Overview
April 15, 1947, marked the most important opening day in baseball history. When Jackie Robinson stepped onto the diamond that afternoon at Ebbets Field, he became the first black man to break into major-league baseball in the twentieth century. World War II had just ended. Democracy had triumphed. Now Americans were beginning to press for justice on the home front--and Robinson had a chance to lead the way. He was an unlikely hero. He had little experience in organized baseball. His swing was far from graceful. And he was assigned to play first base, a position he had never tried before that season. But the biggest concern was his temper. Robinson was an angry man who played an aggressive style of ball. In order to succeed he would have to control himself in the face of what promised to be a brutal assault by opponents of integration. In Opening Day, Jonathan Eig tells the true story behind the national pastime's most sacred myth. Along the way he offers new insights into events of sixty years ago and punctures some familiar legends. Was it true that the St. Louis Cardinals plotted to boycott their first home game against the Brooklyn Dodgers? Was Pee Wee Reese really Robinson's closest ally on the team? Was Dixie Walker his greatest foe? How did Robinson handle the extraordinary stress of being the only black man in baseball and still manage to perform so well on the field? Opening Day is also the story of a team of underdogs that came together against tremendous odds to capture the pennant. Facing the powerful New York Yankees, Robinson and the Dodgers battled to the seventh game in one of the most thrilling World Series competitions of all time. Drawing on interviews with surviving players, sportswriters, and eyewitnesses, as well as newly discovered material from archives around the country, Jonathan Eig presents a fresh portrait of a ferocious competitor who embodied integration's promise and helped launch the modern civil rights era. Full of new details and thrilling action, Opening Day brings to life baseball's ultimate story.
Full Product Details
Author: Jonathan Eig ,
Richard Allen
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Imprint: Tantor Audio
ISBN: 9798200142859
Publication Date: 17 April 2007
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Audio
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Available To Order
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Reviews
"Allen gives this chronicle...a measured and dignifiedreading, conveying both the excitement of the on-field action and the tense drama of Robinson's journey into the previously all-white world of pro baseball.-- ""Booklist"" ""A wonderful book that provided insights about Lou, his amazing life, and outstanding career."" -- ""Cal Ripkin Jr. on Luckiest Man"" ""Allen gives this chronicle...a measured and dignified reading, conveying both the excitement of the on-field action and the tense drama of Robinson's journey into the previously all-white world of pro baseball."" -- ""Booklist"""
Author Information
Jonathan Eig is the author of several critically acclaimed books, including the New York Times bestseller Luckiest Man. He is a former staff writer for the Wall Street Journal, and he remains a contributing writer there. He has written for the New York Times, New Yorker, Esquire, Washington Post, and other publications. He has appeared in two Ken Burns films for PBS. Richard Allen is an accomplished and respected theatrical actor whose work includes Ragtime and PBS' Great Performances: Play On! His voice can be heard on numerous television and radio productions, as well as the animated series Jumanji. Allen is also the winner of seven AudioFile Earphones Awards.
