Jackie Robinson and the American Dilemma » (New Edition)

John R.M. Wilson teaches at Vanguard University.

In this gripping profile of a pioneer, John R.M. Wilson illustrates how Jackie Robinson’s life transcended his baseball career to illuminate the racial struggles of the nation.

By breaking the color barrier in baseball, Jackie Robinson (1919—1973) brought the American public face-to-face with a dilemma that has plagued the nation throughout its history: the disjuncture between the American ideals of liberty and equality and the realities of racial prejudice, segregation, and discrimination.

Paperback, brief, and inexpensive, each of the titles in the “Library of American Biography” series focuses on a figure whose actions and ideas significantly influenced the course of American history and national life. In addition, each biography relates the life of its subject to the broader themes and developments of the times.

Editor's Preface

Author's Preface

Introduction

1 Growing Up in Pasadena, 1919-1937 1

2 College Years 10

3 The Limits of a Wider World 25

4 The Limits of Baseball 40

5 Rickey, Robinson, and the Royals 56

6 Rookie of the Year 79

7 Most Valuable Player 101

8 Robinson Unbound 117

9 Last Time Around the Bases 133

10 Life After Baseball 150

11 Things Fall Apart 165

12 The Last Hurrah 177

Study and Discussion Questions 190

A Note on the Sources 195

Appendix 199

Index 201