This incredible biography about Jackie Robinson doesn't shy away from the prejudice. I had never realized his brother went to the Olympics but unlike most white athletes was forced to find all his own financing, Relevant for today's readers.

I greatly enjoyed this book. I think it is a great look at his life. This is a great read for people who are interested in hisotry, baseball, or memior.

Well done! I actually learned many things and I consider myself a sports history junkie. Now I really want a book about his brother Mac. I really wish that there were photographs or ANY kind of illustrative material included. It's a perfectly sized biography, and well written. But would have been even more engaging with photographs.

This biography of Jackie Robinson tells us not only about his exploits on the baseball field but also the personal cost for him to be the first African-American in Major League Baseball. I think this book will appeal to students who need to read a biography for a class project. A student will come away with an appreciation for the struggle of African-Americans.

I received an ARC of this book.

Jackie Robinson was more than a baseball player. This book chronicles his life and hardships from childhood through his baseball career. His courageand strength in the face of racism and segregation show what a great man he was. The book highlights his life at various ages and includes details of his games with the Dogders. This book would be a welcome addition to any sports collection in any library.. The timeline at the end of the book includes some additional details about his life. I would have enjoyed some photographs to be included with the text.

A vibrant, exciting, clearly written account of Jackie Robinson's baseball career, during which he combined his extraordinary skill as a player with the focus of a great man facing racial slurs, taunts, and unfair discrimination with the dignity and strength of character needed to integrate the game of baseball.

Doreen Rappaport's Author's Note contrasts her childhood fascination with Robinson with her father's deeper understanding of the significance of Robinson's stellar career.

This will post on my blog on 9/11/17

My favorite books to read in 4th grade were biographies. My elementary school library didn't have many, but there was a section of Childhood of Famous Americans books, and I would take out one a day (I worked in the library during recess-- there's a shocker!) and read it on the back porch at home when the weather was nice. While those books aren't tremendously well researched, they were fun to read. The best biographies hit a balance between those two important things.

This biography of Jackie Robinson balanced things well. There was information about Robinson's life as a child, which made the historical context of his inclusion on a major league baseball team make more sense. There were enough details to make the story interesting, but not so many that the book got bogged down. The pages were well formatted-- there was enough white space, and the print was not tiny. I always appreciate a good index, and there are even footnotes (which one needs, but which students never consult!). There could have been more pictures--Tam O'Shaughnessy. Sally Ride: A Photobiography of America's Pioneering Woman in Space really spoiled me, and I want ALL the biographies I read to have this many pictures!

I learned a lot of interesting facts, and my readers who want sports books will read ANY sports books, even nonfiction ones. There are a lot of books covering Jackie Robinson's life, however-- I would be even more interested in a book about his brother, Mac, who came in second to Jesse Owens in the Olympics, or about the other African American men who came right after Robinson-- Larry Doby, Willard Brown, Henry Thompson and Dan Bankhead. Until those books come out, I'll definitely have a need for Ms. Rappaport's fine book.