thejenjen's review against another edition
4.0
This was one of those books that I'm shocked I never had to read in school. It's not perfect. Mr. Robinson was a baseball player and not really a writer. Due to this the prose are very simply written, which is one of the reasons I think it would be fabulous for a high school class. I was a bit surprised on how quickly he covers his playing career, but I guess that makes sense given how young athletes are when they retire. Not always the most eloquent book, but definitely worth a read.
abbyyy113's review against another edition
I had to read this for my history class BUT IT WAS ACTUALLY SO GOOD AND CAPTIVATING I LOVED IT
dvdpcp's review against another edition
3.0
The intros by Hank Aaron and Cornel West moved me deeply in very different ways. I think they were the perfect compliments and opening to this book. Jackie Robinson was a very impressive person even though I did not agree with a lot of his opinions. As a black Republican and capitalist, there was much to disagree with and many moments in the book where he was being honest about his reaction and opinion to something, (his support of the Vietnam war, his feelings about his wife and children, who he courts in a desire to change the world and how he thinks it should be done) we differ on all of those but it is undeniable that he is an impressive, important person and I enjoyed learning more about his life and contributions to the world. Glad I read the book! Some parts were a little denser or harder to read for me than others but overall very accessible and good.
jakegreen's review against another edition
4.0
Jackie IS an American icon and his story IS incredible. Yet, I’d have loved more information about Rae, David, and Sharon Robinson. Still a must-read
msmithr's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars. Audiobook via Scribd. Short book. Robinson brave and before his time. So was his wife, Rachel. This was not an easy path he chose. He put his efforts and faith into mankind’s progress. I admire him greatly.
samiamm881's review against another edition
Due back at the library, will recheck out at later date
budokanwarp's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
misosoupp31's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
This book was very slow, but I learned a lot about Robinson. I thought it was going to be focused more on baseball, I had no idea about what he did afterwards so that was very interesting. The book felt a little disorganized to me, as the time period and subject matter kept jumping around.
karpediem's review against another edition
4.0
Good content; I really enjoyed learning more about Jackie's life and especially that era in general. In many ways it highlights how far we've come as well as how much we still have to do to actually have an equal America. Some of the writing style bothered me; he'd write about events out of order and would mention things that have happened yet before covering them, but it didn't feel like a purposeful literary tactic.