Summary
Jackie Robinson tells his story, from his slave and sharecropper ancestry to his triumphant, heroic career as ballplayer for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
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Media Reviews
"A dignified and heroic descendant of American slaves and sharecroppers who wore number 42 on his Dodger uniform and played first base in one of the sacred spaces of American culture....Here is a great American hero who refuses to be a mythical hero. Instead, he tells the painful truth about himself as a human being....He gained respect because he so deeply respected himself." -- Cornel West
"Jackie Robinson gave all of us-not only black athletes, but every black person in this country-a sense of our own strength. However, because I was an athlete, I looked at Jackie a little differently. I followed every trail he made. I wanted to emulate him in some way, which is one of the reasons why I speak so directly about the injustice in baseball today: because Jackie Robinson gave me the strength to continue to do what he had done." -- Hank Aaron
"Written over 20 years ago, Robinson will surprise readers with his refusal to toe the black or white line on politics and race relations in this country. He prophesied that young blacks will not be as patient toward racist attitudes as his generation was; current events seem to bear him out." -- Patricia J. Wagner
-- Bloomsbury Review
Bibliographic Details
Publisher: Harpercollins
Published date: 2003
Size: 5.25 x 8 inches
Weight: 0.58 pounds
Publisher's Notes
Before Barry Bonds, before Reggie Jackson, before Hank Aaron, baseball's stars had one undeniable trait in common: they were all white. In 1947, Jackie Robinson broke that barrier, striking a crucial blow for racial equality and changing the world of sports forever. I Never Had It Made is Robinson's own candid, hard-hitting account of what it took to become the first black man in history to play in the major leagues. I Never Had It Made recalls Robinson's early years and influences: his time at UCLA, where he became the school's first four-letter athlete; his army stint during World War II, when he challenged Jim Crow laws and narrowly escaped court martial; his years of frustration, on and off the field, with the Negro Leagues; and finally that fateful day when Branch Rickey of the Brooklyn Dodgers proposed what became known as the "Noble Experiment" -- Robinson would step up to bat to integrate and revolutionize baseball. More than a baseball story, I Never Had It Made also reveals the highs and lows of Robinson's life after baseball. He recounts his political aspirations and civil rights activism; his friendships with Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, William Buckley, Jr., and Nelson Rockefeller; and his troubled relationship with his son, Jackie, Jr. Originally published the year Robinson died, I Never Had It Made endures as an inspiring story of a man whose heroism extended well beyond the playing field.
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