An Autobiography of Jackie Robinson - I Never Had It Made

You have to read this book with your brain engaged.

Jackie Robinson was not just another jock. This was an amazingly gifted athlete who had brains.

He broke the racial barrier and became the first black player in major league baseball. He proved to be the perfect person to ignore the efforts of bigoted white players who tried to physically injure him during baseball games.

When he first started playing, the other players on the team weren't quite sure to deal with him. But when other teams began throwing racial slurs against him, his teammates quickly rallied around him and came to his defense. From that point on he was one with them, just another player on the team.

He also had large amounts of class.

Most notably he worked to advance rights for black people.

I came away thoroughly impressed with Jackie Robinson AND this book by and about him.

I have always been a fan love everything this one man did back then to help have a America today. But in the book u have to read slow because it jump back and forth a lot and u can get lost. Great for black history month I think every kid that like baseball should have to read to know there is more to life then sports!

A very positive role model for our youth (and adults!) Jackie Robinson was courageous man. I learned about the barriers and obstacles he faced as well as all African-Americans faced during this era. And still face today.

Should be required reading for all elementary school students. Excellent reminder of some of the triumphs and tragedies in our nation's civil rights history from the perspective of one of its leaders. Can be used to teach kids about sports as a platform to greater things.

Since I most wanted to learn about Mr. Robinson's life in baseball, the first half of this book was extremely interesting to me, and the second half of the book dealing with Mr. Robinson's life after baseball was not so riveting. The author retired from baseball in his mid-30's, and he spent much of the rest of his life addressing political issues. Judging by his narrative, it seems Jackie Robinson was a much better baseball player than a politician. His life after sports frustrated him to an extent, and it frustrated me as a reader as well.

I bought this book to learn more about Jackie Robinson's baseball career. I assumed that would be the major focus. Unfortunately, by the time the book is half-way through, Jackie has retired from baseball and moved on to other things.

The rest of the book focuses on Jackie's various projects, jobs, associations, etc, mainly revolving around civil rights issues. There are a couple of heartbreaking chapters that detail the issues he had with his son, Jackie Jr.

All-in-all, this is worth reading but not quite what I was looking for.

A great story of the country growing through and learning from it's mistakes and fullfilling it's purpose. The positives lift us up and leap us over anything the negatives would try to define instead of forgive.

I have read half of this autobiography and have just completely lost interest in it. The first half was engaging when Jackie recalls his experiences in baseball. The latter half delves into his feelings and opinions on black issues which gets rather dull.

Some parts were of interest, but too much politics and problems not connected to baseball at all. Not that I am not sympathetic to their struggles, but I was more interested in his baseball problems. I was disappointed in the book.

This superb autobiography belongs on any thinking fan's shelf. Jackie Robinson (1919-1972) broke the baseball color line in 1947, starred for the Brooklyn Dodgers for a decade, then led a full life as business executive, NAACP board member, banker, and advisor to New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller. Robinson describes breaking the color line and the attendant abuses he suffered, his relationship with Branch Rickey, and playing with those talented Dodger squads before the team deserted Brooklyn. Yet this is not just a baseball book, nor a particularly full one at that; those wanting more on baseball and the old Brooklyn Dodgers can find fulller descriptions elsewhere. Robinson devotes the second half of this memoir to his business work with Choc Full of Nuts and later, Freedom Bank, his civil rights activities, and his campaigning for Richard Nixon against John F. Kennedy in 1960. Robinson does not shy from certain controversies nor family tragedy. Frankly, I'd have liked more - more on his baseball days, his teamates, the Dodgers moving to LA, his banking activities, and ideas on reducing black crime - a taboo subject that both hampers progress and that most civil rights leaders avoid like the plague. Still, this is a sterling book by a remarkable individual, written shortly before his untimely passing.

I Never Had It Made is the autobiography of Jackie Robinson released just before his death in 1972. The book includes all of the notable events of his major league baseball career and his advocacy for civil rights reform in the two decades after his retirement from baseball. Robinson was quotable throughout his life as a public figure and outspoken for most of it. His autobiography is primarily a condensation of the public figure that people of the late forties, fifties and sixties became to know well.

