Jackie Robinson

<p>There are defining moments in the life of a nation when a single individual can shape events for generations to come. For America the spring of 1947 was such a moment and Jackie Robinson was the man who made the difference. With these words President Clinton contributed to Long Island University's three-day celebration of that momentous event in American history when Robinson became the first African American to play major league baseball.</p><p>First published in 1998 <i>Jackie Robinson: Race Sports and the American Dream </i>includes presentations from that celebration especially chosen for their fresh perspectives and illuminating insights. A heady mix of journalism scholarship and memory offers a presentation that far transcends the retelling of just another sports story. Readers get a true sense of the social conditions prior to Robinson's arrival in the major leagues and the ripple effect his breakthrough had on the nation. Anecdotes enliven the story and offer more than the usual larger than life portrait of Robinson.</p><p>A mélange of contributors from the sports world academia and journalism some of Robinson's contemporaries Dodger fans and historians of the era all sharing a passion for baseball reflect on issues of sports race and the dramatic transformation of the American social and political scene in the last fifty years. This book is a must read for anyone interested in American Sports history and sports in general.</p>