-
Strength for the Fight
- The Life and Faith of Jackie Robinson (Library of Religious Biography (LRB))
- Narrated by: Shamaan Casey
- Length: 10 hrs and 57 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $24.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Publisher's summary
How faith sustained Jackie Robinson—both as an athlete and as an activist
The integration of Major League Baseball in 1947 was a triumph. But it was also a fight. As the first Black major leaguer since the 1880s, Jackie Robinson knew he was not going to be welcomed into America’s pastime with open arms. Anticipating hostility, he promised Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey that he would “turn the other cheek” during his first years in the league, despite his fiercely competitive disposition. Robinson later said that his faith in God had sustained him—giving him the strength he needed to play the game he loved at the highest level without retaliating against the abuse inflicted upon him by opposing players and fans.
Faith was a key component of Robinson’s life, but not in the way we see it with many prominent Christian athletes today. Whereas the Tim Tebows and Clayton Kershaws of the sports world emphasize personal spirituality, Robinson found inspiration in the Bible’s teachings on human dignity and social justice. He grew up a devout Methodist (a heritage he shared with Branch Rickey) and identified with the theological convictions and social concerns of many of his fellow mainline Protestants—especially those of the Black church. While he humbly stated that he could not claim to be a deeply religious man, he spoke frequently in African American congregations and described a special affinity he and other Black Christians felt for the biblical character Job, who had also kept faith despite suffering and injustice. In his eulogy for Robinson, Jesse Jackson described Robinson as a “co-partner of God,” who lived out his faith in his civil rights activism, both during and after his baseball career.
Robinson’s faith will resonate with many Christians who believe, as he did, that “a person can be quite religious and at the same time militant in the defense of his ideals.” This religious biography of Robinson chronicles the important role of faith in his life, from his childhood to his groundbreaking baseball career through his transformative civil rights work, and, in the process, helps to humanize the man who has become a mythic figure in both sports history and American culture.
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
True
- The Four Seasons of Jackie Robinson
- By: Kostya Kennedy
- Narrated by: Kevin Kenerly
- Length: 9 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For players, fans, managers, and executives, Jackie Robinson remains baseball’s singular figure, the person who most profoundly extended, and continues to extend, the reach of the game. Beyond Ruth. Beyond Clemente. Beyond Aaron. Beyond the heroes of today. Now, a half-century since Robinson’s death, letters come to his widow, Rachel, by the score. But Robinson’s impact extended far beyond baseball: he opened the door for Black Americans to participate in other sports, and was a national figure who spoke and wrote eloquently about inequality.
-
-
Great book, well read
- By Rick Scott on 06-24-23
By: Kostya Kennedy
-
Losing Our Religion
- An Altar Call for Evangelical America
- By: Russell Moore
- Narrated by: Russell Moore
- Length: 6 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
American evangelical Christianity has lost its way. While the witness of the church before a watching world is diminished beyond recognition, congregations are torn apart over Donald Trump, Christian nationalism, racial injustice, sexual predation, disgraced leaders, and covered-up scandals. Left behind are millions of believers who counted on the church to be a place of belonging and hope. As greater and greater numbers of younger Americans bleed out from the church, even the most rooted evangelicals are wondering, “Can American Christianity survive?”
-
-
A Prophetic Call to Renewal
- By Rachel Stanton on 07-26-23
By: Russell Moore
-
Revelation for the Rest of Us
- A Prophetic Call to Follow Jesus as a Dissident Disciple
- By: Scot McKnight, Cody Matchett
- Narrated by: Wayne Campbell
- Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Revelation for the Rest of Us, world renowned New Testament scholar and author Scot McKnight explores the timeless message of Revelation and how it disciples readers into dissidents of the ways of the world and empire, calling them to the courageous challenge of faithful, or allegiant, witness.
-
-
85% is really solid
- By G Brandon Cunningham on 04-20-23
By: Scot McKnight, and others
-
Testimony
- Inside the Evangelical Movement That Failed a Generation
- By: Jon Ward
- Narrated by: Jon Ward
- Length: 7 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jon Ward's life is divided in half: two decades inside the evangelical Christian bubble and two decades outside of it. In Testimony, Ward tells the engaging story of his upbringing in, and eventual break from, an influential evangelical church in the 1980s and 1990s. Ward sheds light on the evangelical movement's troubling political and cultural dimensions, tracing the ways in which the Jesus People movement was seduced by materialism and other factors to become politically captive rather than prophetic.