Nearly every baseball fan knows who Jackie Robinson was, but maybe you forgot some of the details of his career. His autobiography will refresh your memory. The book was written by Al Duckett, who wrote nearly all of Robinson's articles in the 1960s. Duckett accurately reflected Jackie's thoughts and words. Only Lewis Micheaux seemed to have a problem with Robinson using a ghostwriter, and the issue was contrived because he was looking for ways to be disagreeable due to Robinson's stance on the Apollo incident. You'll be able to read the book quicker than you can say Jack Robinson.

Much of the Robinson legend occurred between 1945 and 1947. Robinson talked about his tryout with the Red Sox in 1945 with two other players, but after his death, a Boston sportswriter named Cliff Keane recalled an epithet that someone yelled while the players were on the field. Robinson did not mention the remark, nor did any of his colleagues participating in the tryout, but some bystanders said it happened.

Robinson said the Black Cat Incident happened in Syracuse during his inaugural season in organized baseball. Not everyone agrees that this actually occurred, but a couple of former Chiefs players also confirmed the story without specifying who threw the cat. I believe it is more likely that a feral cat ran onto the field, and a bench jockey made use of happenstance.

Robinson did not mention the Black Face conspiracy, but he did say that the Syracuse players were the worst bench jockeys in the league. He also said that the fans in Syracuse were alright - it was the Baltimore fans who gave him the toughest time during his first year in the International League.

The autobiography describes the Cardinal Boycott of 1947 from the original article in the New York Herald Tribune. Cardinal veterans Terry Moore, Marty Marion, and Enos Slaughter denied any plan, but probably initiated club house talk about Robinson. Bob Broeg, a longtime Cardinal reporter, said that the talk was no more than what occurred on other ball clubs. Owner Sam Breedon denied the issue, but Ford Frick confirmed it. Frick was credited with making the only quote-worthy statement of his reign as National League president, so he had something to gain by confirming the Stanley Woodward article. Jules Tygiel had the best analysis of this incident in his book, Baseball's Great Experiment. He admits that accounts of the affair are elusive.

The Dodger Spring Petition was more developed than the proposal by some Cardinal players. Branch Rickey and Leo Durocher talked to the Brooklyn players before a petition was submitted. We do know that two players were ultimately traded because of the petition. At the end of the 1947 season, Dixie Walker, The People's Cherce who tried to rally the players around the petition was dealt to the Pirates. Robinson never had a club house issue with Walker during the 1947 season, but the relationship was awkward. Bobby Bragan, a catcher who says he never saw the petition but agreed with its sentiments, was also dealt by Rickey.

The Buddy Incident with Pee Wee Reese, which is memorialized in a statue outside the ballpark of the Brooklyn Cyclones, is stated by Robinson to have occurred at Boston. Duckett does not date the incident but implied that it occurred in 1947 by grouping the story with others about the 1947 season. In an article for Look magazine, Robinson said the incident occurred in 1948. Others say the story happened in Cincinnati, not Boston. Both Robinson and Reese confirmed that the event happened, but neither player was clear on the date. This is another part of the Robinson legend, like the Black Cat incident, that cannot be confirmed by newspaper or video evidence.

The autobiography avoids technical discussions of Robinson's game. For instance, Casey said he pitched the lefty Bob Kusava against Robinson in the 1952 World Series because he could not hit a change-up, but Robinson does not elaborate. One of Robinson's great statistical feats is his low ratio of strikeouts-to-walks, but he does not mention why he believed he had such a good eye at the plate. We do know that he had shouting matches with umpires during the latter part of his career. We know that Robinson was a daring base-stealer and that he even stole home, but he does not mention what made him so effective on the base paths. Even players with great instincts can usually break down their game into simpler elements.

A large portion of the autobiography is devoted to Robinson's post-baseball career. Some events were portrayed the way that Robinson wanted them to be portrayed. It is his book and he is entitled to do so. He created a picture of being duped by Nixon into campaigning for him in 1960, although Robinson supported the Eisenhower / Nixon ticket in 1956. If Robinson was duped, it was for four years. Robinson said he was asked to stay at Chock Full O' Nuts but the biography by Arnold Rampersad paints a less-voluntary departure. Robinson did not mention unions, which Rampersad believes was a major element of his job as personnel director and the reason why he believes Robinson was allowed to go. Robinson is careful to compliment black leaders even when he had public confrontations with them.

