Jackie Robinson is one of the very few sports figures about whom much has been written. This latest book on his legacy mostly outside of baseball is the latest book on him and is another excellent account of what he means to not only the game, but to the civil rights movement. Here is my review of "42 Today."
Title/Author:
“42 Today: Jackie Robinson and His Legacy” edited by Michael G. Long
Tags:
Baseball, professional, race, Dodgers, essays, politics
Publish date:
February 9, 2021
Length:
256 pages
Rating:
5 of 5 stars (outstanding)
Review:
While much has been written and discussed about Jackie Robinson the baseball player and the historical importance of his breaking of the color barrier in Major League baseball, there isn’t as much written about his political activity and other important actions that he did in the civil rights movement of the 1950’s and 1960’s. This book, a collection of long essays edited by Michael G. Long, goes a long way in bringing those activities by Robinson into the public’s eye as well as his baseball.
That isn’t to say this book ignores his contribution to baseball or his baseball career. There is plenty of material in the book, with information and quotes from notable Robinson biography writers such as Arnold Rampersand and Jonathan Eig, that highlight Robinson’s contribution to baseball’s integration and also will tell the truth about some of the baseball myths about Robinson, such as befriending Dixie Walker and Pee Wee Reese putting his arm around Robinson. The latter was strongly refuted by Robinson’s widow Rachel in the book. The baseball actions also illustrate that he played the game as an angry man, even when he “played by (Branch) Rickey’s rules and kept himself under control.”
Speaking of Rachel, she has always claimed that “Jack” wasn’t an angry man and the book states in the prologue that it will challenge that notion. On that, it certainly hit the mark as Robinson’s political and baseball life. He was a staunch Republican supporter in the 1960 election with his support of Richard Nixon, mainly because Nixon’s concept of creating a government agency with the specific goal of supporting Black-owned businesses was put into action by the party. That is just one of the many political writings and issues addressed in the book. What is very striking about some of these are that some could very well have been stated in today’s political and social climate.
While the information is very good and even outside of
topics one would associate with Robinson – his connection to other Black
trailblazing athletes such as Wilma Rudolph and Althea Gibson is one example –
there is significant material that if one has previously read about Robinson, chances
are the information won’t be new to the reader as was the case for me. This doesn’t diminish the powerful message
behind the book and the connection to today’s world cannot be ignored. Readers don’t have to be baseball fans or
know much about Robinson to be moved by his actions.
I wish to thank New York University Press for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Book Format Read:
E-book (Kindle)
Buying Links:
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