-
-
True Unbiased Journalism
- By S. Schneider on 06-03-23
By: Jon Ward
-
Mediocre
- The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America
- By: Ijeoma Oluo
- Narrated by: Ijeoma Oluo
- Length: 10 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Through the last 150 years of American history—from the post-reconstruction South and the mythic stories of cowboys in the West, to the present-day controversy over NFL protests and the backlash against the rise of women in politics—Ijeoma Oluo exposes the devastating consequences of white male supremacy on women, people of color, and white men themselves. Mediocre investigates the real costs of this phenomenon in order to imagine a new white male identity, one free from racism and sexism.
-
-
This was so enlightening.
- By Firewhiskey Reader on 01-07-21
By: Ijeoma Oluo
-
His Truth Is Marching On
- John Lewis and the Power of Hope
- By: Jon Meacham, John Lewis - afterword
- Narrated by: JD Jackson, Jon Meacham
- Length: 10 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An intimate and revealing portrait of civil rights icon and longtime US congressman John Lewis, linking his life to the painful quest for justice in America from the 1950s to the present - from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Soul of America.
-
-
Absolutely remarkable!
- By Janie on 08-30-20
By: Jon Meacham, and others
-
True
- The Four Seasons of Jackie Robinson
- By: Kostya Kennedy
- Narrated by: Kevin Kenerly
- Length: 9 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For players, fans, managers, and executives, Jackie Robinson remains baseball’s singular figure, the person who most profoundly extended, and continues to extend, the reach of the game. Beyond Ruth. Beyond Clemente. Beyond Aaron. Beyond the heroes of today. Now, a half-century since Robinson’s death, letters come to his widow, Rachel, by the score. But Robinson’s impact extended far beyond baseball: he opened the door for Black Americans to participate in other sports, and was a national figure who spoke and wrote eloquently about inequality.
-
-
Great book, well read
- By Rick Scott on 06-24-23
By: Kostya Kennedy
-
Losing Our Religion
- An Altar Call for Evangelical America
- By: Russell Moore
- Narrated by: Russell Moore
- Length: 6 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
American evangelical Christianity has lost its way. While the witness of the church before a watching world is diminished beyond recognition, congregations are torn apart over Donald Trump, Christian nationalism, racial injustice, sexual predation, disgraced leaders, and covered-up scandals. Left behind are millions of believers who counted on the church to be a place of belonging and hope. As greater and greater numbers of younger Americans bleed out from the church, even the most rooted evangelicals are wondering, “Can American Christianity survive?”
-
-
A Prophetic Call to Renewal
- By Rachel Stanton on 07-26-23
By: Russell Moore
-
Revelation for the Rest of Us
- A Prophetic Call to Follow Jesus as a Dissident Disciple
- By: Scot McKnight, Cody Matchett
- Narrated by: Wayne Campbell
- Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Revelation for the Rest of Us, world renowned New Testament scholar and author Scot McKnight explores the timeless message of Revelation and how it disciples readers into dissidents of the ways of the world and empire, calling them to the courageous challenge of faithful, or allegiant, witness.
-
-
85% is really solid
- By G Brandon Cunningham on 04-20-23
By: Scot McKnight, and others
-
Testimony
- Inside the Evangelical Movement That Failed a Generation
- By: Jon Ward
- Narrated by: Jon Ward
- Length: 7 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jon Ward's life is divided in half: two decades inside the evangelical Christian bubble and two decades outside of it. In Testimony, Ward tells the engaging story of his upbringing in, and eventual break from, an influential evangelical church in the 1980s and 1990s. Ward sheds light on the evangelical movement's troubling political and cultural dimensions, tracing the ways in which the Jesus People movement was seduced by materialism and other factors to become politically captive rather than prophetic.
-
-
True Unbiased Journalism
- By S. Schneider on 06-03-23
By: Jon Ward
-
Mediocre
- The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America
- By: Ijeoma Oluo
- Narrated by: Ijeoma Oluo
- Length: 10 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Through the last 150 years of American history—from the post-reconstruction South and the mythic stories of cowboys in the West, to the present-day controversy over NFL protests and the backlash against the rise of women in politics—Ijeoma Oluo exposes the devastating consequences of white male supremacy on women, people of color, and white men themselves. Mediocre investigates the real costs of this phenomenon in order to imagine a new white male identity, one free from racism and sexism.
-
-
This was so enlightening.
