Books On Film | 42 (Jackie Robinson)

The biopic 42 hit movie theaters yesterday. The film is about the life of famous baseball player Jackie Robinson, who was the first black player in major league baseball since 1884 and whose recruitment helped end 60 years of segregation in baseball.

The film focuses on Robinson's recruitment by the Brooklyn Dodger's team executive Branch Rickey in 1946, follows him during his successive rookie year on the team, and culminates in the 1947 World Series (the first to be televised) where the Dodgers faced the Yankees.

The movie already has a tie-in novelization book, but I thought a better book to read would be Jackie Robinson's autobiography I Never Had It Made. In the book Robinson chronicles his early life, his college years at UCLA, his time in the army during WWII, and his years as a baseball player for the Negro American Leagues and Major League Baseball.

If you have an interest in baseball or American History then check out the film and the book!

Cover courtesy of LibraryThing

Teens Only | In Honor of Black History Month -- Revised

As promised, here are the answers to the questions posed in last Saturday's blog:

1. Who was the first African American to play baseball in the major leagues?

Jackie Robinson

 

2. Who was the first African American to go to the North Pole?

Matthew Henson
Note: I apologize for messing up this question earlier. But I'm sure you all knew the correct answer!!!

 

3. This famous musician learned to play the trumpet while living at the Colored Waif's Home for Boys. Who was he?

Louis Armstrong

 

4. Before growing up to be a famous neurosurgeon, this person was required -- by his mother -- to read two library books a week and prepare reports on them. And his mother couldn't read! Who was he?

Ben Carson

Read about these heroes of Black History -- and many more -- at any SSJCPL branch library!

Until Saturday,

Suzy