Book review of Jackie Robinson
The great American pastime of baseball has had its share of amazing athletes that not only dazzled fans with their play, but revolutionized the sport with their personality, charisma, and courage. Babe Ruth, with his charm as well as his bat, gave baseball a personality, Lou Gehrig, the "Iron Horse," gave baseball a tough image, and Joe DiMaggio, with his 56 game hitting streak captivated the entire country. In a similar way, Jackie Robinson added diversity to the game of baseball by breaking the color barrier. However, in his case, the story is much different. When Babe Ruth was on route to hitting 60 home runs, nearly all the baseball world supported him. When Joe DiMaggio got hit after hit, the country stood still with anticipation. The case of Jackie Robinson is much different, in that very few wanted diversity; no one wanted a black man on the same playing field as white players. Robinson, then, overcame his own record without, for the most part, the benefit of country approval, fan support, or even his own team's support. With extreme courage, a tough personality, and a will to be a major league baseball player, he changed the sport of baseball foreve
Robinson's impact on society went far beyond the baseball field. "Starting out as a token, he had utterly complicated [the white man's] sense of the nature of black people, how they thought and felt, their dignity and their courage. No black American man had ever shone so brightly for so long as the epitome not only of stoic endurance but also of intelligence, bravery, physical power, and grit...Neither blacks nor whites would be quit the same thereafter in America (186-87)." Robinson, then, truly changed the ideal of a black man in America, and along with that, the direction of segregation. This book certainly had good features to it. It was a fairly easy book to read, very smooth and not confusing. There was thorough research via interviews with people who knew Jackie Robinson and especially his wife Rachel. He backed up every point he made in great detail. And upon completing this book I now feel like a Jackie Robinson expert. One thing I would have liked to hear more about is the Hall of Fame ceremony. There are only three pages dedicated to the event, and even at that they aren't full pages. I would think a major event like this one would merit a little more detail, and maybe even a touch of sentimental rhetoric. The Hall of Fame is, after all, the highest honor that a baseball played can be paid. Along the topic of early black baseball players, my favorite would have to be Willie Mays. Arguably the best all-around ball player ever, he redefined the limits of what playing the field is all about. His career was filled with amazing catches that would even win over opposing crowds. Hitting 660 home runs during his career was no small achievement either. He looked up to Robinson, and became friendly with him. As a New York Giant he played in games against Robinson all the time. When he broke into the league he faced some similar challenges though not as tough. I guess it helped Mays that Robinson not only broke the color barrier in baseball, but the New York color barrier in baseball as well. If people weren't convinced blacks would be able to succeed in baseball after Jackie Robinson, they surely wouldn't be able to put up a valid argument after Willie Mays. There were literally hundreds of highlights throughout the brilli
Some common words found in the essay are:
Hey Jackie, Jackie Robinson, Arnold Rampersad, Jackie Robinson's, Hall Fame, Robinson Robinson, Mays Arguably, Babe Ruth, Mays Robinson, Joe DiMaggio, jackie robinson, major league, hall fame, color barrier, baseball player, color barrier baseball, willie mays, babe ruth, playing field, black players, robinson broke,
Approximate Word count = 1533
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
