Jackie Robinson - (Library of African American Biography) by J Christopher Schutz (Paperback)

About the Book

J. Christopher Schutz reveals the real Jackie Robinson, as a more defiant, combative spirit than simply the "turn the other cheek" compliant "credit to his race." Examining this key figure at the crossroads of baseball and civil rights histories, Schutz provides a cohesive exp...

Book Synopsis

J. Christopher Schutz reveals the real Jackie Robinson, as a more defiant, combative spirit than simply the "turn the other cheek" compliant "credit to his race." Examining this key figure at the crossroads of baseball and civil rights histories, Schutz provides a cohesive exploration of the man and the times that made him great.

Review Quotes

"Christopher Schutz provides a provocative and highly nuanced study of Jackie Robinson and the integration of Major League Baseball. Instead of portraying Robinson as someone who acquiesced to those in power in baseball and the larger American society, Schutz convincingly argues that the great athlete from UCLA by way of Cairo, Georgia and Pasadena, California, was a proud black man who through sheer determination and unyielding combativeness was able to achieve success before, during, and after his career in America's national pastime. In the process of telling the Robinson story, Schutz provides important insights into the business of baseball and the complex and ever changing interconnection among race, sport, and American culture."

"For someone whose story has been told countless times, it is remarkable how little we know about the actual Jackie Robinson: the person who saw himself as a servant to the Black Freedom Struggle and, as he said, 'to the mass.' Christopher Schutz fills this gap in a manner that is utterly indispensable. It is a must read for people who like their history whole."

Another perspective on the groundbreaking life of Jackie Robinson. We are all familiar with the story, but instead of taking it from a baseball point of view, it shows the results from a social impact perspective. It puts a different spin on the whole Jackie Robinson story and adds new insights to the entire story. Jackie Robinson's admirable legacy is about so much more than just baseball, and this is only one of the many different angles.

Historian Schutz sketches Robinson's progression from juvenile delinquency to stardom at UCLA (not USC) before he battled against Jim Crow military practices and a racist-spawned court-martial. Schutz nicely covers Robinson's postbaseball years, when he stood out as a racial spokesperson notwithstanding disappointments involving major political party figures and brickbats from black power advocates.

Schutz portrays baseball legend Jackie Robinson as a 'compliant warrior, ' a revamped version of a man whose temperament could sometimes make him 'prickly and difficult.' Schutz skillfully depicts the totality of the star's personality on and off the field, without any sugar-coating or hype.

This work takes a different look at one of the most discussed and analyzed players in baseball history. Debut author Schutz uses interviews and other sources to contrast the complex reality of who Robinson was with how he is traditionally depicted. Another interesting angle illustrates how Robinson's career and life both influenced and were influenced by the events and social context of the times. Baseball fans and those interested in the civil rights movement will enjoy this book.

About the Author

J. Christopher Schutz is associate professor of history at Tennessee Wesleyan College, where he specializes in the Civil Rights Movement and social and cultural history of the 1960s and 1970s.