Robinson is not elusive or reserved, but maybe he was a little restrained in his remarks. It is true that some things were better left unsaid.

One political puzzle of the sixties, for this reader at least, is the high regard that people had for John Kennedy with respect to civil rights, but the lukewarm support for Lyndon Johnson in the same area. After reading Robinson's autobiography, one can understand why Robinson felt that way. That does not mean that one will agree with him. Robinson said that Johnson had a poor record on civil rights, even though LBJ was responsible for passing the Civil Rights Acts in 1957, 1963, and 1964. Robinson cites Johnson's association with Richard Russell even though LBJ learned how Congress worked from his mentor, and eventually broke with him over civil rights. Advisors for Robert F. Kennedy say that Kennedy ran for president because Johnson did not read the report from the Kerner Commission. Not reading the report meant that Johnson refused to do anything for the nation's cities, they said. Johnson initiated the Great Society that tried to do a lot for the cities.

Because this autobiography is so quick & easy to read, I consider it an excellent warm-up for the meatier Robinson biography by Arnold Rampersad or Baseball's Great Experiment by Jules Tygiel, which describes the story of the integration of baseball that includes the story of Robinson. My version of the book is the 1974 paperback edition from Fawcett (p2066 or 449-02066) that I picked up from a guy on the street selling used books. The book has aged well in nearly forty years and is in very good condition.

Five stars.

In this memoir, Jackie Robinson touches on a lot of his life unrelated to baseball, including his family, time in the military, activism, and life after baseball. Each portion of the book is interesting for different reasons, but to a baseball fan the portions where he was first breaking into the league were absolutely fascinating, especially his relationship with Branch Rickey and the little strategies they had to make his introduction into the league as safe as possible.

Outside of baseball, his personal life was replete with well-known discrimination and activism, but even inside of his family there were serious issues that were a surprise to me, including some heart-wrenching portions about substance abuse.

My favorite thing about this memoir is that he candidly explains some *bad* decisions that he made which seemed like the right thing at the time (like, say, backing Nixon), owns up to them, and explains why he did the things he did. I came out with a deep respect for the guy, who weathered absolutely horrific prejudice like a nobleman. Totally recommended.

The accomplishments of Jackie Robinson epitomize courage. Dr. Martin Luther King was once quoted as saying the he could not have done what he did , if Jackie had not done what he did. With this set up from the greatest Civil Rights leader, I was anxious to read Robinson's autobiography. However, I found myself a little disappointed in the book.

I Never Had it Made devotes only about one-third of its text to Jackie's baseball career. While I was disappointed in this, I realize Jackie was more than a baseball player. My greater disappointment came in the bitter tone in which much of his post-baseball career is told. It seemed as if Jackie felt the need to apologize for any mistakes he felt that he made. I know Jackie did not want to be remembered as being bitter so this tone surprises me. While Jackie did make some questionable choices for example about which political candidate to support, I do not think anybody held it against him. The most revealing chapters discuss his son, Jackie Jr. The story behind his oldest son's life and death show what a thoughtful man Robinson was. More than any of the other chapters, I think chapters about his family and son demonstrate the character of Jackie Robinson.

While I enjoyed the book, I am not certain Jackie knew what he wanted to say in this book. A lot of the book is composed of stories of his life. In other portions of the book, he seems to be defending himself. Since Robinson died shortly after the publication of this book, I must wonder if it was rushed.

Jackie RObinson was not only a Great Athlete, but also a Great Leader who is a Ground breaker and this book not only speaks on his great accomplishements within the game of Baseball, but also a civil rights leader and he was a leader and personally Jackie Robinson should have a National Holiday in his honor because he fought for a Job and earned it. we are only 65 years removed from the time he broke the color line in Major league baseball. this book goes into details about his friendships and the people he encountered a real whose who of movers and shakers. i love the title of this book because it is so true especially for a Black Man in America. a title that speaks the truth then and now, however Jackie Robinson to me is required reading for everybody and the true meaning of the struggle.