- By Firewhiskey Reader on 01-07-21
By: Ijeoma Oluo
-
His Truth Is Marching On
- John Lewis and the Power of Hope
- By: Jon Meacham, John Lewis - afterword
- Narrated by: JD Jackson, Jon Meacham
- Length: 10 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An intimate and revealing portrait of civil rights icon and longtime US congressman John Lewis, linking his life to the painful quest for justice in America from the 1950s to the present - from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Soul of America.
-
-
Absolutely remarkable!
- By Janie on 08-30-20
By: Jon Meacham, and others
-
The Book of Gutsy Women
- By: Hillary Rodham Clinton, Chelsea Clinton
- Narrated by: Hillary Rodham Clinton, Chelsea Clinton
- Length: 14 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hillary Rodham Clinton and her daughter, Chelsea, share the stories of the gutsy women who have inspired them - women with the courage to stand up to the status quo, ask hard questions, and get the job done.
-
-
More encyclopedia than book
- By Fountain of Chris on 10-09-19
By: Hillary Rodham Clinton, and others
-
Let the Trumpet Sound
- A Life of Martin Luther King Jr.
- By: Stephen B. Oates
- Narrated by: Cary Hite
- Length: 22 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
By the acclaimed biographer of Abraham Lincoln, Nat Turner, and John Brown, Stephen B. Oates' prizewinning Let the Trumpet Sound is the definitive one-volume life of Martin Luther King Jr. This brilliant examination of the great civil rights icon and the movement he led provides a lasting portrait of a man whose dream shaped American history.
-
-
Dated, but still worth reading.
- By Adam Shields on 11-03-21
By: Stephen B. Oates
-
One Soul at a Time
- The Story of Billy Graham
- By: Grant Wacker
- Narrated by: Trevor Thompson
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For more than five decades, Billy Graham (1918 to 2018) ranked as one of the most influential voices in the Christian world. Nearly 215 million people around the world heard him preach in person or through live electronic media, almost certainly more than any other person. For millions, Graham was less a preacher than a Protestant saint. While remaining orthodox at the core, over time, his approach on many issues became more irenic and progressive. And his preaching continued to resonate, propelled by his powerful promise of a second chance.
-
-
Interesting biography
- By Susan Patterson on 03-20-20
By: Grant Wacker
-
The Sword and the Shield
- The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.
- By: Peniel E. Joseph
- Narrated by: Zeno Robinson
- Length: 11 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
To most Americans, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. represent contrasting ideals. The struggle for Black freedom is wrought with the same contrasts. While nonviolent direct action is remembered as an unassailable part of American democracy, the movement's militancy is either vilified or erased outright. In The Sword and the Shield, Peniel E. Joseph upends these misconceptions and reveals a nuanced portrait of two men who, despite markedly different backgrounds, inspired and pushed each other throughout their adult lives.
-
-
Helpful contribution to civil rights history.
- By Adam Shields on 05-13-20
By: Peniel E. Joseph
-
King: A Life
- By: Jonathan Eig
- Narrated by: Dion Graham
- Length: 20 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Vividly written and exhaustively researched, Jonathan Eig’s King: A Life is the first major biography in decades of the civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr.—and the first to include recently declassified FBI files. In this revelatory new portrait of the preacher and activist who shook the world, the bestselling biographer gives us an intimate view of the courageous and often emotionally troubled human being who demanded peaceful protest for his movement but was rarely at peace with himself.
-
-
My Time
- By Susan on 06-18-23
By: Jonathan Eig
-
The Devil You Know
- A Black Power Manifesto
- By: Charles M. Blow
- Narrated by: JD Jackson
- Length: 6 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From journalist and New York Times best-selling author Charles Blow comes a powerful manifesto and call to action for Black Americans to amass political power and fight white supremacy.
-
-
A radical plan for Black liberation
- By Elizabeth on 01-27-21
By: Charles M. Blow
-
America's Game
- The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured a Nation
- By: Michael MacCambridge
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 22 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
America's Game traces pro football's grand transformation, from the World War II years, when the NFL was fighting for its very existence, to the turbulent 1980s and 1990s, when labor disputes and off-field scandals shook the game to its core, and up to the sport's present-day preeminence. A thoroughly entertaining account of the entire universe of professional football, from locker room to boardroom, from playing field to press box, this is an essential book for any fan of America's favorite sport.
