The extraordinary memoir from baseball icon Jackie Robinson-originally published in 1948, just a year after he shattered baseball's color barrier, and now released as an audiobook for the very first time.
"I'm not concerned with your liking or disliking me...all I ask is that you respect me as a human being."
So says #42, who comes alive to share his story, up to and through that historic first season, as told to famed sportswriter Wendell Smith, with a foreword by Brooklyn Dodgers General Manager Branch Rickey.
Travel back in time, as the Dodgers legend guides you through his athletic upbringing, his short stint with the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues, and his breakthrough to the big leagues, at the age of twenty-eight.
A straightforward yet inspiring story of what it took to be the first man of color to break into the white world of professional sports. Jackie Robinson's story is more than a telling of his tremendous talent; it is also a recollection that showcases his tenacious spirit, bravery and the courage of his ideals. From the early influences of family and friends, to his time at UCLA, to the army where he challenged racism and Jim Crow laws, Jackie Robinson traces his life to playing in the black leagues, frustrated by the abuses and restrictions of second-class status in professional baseball. As Branch Rickey, president of the Brooklyn Dodgers, began to look around for a player to break the color barrier in 1946, he knew he needed a man of character who could withstand the pressures of his "Noble Experiment." Choosing Robinson gave both of them the chance to prove what they believed in. Struggles that continued in his personal life and in response to the turbulent sixties are interpreted with insight by Robinson and will give listeners an added appreciation for the amazing strength of his character.