After I had finished reading the autobiography "I Never Had It Made" by Jackie Robinson, I had realized what a heartwarming reality I had just deeply rooted myself with. The autobiography was in no doubt the story of a man that has affected America in many great ways by transferring its own morals for its betterment. The story unveils in an organized manner overall and I felt as if its emphasis on description had really enforced the structure of the story and the level of comprehension I was able to receive from the text. It might have appeared to some, as seen in the other reviews, that the content was slightly challenging and that understanding may be limited, which may be true for certain individuals as we all read in a different manner, However, despite these claims, I suppose that this is just one of those books that are to be read closely and slowly to actually be able to digest the ideas and meaning of the text. This proved to be especially true for such a biography as Robinson had many viewpoints to the state of America and he had reflected upon these ideas, which had elaborated on the texture of the book. Hence, to be able to really process such factors of the book, one ought to use more caution. I believe that all of these reasons are what define my rating as they were assets to enhancing the quality of the book, instead of mowing it down. Furthermore, I became fond of this book on a grand scale as I believe that it was a useful resource that allowed me to comprehend the struggles of the African-Americans living in the America in the nineteenth and twentieth century for equality and liberties. I will like to end my review with the thought of the book's ability to act as a phenomenal educational resource, for the ideas in the book are very conclusive about the way of life in such a time period. The autobiography may also intrigue baseball fans with the excitement offered by it. My own complaints against the book are excessively minor and its positives are great enough to overwhelm them. Therefore, the autobiography "I Never Had It Made" delivers a breathtaking experience that separates it apart from the others and has the ability to educate one heavily about the history of the freedoms that we all have today.

In the autobiography, I Never Had it Made about Jackie Robinson, it takes the reader through the journey and struggles of a black man trying to earn a living on an all white professional sports team. The book is very well laid out and organized. It is honest about Jackie's true emotions during this time. When Jackie Robinson is talked about in baseball and history he represents a very calm, loving person that endured many struggles and took a passive approach in dealing with conflict. This book shows the true emotions, thoughts, and urges that Jackie had to overcome. Also, this book shows a different side of Jackie, as more of a civil rights activist. Some parts of this book seem to drag out long periods of time, but it is still very informative. Jackie did more than most people would imagine. I believe anyone who has an interest in sports and civil rights would enjoy this novel. Jackie Robinson has a truly inspiring story and it opened my eyes to circumstances that I never knew existed in history. Jackie not only changed the game of baseball but also changed America today. I believe this book is a good read and should be read by many. Young adults that need a better understanding of what civil right struggles were like for black men fighting for equality.

I learned a great deal about Robinson and his family in this autobiography. As a result, I have a great deal more respect for him as a survivor than as a superb athlete. I do think he was too hard on himself in regard to decisions he and he wife made while raising his children. He loved them dearly and made the best decisions that seemed right at the time.

I would love for this book to become popular with young adults and teens, and perhaps it will with the success of the movie, "42" .

I never knew much about Jackie Robinson besides the fact that he broke the color barrier in baseball. He was so much more than a great baseball player. He was a great man. I fell that the things he did after baseball was more important that what he did in baseball. He took the opportunities that were given him and made the most of them. His life was anything but easy but he did not complain. This book makes me want to learn more about this great man.

A friend recommended this book and I was hesitant because I am not a sports fan. I learned not only about his experience breaking barriers. Also about the political party shift of the 60s a really great book about history from a new perspective

I Never Had It Made: An autobiography of Jackie Robinson is a book set in the life and times of the baseball legend Jackie Robinson. The book contains Robinson's thoughts and recollections about his childhood, military service, baseball career, and home life. Robinson was the first black man in professional baseball. He wore the number 42 and was a player for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinson was also a civil rights activist who worked to integrate blacks into white America. The book is well written and should be a must have for any and all fans of history, civil rights movement, and baseball. I personally enjoyed the book and praise it for its deep insight into the ideals of different parts of America in the 1960's. This book has taught me many things I did not know before. I learned just how hard it was for many people in this time period. Some of the struggles people in this book are afflicted with are ones that would not have crossed my mind had I not read this book. I never realized how wide reaching segregation was back then. Arguably the most important thing about this book is that it is entertaining. All twenty-four chapters are well written and engaging. Some parts of the book may be harder for a younger audience to read but it is diffidently a book worth sharing.
Review by Al Polkinghorn

