Call him Jack The story of Jackie Robinson, Black freedom fighter

Jackie Robinson, best known for breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball, has been the subject of many young people's biographies. Most highlight his famous 1945 conversation with the Dodger's manager Branch Rickey, who was looking for an outstanding Black player with "the guts not to fight back" when provoked by racists. Other books concentrate on Robinson's prowess as an athlete and his outstanding record as a baseball player. This biography does all that and more. Robinson grew up within a large, tight-knit family led by his mother, who taught him that his dark skin was a blessing. Proud to be Black, he had a lifelong record of responding to racial injustice, beginning when eight-year-old Robinson exchanged racial slurs with a white child and culminating with his increasingly public role within the civil rights movement during the 1950s, '60s, and '70s. The coauthors, who have separately written or edited books for adults about Robinson as well as the twentieth-century civil rights era, bring together a good deal of pertinent information, organize it well, and write in a straightforward, accessible style. Black-and-white photos illustrate the book and well-chosen quotes, sourced in the back matter, bring the voices of Robinson and his contemporaries into the narrative. An enlightening portrayal of an iconic American.

In this eye-opening biography, Williams (The Black Panthers, for adults) and Long (Three Lines in a Circle) detail the varied personal history of Jack Roosevelt Robinson (1919--1972), best known for being the first Black MLB player. In a beginning note, the authors contextualize quotations containing racist slurs: "We think it's important for readers to know--and feel--the words that white people used when trying to hurt Jack and other Black Americans." The book discusses how, throughout his life, Robinson felt as if he needed to be an "acceptable guest" to succeed in the athletic world. But beyond his sports persona, Robinson considered himself a "relentless and uncompromising Black freedom fighter," outspoken in his beliefs. Without minimizing Robinson's historic athletic prowess, the creators provide a potent look into his civil rights achievements by highlighting key moments from his life, including marching for integrated schools and raising money for burned churches in Birmingham. This well-researched volume--which includes b&w photographs throughout, accompanied by brief sidebars explaining key historical events--skillfully highlights one prominent Black figure's impact on America's history both on and off the ball field. Additional information concludes. Ages 10--14. (Sept.)

A portrait of a pugnacious civil rights advocate who also happened to be a great athlete. Liberally salting their narrative with racist period quotes that include frank and pejorative language, putting on unflinching display the ugliness Robinson faced, Williams and Long chronicle his spectacular athletic achievements from elementary school to the major leagues--but look beyond them to portray him as a "relentless and uncompromising Black freedom fighter" who "used his racial pride to fuel his lifelong passion for justice." From defending himself from a rock-throwing White neighbor at age 8 to later sharp criticisms of Martin Luther King Jr. and Muhammad Ali for their anti-war stances and harsh debates with Malcolm X, he comes across here as anything but the patient, controlled figure typically found in biographies for young readers. To judge from the copious endnotes and their own professional and publishing histories, the authors have plainly done their research and make a convincing case that while their subject had his bullheaded moments, he operated from consistent and worthy principles. On-field photos, family snapshots, pictures of marching protesters, and news clippings accompany side-boxed comments on historical context and questions for readers to ponder, the latter supplemented in the backmatter with a page of discussion topics. This thorough, expansive, and readable work is an essential addition to the body of literature about a well-known figure. Adds provocative nuances to the usual portrayals of a heroic American. (additional facts, timeline, index) (Biography. 12-16) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.