Joseph Dorinson and Joram Warmund's Jackie Robinson - Race, Sports and the American Dream: A Review

In Jackie Robinson - Race, Sports and the American Dream, by Joseph Dorinson and Joram Warmund, various voices and viewpoints come together to illustrate the unique convergence of politics, culture, and sports that enabled Jackie Robinson to inspire, stir, and challenge the American consciousness with regards to its behaviors and attitudes concerning racial equality.

Together, these voices deliver an illuminating portrait of Jackie Robinson and the times of ingrained, pervasive prejudice in which he-along with the entire nation-found himself. The book demonstrates that Robinson became a hero to both black and white communities in America. Through a retrospective analysis, the authors reveal a "status quo" mentality, and compel the reader to take a closer look at the dynamics that contributed to these times.

The book asserts that the phenomenon of Jackie Robinson cannot be attributed to Robinson alone, which does not in anyway detract from his legacy as a ballplayer or a man. The book explains how, in the context of history (post-WW II/pre-civil rights), place (Brooklyn/U.S.) and people (Branch, teammates, sports writers, fans, etc.), Robinson faced a nation fraught with racial tension and bigotry. The book also reveals the events and viewpoints that brought baseball to its turning point in 1947 and attempts to measure Robinson's enormous legacy on the ensuing years, on the civil rights movement, sports, and many future prominent black figures, both inside and outside of the world of sports.

With the help from old newspaper clippings, quotes, historic events, workers' demographics, statistics, law books, and personal interviews, the authors collectively illustrate the nation's social backdrop and mindset with regard to racism and the efforts put forth by a few individuals to achieve racial equality. The disparate facts of the book combine, as in a montage, to present the reader with a colorful, vivid, and thorough overview of the times.

The book uses the subject of Jackie Robinson to reveal a culture endorsing racial discrimination in the U.S. Given the predominance of Jewish American voices in the book, its slant appears to be the association of one group seeking to end prejudice with another group's struggle toward the same ends. In their own way, each essay reflects on some of the aspects of the combination of forces that led to the racism present in this country in the 1940s.

The experience of Jewish Americans is discussed in many of the essays, and in the introduction to Part II, where the editors state, "The banners of racism in baseball were coming out at the time of Passover. The liberation from slavery of the Jewish people and the 'tumbling down of Jim Crow in America's national pastime' become indelibly linked" (42). This is also indicated in Ivan Hametz' recollections of his father telling him of Robsinson's acceptance into major league baseball when he was ten: "This is a giant step toward ending inequality in the United States. It is what we were fighting for in World War II. Justice!" (66).

Through a combination of both primary and secondary sources, brought to us by a wide assortment of contributors, including devoted fans, former teammates, history professors and sportswriters alike, the reader is escorted back in time to witness the prevailing mindset of the times. Through news clippings we ascertain an apparent indifference on the part of the major daily newspapers in terms of baseball's integration (90). Through one fan's recollections, we are treated to the excitement of 1947 through the eyes of a ten-year-old boy (67-69). Statistic figures reveal that attendance figures declined during the period after 1947 (187), challenging the widely accepted theory that "Robinson put serious money into the pockets of every National League owner" (184).

The book provides readers with a large number of new insights into Robinson and his inspiration on athletes and other public role models. As confirmation of his impact, there is a quote from Martin Luther King speaking with Don Newcombe: "You'll never know what Jackie and you and Roy did to make it possible for me to do my work" (95). We learn of major impact of black journalists, such as Sam Lacy and Joe Bostic, on the racial integration of baseball (90). We hear the life story of Moses Fleetwood Walker, the actual, although historically unacknowledged, first black player in the major leagues (22-29). Given the diversity of perspectives presented, the book does an excellent job of illuminating Robinson's impact on baseball and the country, as well as the historical context in which he made these achievements, in a way that perhaps no other medium or book has been able to thus far.

In its compelling, documentary-like format, the book presents a diverse spectrum of viewpoints and writing styles. Its variety of voices and perspectives keeps its subjects interesting and fresh.

In summary, this book demonstrates that beyond the legacy of Jackie Robinson, there much more to learn and absorb about the evolution of race discrimination in the U.S. It also presents us with the question of whether we, as a country, have made the most of his legacy - in terms of progress regarding race relations and in our efforts to keep his message and memory alive. This, combined with the fact that it contains ideas and opinions of many people from relatively diverse racial and social backgrounds, in my opinion, is the reason this book can be used as a regular course material in teaching African American history in college.