{"product_id":"9780060555979","title":"I Never Had It Made: An Autobiography of Jackie Robinson","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe bestselling autobiography of American baseball and civil rights legend Jackie Robinson\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBefore Barry Bonds, before Reggie Jackson, before Hank Aaron, baseball's stars had one undeniable trait in common: they were all white. In 1947, Jackie Robinson broke that barrier, striking a crucial blow for racial equality and changing the world of sports forever. \u003ci\u003eI Never Had It Made\u003c\/i\u003e is Robinson's own candid, hard-hitting account of what it took to become the first black man in history to play in the major leagues.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eI Never Had It Made\u003c\/i\u003e recalls Robinson's early years and influences: his time at UCLA, where he became the school's first four-letter athlete; his army stint during World War II, when he challenged Jim Crow laws and narrowly escaped court martial; his years of frustration, on and off the field, with the Negro Leagues; and finally that fateful day when Branch Rickey of the Brooklyn Dodgers proposed what became known as the \"Noble Experiment\"—Robinson would step up to bat to integrate and revolutionize baseball.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMore than a baseball story, \u003ci\u003eI Never Had It Made\u003c\/i\u003e also reveals the highs and lows of Robinson's life after baseball. He recounts his political aspirations and civil rights activism; his friendships with Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, William Buckley, Jr., and Nelson Rockefeller; and his troubled relationship with his son, Jackie, Jr.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eI Never Had It Made\u003c\/i\u003e endures as an inspiring story of a man whose heroism extended well beyond the playing field.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"HarperCollins","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47021635961072,"sku":"9780060555979","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780060555979_p0.jpg?v=1763619500","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780060555979","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}