Promises to Keep: How Jackie Robinson Changed America
CCBC Review:
"On April 12, 1947, my father, Jack Roosevelt Robinson, stepped out of the Brooklyn Dodgers dugout, crossed first base, and assumed his position as first baseman. […] It was a defining moment for baseball-and for America." Sharon Robinson tells about her famous father in his many roles, extending far beyond his extraordinary skill and success as a ballplayer, in this compelling biography. Jackie Robinson's commitment to social change is framed by the book's opening with a brief history of Blacks in America and closing with the work that continues in his name. An accessible text is supported with several timelines, candid photographs and engaging portions of Robinson's letters to his family, written while traveling on the road throughout the baseball season. The ultimate portrait is of a man who lived true to his beliefs, as his daughter describes: "…one of the things I admired most about my father was how he stayed in the game until the end. He stood firm even when his opinion wasn't popular. Whether questioning an umpire or an American president, Dad used his celebrity to challenge an unjust system and support a movement organized to correct the wrongs." ©2004 Cooperative Children's Book Center
CCBC Age Recommendation: Age 9 and older
Age Range:
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Formats:
Biography, Autobiography and Memoir
Substantial Narrative Non-Fiction
Subjects:
20th Century
Activism and Resistance
African Americans
Biography
Correspondence/Letters
Families
History (Nonfiction)
Racism
Sports
Diversity subject:
Black/African
Publisher:
Scholastic Press
Publish Year: 2004
Pages: 64
ISBN: 0439425921
CCBC Location: Non-Fiction, 920 Robinson