Exploring Jackie Robinson

Life is not a spectator sport... If you're going to spend your whole life in the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my opinion you're wasting your life. -Jackie Robinson

On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson took the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Facing verbal abuse from fans and players alike, Robinson went on to have an incredible baseball career. He is a role model for tolerance, equality, and dignity.

This reading map will help you explore Jackie Robinson's life and work, wherever your curiosity leads you…

• Want to learn more about what it was like for African Americans in the early days of baseball? Check out Nonfiction for histories of the Negro Leagues.
• Want to get inside the imagination of great sports writers? Try Fiction for stories full of emotion, nostalgia, and baseball.
• Want to get lost in the post-war world Jackie Robinson played in? Movies & Music lists some great music from the 1940s and 50s.
• Want to share Jackie Robinson's story with your children? Each section has a special list especially for kids.

Whichever path you choose, you can always explore Jackie Robinson at the Kanawha County Public Library.