NCW Libraries

History was made in 1947, when Jackie Robinson broke the professional baseball race barrier to become the first African American MLB player of the modern era. 42 tells the life story of Robinson and his history-making signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers under the guidance of team executive Branch Rickey.

"An enthralling, eye-opening portrayal of this barrier-breaking American hero as a lifelong, relentlessly proud fighter for Black justice and civil rights"--

"Journalist and baseball lover Ed Henry reveals for the first time the backstory of faith that guided Jackie Robinson into not only the baseball record books but the annals of civil rights advancement as well. Through recently discovered sermons, interviews with Robinson's family and friends, and even an unpublished book by the player himself, Henry details a side of Jackie's humanity that few have taken the time to see. With many baseball stories...

When Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers he became the fir st African American to play on a white Major League Baseball team. Read about how Robinson changed the face of baseball when he broke the color barrier and opened the door for the non-white players that followed.

A biography of baseball legend Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play in the major leagues, as told by his daughter.

Describes the racial prejudice experienced by Jackie Robinson when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers and became the first black player in Major League baseball and depicts the acceptance and support he received from his white teammate Pee Wee Reese.

Presents an illustrated biography of the man who broke baseball's color barrier and changed the way Americans viewed equality in sports. "Jackie Robinson always loved sports, especially baseball. He could run, leap, and throw better than any other kid around. But he lived at a time when the rules weren't fair to African Americans: Even though Jackie was a great athlete, he wasn't allowed on the best teams just because of the color of his skin. Jackie...

Presents a history of America's pastime that discusses many of its most notable players, teams, rivalries, and moments, from Jackie Robinson's breaking of the color barrier to the home run race between Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire.

"True is a probing, richly-detailed, unique biography of Jackie Robinson, one of baseball's-and America's-most significant figures. For players, fans, managers, and executives, Jackie Robinson remains baseball's singular figure, the person who most profoundly extended, and continues to extend, the reach of the game. Beyond Ruth. Beyond Clemente. Beyond Aaron. Beyond the heroes of today. Now, a half-century since Robinson's death, letters come to his...