“Reclaiming 42: Public Memory and the Reframing of Jackie Robinson’s Radical Legacy”
The American sports fans have all heard of Jackie Robinson and the stories that went on during his games of baseball. The media placed Robinson in the middle of all of these bad things people were saying and doing with him on the field. The public perception is that Jackie Robinson just took it and move on. That is not the entire story.
This book moves away from the sanitized area of his life and the oversimplifying statements that defined his legacy and brings the readers into the area of #42 that didn’t make it into the public realm. What most of the public has never heard or read is the controversial political activity that Robinson got involved with and the “come to blows” he had on a regular basis with black leaders of his day.
The author seeks to reclaim the perception and lay his true identity on the line and now allow those things to slip away from public consciousness. This story tells of his voice after baseball and the anguish he caused t the black community.
This book by Dave Naze should be on every baseball fans bookshelf no matter what team you show allegiance to or your views on political matters.
About the Author: Dave Naze is the dean of academic excellence and support at Joliet Junior College.
Thanks to the University of Nebraska Press for sending a copy to me in exchange for a fair and honest review of the book.