This was just dynamite. Jackie holds nothing back. I've read a lot of baseball books, and I've read a lot of autobiographies. This was hands-down the best, period! If you only want to read about his baseball accomplishments, go elsewhere. He covers his entire life, and there was a lot more than just baseball. The incidents from other episodes of his life serve to quantify what an advocate he was, and how difficult it was to take the abuse heaped upon him in his first two seasons with the Dodgers without responding. Bravo to a well-lived life, Jackie!

Jackie Robinson explains his own life--what he went through as the first African American major leaguer, how his attitudes changed over the years, his personal bitterness, his heartbreak, and his choices. I remember the era well, and found this fascinating and moving.

i really liked this book. Jackie Robinson does a good job of telling you every detail of his life. I felt bad for Jackie Junior because I know him and Jackie Senior didn't get along. I wish they had come together before Jackie Junior's death. Jackie Robinson was very courageous and bold to continue playing after everything people said to him. I can relate to him, I've been called some names, and t wanted to break a bat over their heads, but like Jackie I had to just let it slide. He's one of my heroes for breaking down the race barrier in baseball. He wasn't always respected by all commentators, managers, and even his own teammates, but he still proved African Americans can be just as good as other Americans at baseball.

I enjoyed this book because it showed the character and perseverance of a humble man that changed the sport of baseball. One thing that I found to be interesting was how people talked about how he made a big impact on the game, but outside of the game his life with his family was not as good as it seemed. They lived simply and did not have the best accommodations as other players did, they had to made make due. They realized there was a bigger purpose.

I recommend this book because it was easy to read and understand. I kept me wanting to read and learn more. I recommend this book to all people, baseball players or not, white, black, yellow or whatever. Jackie Robinson was more than a baseball player, he was a pioneer for black equality in America.

I enjoyed " I Never Had It Made: An Autobiography of Jackie Robinson." As a person who only mildly enjoys baseball themed stories , I was pleasantly surprised with this auto biography. Not only,because it talks of baseball, but it also vividly described the era in which Mr. Robinson lived and the trials he faced as the first African-American Major league baseball player. I would suggest this book to any one interested in the 20th century and segregation; I would also suggest this book to baseball fans as long they are expecting a book about the life of Jackie Robinson not just his baseball career.

This book tells of the struggles Jackie Robinson faced as he made a name for himself in the game of baseball. This is a wonderfully writen autobiography that tells the emotion and physical hardships he faced not only in the major and minor leagues while playing baseball but also in his everyday life as well.While perservering through all this, he succeeded to a degree of breaking the color barrier in the United States. As a child he witnessed constant racism from neighbors, children, and many others that came into contact with him. His mother brought him up to be very strong and independent because when Jackie was about one or two his father went to the city and never returned. He left her with nothing but thier five children who were all too young to work and support the family. Eventually after being forced to move, they went to live with Jacies uncle in California.
This book really showed me how hard he had it. Not only did he have the pressures of playing in the major leagues but also have to worry about prejudist on the field and in the stands. You will see how he didnt have a friend to talk to unless his wife, Rachel Robinson, would travel with him during the season. There was no one who even dreamed of having a black man in baseball until the dodgers took on Jackie. Baseball has never been the same because of the influence this one man has had on the sport itself and many if not all other sports indirectly.
"I Never Had It Made" tells Robinson's early years and influences such as his college experience at UCLA, where he became the school's first four-letter athlete;World War II , playing with the Negro Leagues; and when Branch Rickey of the Brooklyn Dodgers asked Jackie Robinson to play, which was known as the "Noble Experiment".The league itself recieved a lot of critism from fans during the timethis "experiment" was unvealed.Jackie Robinson expesses his deppest feelings in this book and writes of his relationship's with individual player's and managers. He also talked of the few he had arguments and different views in many areas. There is many accounts of important games such as the 1955 World Series, when jackie Robinson and the Dodgers won against thier rivals.
This book is a great story of one man's determination and detication to a sport he loved to play through thick and thin. He did this in the faces of all those people who said it could never happen,.it would never happen, and blacks will never say in major league baseball in the United States.Jackie Robinson was a true hero

Jackie Robinson's autobiography is good, yes, but I expected much more from it. A person like Robinson has a great story and should have been able to produce a book that would knock you out of your chair. Unfortunately, Robinson spends more than half the book talking about what he did after his career was over. He should have spent at least 3/4 of the book on his playing days. Instead, he'd rather tell you about running a bank in Harlem. This isn't a bad read, but it should have been better.

