provides just the right amount of background on Mr. Robinson and Mr. Richey, as well as the context surrounding events. Mr. Simon's notes and examples stimulate readers to learn more about particular people and events. I particularly recommend this book (and possibly the series from the list of forthcoming books) as a quick read for adults and teenagers who desire to read about the people and events that shaped our nation, yet must balance the responsibilities of family, work and community, which may prevent them from reading longer books.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Jackie Lite, September 13, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Jackie Robinson and the Integration of Baseball (Turning Points in History) (Hardcover)

A facile and predictable treatment that breaks no new ground and in some cases, as in regard to Robinson's famous tryout with the Red Sox, is not only wrong but weirdly apologetic in regard to that organization. There are so many better choices for a book on Robinsonn - Simon's NPR pulpit should not give him the right to mail in a book like this.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't Miss This LIttle Gem!, May 15, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Jackie Robinson and the Integration of Baseball (Turning Points in History) (Hardcover)

This little book--small in dimensions and hardly over 100 pages in length--should be on everyone's bookshelf. Whether you remember watching Jackie Robinson play (as I do), or whether he's just a name from the distant past; whether you're white (as I am), or black, or any other race, creed or color; whether you're a baseball fan (like me) or someone who couldn't care less about the National Pastime, Jackie Robinson's story is for everyone.

The only reason I didn't give this book a 5-star rating is that there's really nothing new in it; if you already know the saga of Robinson's integration of baseball you aren't likely to learn a lot of news things about it here. But Scott Simon writes beautifully and movingly and retells this great American story with verve and directness.

I've read that there are professional baseball players today (even black players!) who barely have any idea who Robinson was or what he endured. His story should never be forgotten and this wonderful book will help assure that Robinson's memory endures.