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Stealing Home: An Intimate Family Portrait by the Daughter of Jackie Robinson
Describes Jackie Robinson's unfailing bravery in breaking the Major League color barrier, and recounts the personal difficulties faced by his children
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 6, 2022
It is February. The groundhog has spoken and we are in for six more long weeks of winter. Meanwhile, the Súper bowl is next week, and we are in for six long weeks until baseball springs anew that is only if the owners and players agree to a new collective bargaining pact. It could be awhile, so for me, the best thing to do in the interim is to read about America’s pastime. If anything, it helps to dull the waiting game pitting billionaires against millionaires.
Those who’ve interacted with me for awhile know that Jackie Robinson is one of my American heroes. If someone penned his biography on a cereal box I would read it. I know most of his life story by heart by now and try to read about new to me angle of his life each year on his birthday, January 31. This year I’m just a little late, which can be attributed to vacation and the last week of football- must get those games watched before there are no more. My sincere apologies to Jackie, who had he not done what he did in terms of integration, there would be no African American Súper stars playing on football’s biggest stage today. Any athlete of color competing today can trace a direct link back to Robinson, for whom athletes and fans alike are forever grateful.
Intimate Portraits was written by Robinson’s daughter Sharon twenty five years ago in honor of the 50th anniversary of her father breaking baseball’s color barrier. She paints a picture of her family life in the 1950s in a lily white community, mostly removed from America’s racial struggles that raged in many other areas. Following a ten year playing career, Jackie Robinson committed himself to make headway for African Americans as small business owners but also was on the forefront of the civil rights movement. His role often gets overlooked because by the time the NAACP and Dr King championed the cause, Robinson had completed his playing career. Just lending his name to the movement would have been enough, yet health permitting, Robinson traveled to the south to garner up morale, money, and any other support for the cause. His name was and is royalty in African American communities and continues to be so today.
Robinson was also a family man or tried to be one, cooking pancakes for his children on snow days, playing flag football on thanksgiving, and covering tough topics like current events with his children. Sharon was the middle child and only girl and her father’s favorite. Many times he would take her shopping in Manhattan’s garment district to buy her pick of dresses, and just his presence would evoke awes, stares, handshakes, and autograph requests. As Sharon moved toward adulthood, she was happy to share her father with others, even if it meant that she did not have him for herself and her family. As Jesse Jackson later eulogized, his body was royalty and one for the ages, and he truly was royalty. A king in Harlem, he only spoiled his children to an extent, being firm about important life decisions even if he exhibited tough love. It was in these intimate moments that Sharon and her siblings got a taste of what their father went through being the first to integrate and turning the other cheek and not fighting back. As a baseball fan, I knew about the exploits on the base paths, but not about Jackie’s role as father. This part of his persona is often overlooked, but it allows me to view his whole person, not just the athlete, and it seems that he was indeed a wonderful father, husband, and man.
Just a few weeks prior to his untimely death, Robinson was honored by Major League Baseball at the 1972 World Series on the 25th anniversary of his integrating the game. Always one to make his point, he noted that baseball will have given back to him when he could look down the third base path and see a black man smiling back at him. Today most athletes of color have migrated to the glamour sports of football and basketball, with baseball being something of an afterthought. Yet, even football is not without its controversy on this 75th anniversary of integration, failing to hire any minority head coach to any job openings when many are qualified for the position. What would Jackie Robinson, who was also an all American football star, think of today’s current sports events? By now he would be a centenarian and great grandfather many times over, but I am sure he would have spoken his piece against the current hiring processes until a black man takes his rightful place. Jackie Robinson remains one of my 20th century heroes and now I see him as a beloved father figure as well. Until next year, happy birthday, Jackie.
