Stealing Home: An Intimate Family Portrait by the Daughter of Jackie Robinson [Paperback]

Sharon Robinson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1997

Published to coincide with the anniversary of Robinson's entry into major league baseball, a memoir by the daughter of baseball great Jackie Robinson describes her father's unfailing bravery, his disillusionment with politics, and the personal difficulties faced by his children. Reprint. NYT. "

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This memoir by the daughter of one of America's most beloved sports heroes appears just in time for the 50th anniversary of the desegregation of major league baseball. Those expecting to find a darker side of the taciturn, dignified Jackie Robinson will be disappointed: Robinson, according to his daughter, was a devoted father and a civil rights activist whose messy rifts with more outspoken black leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X are barely mentioned here. Robinson was evidently a complex, deeply reserved man, and it seems likely that even his daughter, whose affection for her famous dad is obvious, did not know him well. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

As the 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's breaking of the baseball color line nears, he seems more of a heroic figure than ever, and this loving biography will add to his stature. His daughter shows that he was as admirable off the field as on, dedicated to his wife and determined to give as much time as possible to his three children, even as his importance as a public figure grew and he became more involved in various business enterprises. His older son and namesake fought in Vietnam, developed and then overcame a drug habit and died in an auto crash at 24. His other son, David, now lives in Tanzania, where he owns a coffee farm. The author, a nurse-midwife, contracted two bad marriages, one to a man who was abusive even during their engagement, the other to a man who needed someone to lean on. But the greatest strength of Robinson's sensitive memoir is its look at the problem of being the child of a famous, revered father and of having to realize that such a parent, even one mindful of the emotional needs of his children, must always be shared with the public. Photos not seen by PW. $50,000 ad/promo; author tour.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins (May 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060928409
• ISBN-13: 978-0060928407
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,409,836 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #98 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( R ) > Robinson, Jackie

More About the Author

Sharon Robinson is an author and educational consultant for Major League Baseball (MLB). She has written four books about her father, including most recently Jackie's Gift: A true Story of Christmas, Hanukkah, and Jackie Robinson with illustrator E.B. Lewis (Viking, 2010), Testing the Ice: A true story of Jackie Robinson with illustrator, Kadir Nelson (Scholastic, 2009). She has also written two middle-grade novels. In her work with MLB, Ms Robinson directs the national character education program: Breaking Barriers: In Sports, In Life. The program is in it's 15th year and has reached over 19 million children. Prior to joining Major League Baseball, Sharon had a twenty-year career as a nurse-midwife. She taught in such prestigious universities as: Columbia, Howard, Georgetown, and Yale. Ms. Robinson holds a BS from Howard University and MS from Columbia University as well as several honorary doctorates. Sharon Robinson lives in New York City and Apollo Beach, Florida. Learn more about Sharon and her books at www.sharonrobinsonink.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Robinson Home, July 30, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Stealing Home: Intimate Family Portrait by the Daughter of Jackie Robinson, An (Hardcover)

I guess I went into this book with the wrong expectations. I thought this would be a book about Jackie Robinson. But it was almost exclusively about Sharon, his daughter. And though she had an interesting life, I feel like her book didn't go far beyond the surface.

I felt like she really didn't know her father all that well, or at least she didn't express that in the story. I have no doubt that Jackie Robinson was as great a man as the public believed him to be. However after reading this book, it seems like Sharon got parts of her life from reading articles from past newspapers. I don't feel like I understand the workings of her family any better than I would if I had simply watched old news clips.

I wasn't ever bored with the book and I am glad that the Robinson's were a functionsl black family amidst so much external societal strife. Sharon does do a good job of showing the rest of us the priveleages and the tribulations of being the child of a famous African-A! merican in the 1950's and 60's. She also shows that there are still racial conflicts even when blacks and whites are on the same economic level. Overall its a B+, Robinson was not only a premiere ballplayer, but an outstanding father!