After Jackie: Pride, Prejudice, and Baseball's Forgotten Heroes: An Oral History

by Cal Fussman

To commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of the breaking of baseball's color barrier, an exploration of Jackie Robinson's impact and legacy by the people whose lives were transformed by his courageWhen Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, he forever changed the game of baseball -- and America itself. In After Jackie, author Cal Fussman traces Robinson's enormous legacy in sports, politics, and the civil rights movement through the men (and women) who came after him. With moving and intimate interviews of more than one hundred former major league players of African-American descent, as well as such luminaries as Jimmy Carter, Muhammad Ali, and Walter Cronkite, among others, After Jackie recalls the day one man altered history for so many, and the history that followed.

Genres: Sports, Baseball, Nonfiction, History

256 pages, Hardcover

First published April 3, 2007

Reviews

[Colin O'Grady · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book isn't about baseball; it's about the history of the Civil Rights movement and the struggle for racial equality told by men who were on the front lines. That they happened to be baseball players is inconsequential. The author's choice to allow these men to speak in their own words through first person narratives makes the book even more powerful. Their stories are moving, heartbreaking, raw, bitter, wistful... every one is tinged with a wisdom and consciousness of baseball's role in the Civil Rights movement. After all, the "I Have a Dream" speech came 16 years after Jackie made his debut for the Dodgers.

Every American should read this book, because it makes clear how far we've come as a nation and how far we still have to go.

[Shakeia · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. This book was incredibly interesting. Sports and history converge for wonderful, eye opening accounts of the integration of baseball, many of them firsthand. This book just proves that throughout the years, history sort of glosses over what it was really like to be a man of color in the world of baseball. Because of its format, you get much richer stories than you would have if the author had just written from his research. I appreciated that the author did not take ownership of these stories, but transcribed them in each person's words for the reader. If you're a lover of sports, and/or history, I would definitely recommend.

[Gracen Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book everyone should read. I have a deeper appreciation for both baseball and civil rights. This book shows that this pastime is a microcosm for civil rights in America. I laughed and cried while reading the voices who lived through and were affected, directly and indirectly, by this time period. I was also impressed by the level of detail and respect for the research process. It’s evident that Fussman takes his role as facilitator and faithful reporter of the facts as they occurred very seriously. READ IT.

[Don Kyser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating oral history of what happened after Jackie Robinson made his MLB debut. There’s a lot of Jackie in the book. But a good deal are other stories like Don Newcombe relating how 7 years after Jackie started with the Dodgers true black players still couldn’t stay in the same hotel as the white players in St. Louis. Buck O’Neil, Maury Wills, Frank Robinson, Tim McCarver, Bob Feller, Tony Perez, and a host of others give life to a shameful that we can’t afford to ignore or forget.

[Alan Haffner · Rating 4 out of 5]

FWRC Al
No-fiction. An excellent depiction of the discrimination black players endured after Jackie Robinson broke the MLB color barrier. I ordered 6 copies from all over the USA for Christmas for "Campers."

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't even like baseball and I really enjoyed this book. Fussman made me feel like I was there listening to the players talk about what it was like to play a sport where black players weren't welcome. It makes me sad about how our country has treated black Americans.

Two quotes I loved were: "A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives" (Jackie Robinson 235).

Lou Brock said, "It comes down to a heartbeat - the passion to change things in America. But you're talking about heartbeats on both sides. Slavery would never have been abolished if somebody on the other side of the coin hadn't championed our heartbeat. The Underground Railroad - what do you think that was? People with a heart. It wasn't on our side of the coin. We couldn't have created an Underground Railroad. We wouldn't have known where to go" (105).

This book explains a lot about how Black Americans feel about a lot of things. Henry (Hank) Aaron explained about Cutting off the head of the snake and how if a black boy is put down and made to feel like he can't succeed that the whole family is killed. He says, "Cut off the head of the black man. Demoralize him. Tell him, 'Even though the home run hitter's your son, we don't want you.' That kills the family" (218).

4.5 stars.

[Justus · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute must read for anyone who likes baseball. Also a great read for people who want to see what the process of integration was like for these great men and players (spoiler: it wasn't pretty). Well worth the read and certainly a must read for anyone who wants a picture into our country's uncomfortable relationship with race.

[Ice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sixth years ago, Jackie Robinson stepped to the plate for the Brooklyn Dodgers and forever changed the game of baseball and America itself. In After Jackie,author Cal Fussman traces Robinson's enormous legacy in sports, politics and the civil rights movement through the voices of men and women who came after him. Listen as they celebrate the impact of one man who altered the world for so many.

[Justus · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it and i think it was worth reading i liked the sports in it and seeing everything in a baseball point of view the racial was there and that isn't that fun but its part of history that stated lots of movement and i would recommend this book to someone who would like to read about baseball or history

[Brian Hull · Rating 4 out of 5]

He changed the American Culture as we know it. He was the one responsible for the civil rights movement...Jackie was one of my heroes growing up, and love reading about him. He is one of the ten most important people in the 20th century.

[Michael Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing oral history of the life of African American ball players

[April Charleson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing how this book covers the struggles of the civil rights movement through a baseball perspective. It joined two of my favorite areas- baseball and history.

[Jacob Carlson]

this book is about jackien robinson and his road to the major legue base ball the owner of the brooklyn dogers is branch rickey the thrid who decides to pick him up

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A troubling reminder that racial issues are always grossly oversimplified. Fussman's collection of quotes and stories should be necessary reading, and not just for sports fans.