Baseball's Great Experiment

Synopsis

In this gripping account of one of the most important steps in the historyof American desegregation, Jules Tygiel tells the story of Jackie Robinson'scrossing of baseball's color line. Examining the social and historical contextof Robinson's introduction into white organized baseball, both on and off thefield, Tygiel also tells the often neglected stories of other African-Americanplayers--such as Satchel Paige, Roy Campanella, Willie Mays, and Hank Aaron--whohelped transform our national pastime into an integrated game. Drawing on dozensof interviews with players and front office executives, contemporary newspaperaccounts, and personal papers, Tygiel provides the most telling and insightfulaccount of Jackie Robinson's influence on American baseball and society. Theanniversary issue features a new foreword by the author. 4