When I think about someone like Jackie Robinson, I think of someone who had an easy life of playing baseball and making lots of money. He was first the first African-American to play in the professional Major League level and was highly respected by everyone. After having read his autobiography, I Never Had It Made, I realized that I was totally wrong. Besides the glory and the fame for having been the first African-American to play in the major leagues, Jackie had to go through many hardships to get where he got. Jackie uses this book to tell the reader of all the different trials and hardships he had to go through before, during, and after his professional career as the 1st and 2nd baseman of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Jackie also tells of all the other things that he did besides baseball. I didn't know it, but Jackie went to UCLA and while he was there, he did many great things. Not only was a great baseball star at UCLA, he was also a big star in football, basketball, and track. After college, he went into the Army and became a lieutenant for the U.S. Army before he signed with the Montreal Royals (a minor league baseball team) in 1945. Jackie gives a lot of the credit to Mr. Branch Rickey, the general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers for having the guts to bring him into the team and making the transition as easy as possible. Jackie promised to take in any insults thrown at him while he was in baseball uniform and not to respond to them for two years. This was to pave the way for other black players to be brought into the major league. I personally don't think that I can play a game while people are yelling and making fun of me. Jackie describes what he had to go through in the book. Jackie also discusses the hate mail he got and even the threats people placed on his life. He also tells of his wife and the kind of positive impact she had on him as well. Many people think of Jackie Robinson as being only a baseball player, but he did much more. After retiring from baseball, he did many things in regard to the civil rights issue. He influenced many issues and was even the political scene, helping President Nixon and President John F. Kennedy during their stay in office. He was even apart of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People). In the book, you learn more about his relationships with Jesse Jackson, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcom X, and many others. Jackie Robinson accomplished many things and had endured many problems even within his own family. He talks about the drug problems that plagued his oldest son and all the hardships his children had to go through being the sons and daughter of a famous African-American figure. Jackie changed the way of life for many people and gave hope to the African-American community. After all of this, Jackie learns that no matter what his successes were in the white world, he would always remain a black man. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in knowing about Jackie Robinson. You wouldn't expect for a baseball player to be a good enough writer to write a three hundred page autobiography, but I thought Jackie did a great job. The book flowed and it never got boring. I didn't even want to put it down, just kept turning the pages. This book gave great insight into the kind of life African American faced in the early to mid nineteen hundreds and what they had to endure. Jackie Robinson is not only a great icon in the world of professional sports, but in other aspects as well and I think that he did awesome job in writing this book.

The autobiography of Jackie Robinsons Life "I never had it made" was an inspiring book to not stop trying. I enjoyed this book as a learner of the old ages and as a young fan of baseball. Jackie inspired millions of African Americans to do what they always have dreamed of doing. The only reason I did not give it 5 stars was because I thought they talked too much about his life after he retired from baseball. The book talks about the hardships Jackie went through and the journey he made to become such a phenomenal athlete and role model. Some of the people that Jackie worked with were greats known as Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. After retirement Jackie opens up his own charities and organizations to help the not so fortunate African Americans of today's society. I recommend this book to anyone that has trouble with their self-confidence because this book makes you appreciate your life more. Unfortunately Jackie will be remembered just because of his baseball accomplishments and not what he did off the field.

This was a very eye-opening book. As someone who likes baseball I found the first half very interesting as it talked about all of the issues Jackie Robinson faced when trying to be the first African American in major league baseball history. He talks about how hard it was to just turn the other cheek when everyone was watching you to see you slip up. The last half is about his impact on the civil rights movement, which was also very interesting. All in all, if you want a good read that will help you learn what things were like during segregation, this is the book for you.