⚾️ 4+ stars ⚾️
Those who’ve interacted with me for awhile know that Jackie Robinson is one of my American heroes. If someone penned his biography on a cereal box I would read it. I know most of his life story by heart by now and try to read about new to me angle of his life each year on his birthday, January 31. This year I’m just a little late, which can be attributed to vacation and the last week of football- must get those games watched before there are no more. My sincere apologies to Jackie, who had he not done what he did in terms of integration, there would be no African American Súper stars playing on football’s biggest stage today. Any athlete of color competing today can trace a direct link back to Robinson, for whom athletes and fans alike are forever grateful.
Intimate Portraits was written by Robinson’s daughter Sharon twenty five years ago in honor of the 50th anniversary of her father breaking baseball’s color barrier. She paints a picture of her family life in the 1950s in a lily white community, mostly removed from America’s racial struggles that raged in many other areas. Following a ten year playing career, Jackie Robinson committed himself to make headway for African Americans as small business owners but also was on the forefront of the civil rights movement. His role often gets overlooked because by the time the NAACP and Dr King championed the cause, Robinson had completed his playing career. Just lending his name to the movement would have been enough, yet health permitting, Robinson traveled to the south to garner up morale, money, and any other support for the cause. His name was and is royalty in African American communities and continues to be so today.
Robinson was also a family man or tried to be one, cooking pancakes for his children on snow days, playing flag football on thanksgiving, and covering tough topics like current events with his children. Sharon was the middle child and only girl and her father’s favorite. Many times he would take her shopping in Manhattan’s garment district to buy her pick of dresses, and just his presence would evoke awes, stares, handshakes, and autograph requests. As Sharon moved toward adulthood, she was happy to share her father with others, even if it meant that she did not have him for herself and her family. As Jesse Jackson later eulogized, his body was royalty and one for the ages, and he truly was royalty. A king in Harlem, he only spoiled his children to an extent, being firm about important life decisions even if he exhibited tough love. It was in these intimate moments that Sharon and her siblings got a taste of what their father went through being the first to integrate and turning the other cheek and not fighting back. As a baseball fan, I knew about the exploits on the base paths, but not about Jackie’s role as father. This part of his persona is often overlooked, but it allows me to view his whole person, not just the athlete, and it seems that he was indeed a wonderful father, husband, and man.
Just a few weeks prior to his untimely death, Robinson was honored by Major League Baseball at the 1972 World Series on the 25th anniversary of his integrating the game. Always one to make his point, he noted that baseball will have given back to him when he could look down the third base path and see a black man smiling back at him. Today most athletes of color have migrated to the glamour sports of football and basketball, with baseball being something of an afterthought. Yet, even football is not without its controversy on this 75th anniversary of integration, failing to hire any minority head coach to any job openings when many are qualified for the position. What would Jackie Robinson, who was also an all American football star, think of today’s current sports events? By now he would be a centenarian and great grandfather many times over, but I am sure he would have spoken his piece against the current hiring processes until a black man takes his rightful place. Jackie Robinson remains one of my 20th century heroes and now I see him as a beloved father figure as well. Until next year, happy birthday, Jackie.
⚾️ 4+ stars ⚾️
June 3, 2018
I wanted to like it more. The early years for Sharon especially during her courtship with her first husband are very traumatic and stirred up immediate sympathy in me for her. This pain doesn't seem to be redeemed. There's a lot of grief sharing in the book. But the response seems to be in career accomplishments rather than character development. She was clearly fond of Jackie Jr. and I'd like to read more about him. I'd like to read Jackie Robinson's biography next to get a better understanding of the character of the family and what they believed.
July 17, 2017
The title is not actually accurate. It was the story of Sharon Robinson with her dad in the periphery of her life.
March 26, 2016
The story begins with Sharon relaying the story of the integration of baseball which was lead by her father, Jackie Robinson. Jackie is not mentioned much after this except for within a few of the childhood memories Sharon shares. She mainly focuses on the difficulties she encountered growing up in an all-white neighbor and attending an all-white neighborhood. To promote relationships with her own race, her parents have Sharon join a social club for African Americans with children in similar families. At one point after this, Sharon realizes how different she is from her white best friend and decides she can no longer remain friends with the girl.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews