Jackie Robinson and the Integration of Baseball is a biography written about the famous colored baseball player, Jack Roosevelt Robinson. Scott Simon wrote the biography and released it in 2002. The Washington Post said, “Perhaps no one has ever told the tale [of Robinson’s arrival in the major leagues] so well as [Simon] does in this extended essay,” after reading the book. Simon indicates that he wrote this biography because Jackie Robinson was a hero to so many. This biography recollects the events that Jackie went through on his way to changing the history of baseball, but more importantly the history of America. Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball during a time when people of color were forced to drink out of separate drinking fountains and sit at the back or the bus. Jackie Robinson’s …show more content…
The spotlight on Jackie did not appear on him, however, until he was able to showcase his athletic ability at Pasadena Junior College and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Following Jackie’s days at UCLA, Robinson entered the Army and became known as lieutenant Robinson. After disputes over having to sit at the back of a military bus, Jackie Robinson was honorably discharged. This event gave Robinson an opportunity to play baseball while others were at war, and eventually resulted in him finding his way onto the Dodgers organization (with some help from Branch Rickey). Jackie started out in the minor league, but his outstanding efforts led him to being pulled up to the majors. Robinson’s new teammates created a petition against playing with Jackie, but one talk with Branch Rickey