The book that inspired Harrison Ford in his portrayal of Branch Rickey in the hit movie "42”
In a brilliant match between author and subject, this latest addition to the Penguin Lives series features the inimitable Jimmy Breslin telling the rags-to-riches tale of Branch Rickey, the legendary manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers who integrated baseball by putting Jackie Robinson into the major leagues. Moving from the dusty Midwest towns where Rickey built baseball's farm system to the Brooklyn streets where he hatched his most famous plan, Breslin brilliantly captures the heady days when baseball became the national pastime. What emerges is the irresistible story of a schemer and redeemer, a great American who remade a sport-and dreamed of remaking a country. See Branch Rickey's life brought to the screen in the hit movie "42” in theaters everywhere now.
Jimmy Breslin was born in Jamaica, Queens. He is the author of multiple bestselling and critically acclaimed books, and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished commentary. He lives in New York City.
Show moreThe book that inspired Harrison Ford in his portrayal of Branch Rickey in the hit movie "42”
In a brilliant match between author and subject, this latest addition to the Penguin Lives series features the inimitable Jimmy Breslin telling the rags-to-riches tale of Branch Rickey, the legendary manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers who integrated baseball by putting Jackie Robinson into the major leagues. Moving from the dusty Midwest towns where Rickey built baseball's farm system to the Brooklyn streets where he hatched his most famous plan, Breslin brilliantly captures the heady days when baseball became the national pastime. What emerges is the irresistible story of a schemer and redeemer, a great American who remade a sport-and dreamed of remaking a country. See Branch Rickey's life brought to the screen in the hit movie "42” in theaters everywhere now.
Jimmy Breslin was born in Jamaica, Queens. He is the author of multiple bestselling and critically acclaimed books, and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished commentary. He lives in New York City.
Show moreJimmy Breslin was born in Jamaica, Queens. He is the author of multiple bestselling and critically acclaimed books, and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished commentary. He lives in New York City.
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Breslin provides a brief and entertaining portrait of pioneering baseball executive Branch Rickey, focusing on his efforts in 1947 to bring Jackie Robinson, the first black player in the major leagues, to the Brooklyn Dodgers team he managed. In his acerbically witty style, Breslin offers anecdotal insight into Rickey's highly principled character, work ethic, and dogged determination to integrate baseball racially. But he leaves gaping holes in Rickey's life story, especially his early and later years, and skims over his many other baseball innovations, including creating the modern farm team system, building the first full-time spring training facility, and using statistical analysis to assess on-field performance. That said, three-time Audie Award winner Dick Hill's smooth voice brings Breslin's profanity-laced text to life with an engaging, pitch-perfect narration that evokes a 1940s radio broadcast. Recommended for all adult baseball history fans. [The Viking hc received a starred review, LJ 2/1/11.-Ed.]-Douglas King, Univ. of South Carolina Lib., Columbia (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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