The NPR Weekend Edition broadcaster recounts the 1947 integration of major league baseball, capturing the drama of Jackie Robinson's first year in baseball.

Tells the true story of Jackie Robinson's battle against prejudice while serving in the military during World War II, covering his court-martial for refusing to move to the back of an integrated bus.

In 1947, as the integration of Major League baseball began, the once-daring American League had grown reactionary, unwilling to confront postwar challenges. As the political climate changed and some major league teams realized the necessity of integration, the American League proved painfully reluctant. With the exception of the Cleveland Indians, integration was slow and often ineffective. This book examines the integration of baseball, widely viewed...

Presents an illustrated biography of the man who broke baseball's color barrier and changed the way Americans viewed equality in sports. "Jackie Robinson always loved sports, especially baseball. He could run, leap, and throw better than any other kid around. But he lived at a time when the rules weren't fair to African Americans: Even though Jackie was a great athlete, he wasn't allowed on the best teams just because of the color of his skin. Jackie...

In 1959 Bernard is a young Red Sox fan, troubled by the lack of Black players in major league baseball, especially as there are none at all on his favorite team--but change is coming in the form of a rookie named Pumpsie Green.

The in-depth and intimate story of one of the most important African Americans to live in the first half of the 20th century. Tells the story of Jack Johnson, who was the first African American boxer to win the most coveted title in all of sports--Heavyweight Champion of the World. Includes his struggles in and out of the ring and his desire to live his life as a free man in race-obsessed America.

"In Rocket Men, sportswriter John Eisenberg offers the definitive history of Black quarterbacks in the league-men who not only shaped the history of football, but made indelible contributions to the cause of civil rights in America. As Eisenberg recounts, white coaches, scouts, and team owners long perceived Black players as unfit for the quarterback position. Believing Black athletes could not play "in thinking roles," they relegated them to running...