Great Time Coming; The Life of Jackie Robinson, from Baseball to Birmingham

New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995. First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. Very good/Very good. 25 cm, 382, [2] pages. Illustrations. Selected Bibliography. Index. DJ has slight wear and soiling. Black mark on bottom edge . Jackie Robinson's extraordinary courage, his dignity, and his feats on the field as the first African-American to play on a major league team made him not only a great sports legend but a genuine American hero. In this moving portrait, Falkner explores the lifelong influences on Robinson, the pressures he had to bear, and the contributions he made to the cause of integration. From Robinson's famous battle with the army over segregation to his rigidly maintained restraint in the face of ugly prejudice and life-threatening hostility from baseball fans and players alike, to his post-baseball efforts to help African-Americans establish an economic base within mainstream America, Falkner illuminates Robinson's determination to make a lasting difference in American society. Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 - October 24, 1972) was an American professional baseball player who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. When the Dodgers signed Robinson, they heralded the end of segregation in professional baseball that had relegated black players to the Negro leagues since the 1880s. Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. Robinson was an All-Star and won the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 1949-the first black player so honored. Robinson's character, his use of nonviolence, and his talent challenged the traditional basis of segregation which then marked many other aspects of American life. In recognition of his achievements on and off the field, Robinson was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal and Presidential Medal of Freedom.