-
-
I wished for chronology…
- By Jason Schmitt on 06-19-24
-
White Evangelical Racism
- The Politics of Morality in America
- By: Anthea Butler
- Narrated by: Allyson Johnson
- Length: 3 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The American political scene today is poisonously divided, and the vast majority of white evangelicals plays a strikingly unified, powerful role in the disunion. These evangelicals raise a starkly consequential question for electoral politics: Why do they claim morality while supporting politicians who act immorally by most Christian measures? In this clear-eyed, hard-hitting chronicle of American religion and politics, Anthea Butler answers that racism is at the core of conservative evangelical activism and power.
-
-
As a White Evangelical ... or Formally So ...
- By Wigwam on 05-09-21
By: Anthea Butler
-
Tigerland
- 1968-1969: A City Divided, a Nation Torn Apart, and a Magical Season of Healing
- By: Wil Haygood
- Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
- Length: 16 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Against the backdrop of one of the most tumultuous periods in recent American history, as riots and demonstrations spread across the nation, the Tigers of poor, segregated East High School in Columbus, Ohio, did something no team from one school had ever done before: They won the state basketball and baseball championships in the same year. They defeated bigger, richer, whiter teams across the state and along the way brought blacks and whites together, eased a painful racial divide throughout the state, and overcame extraordinary obstacles on their road to success.
-
-
Flashback to the Late 1960s
- By Toni Bowes on 09-05-19
By: Wil Haygood
-
Oscar Charleston
- The Life and Legend of Baseball’s Greatest Forgotten Player
- By: Jeremy Beer
- Narrated by: David Sadzin
- Length: 13 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Buck O'Neil once described him as "Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, and Tris Speaker rolled into one". Among experts, he is regarded as the best player in Negro Leagues history. During his prime, he became a legend in Cuba and one of Black America's most popular figures. Yet even among serious sports fans, Oscar Charleston is virtually unknown today.
-
-
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
- By steve finkelstein on 01-27-23
By: Jeremy Beer
-
Liberalism or How to Turn Good Men into Whiners, Weenies and Wimps
- By: Burgess Owens
- Narrated by: Mirron Willis
- Length: 10 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Liberalism or How to Turn Good Men into Whiners, Weenies and Wimps documents the role of the 21 white, self-avowed socialist, atheist, and Marxist founders of the NAACP and their impact on the black community's present status at the top of our nation's misery index. It highlights the decades of anti-black legislation supported by liberal black leaders who prioritized class over race in their zeal for the promises of socialism.
-
-
Best political book I've read in years.
- By Deborah Gatica on 07-09-17
By: Burgess Owens
-
Why They Marched
- Untold Stories of the Women Who Fought for the Right to Vote
- By: Susan Ware
- Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne
- Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For far too long, the history of how American women won the right to vote has been told as the tale of a few iconic leaders, all white and native-born. But Susan Ware uncovered a much broader and more diverse story waiting to be told. Why They Marched is a tribute to the many women who worked tirelessly in communities across the nation, out of the spotlight, protesting, petitioning, and insisting on their right to full citizenship.
-
-
a needed history lesson
- By Jerseycookie on 05-14-22
By: Susan Ware
Related to this topic
-
Forty Million Dollar Slaves
- The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Black Athlete
- By: William C. Rhoden
- Narrated by: William C. Rhoden
- Length: 9 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From Jackie Robinson to Muhammad Ali and Arthur Ashe, African American athletes have been at the center of modern culture, their on-the-field heroics admired and stratospheric earnings envied. But for all their money, fame, and achievement, says former New York Times columnist William C. Rhoden, Black athletes still find themselves on the periphery of true power in the multibillion-dollar industry their talent built. Provocative and controversial, Rhoden's Forty Million Dollar Slaves weaves a compelling narrative of Black athletes in the United States.
-
-
Book and Narrator Review
- By Leonor on 12-26-17
-
The Heritage
- Black Athletes, a Divided America, and the Politics of Patriotism
- By: Howard Bryant
- Narrated by: Ron Butler
- Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Today, sports arenas have been transformed into staging grounds for American patriotism and the hero worship of law enforcement. Teams wear camouflage jerseys to honor those who serve; police officers throw out first pitches; soldiers surprise their families with homecomings at halftime. Sports and politics are decidedly entwined. But as journalist Howard Bryant reveals, this has always been more complicated for black athletes, who from the start were committing a political act simply by being on the field.
-
-
I guess there’s a reason why this one was so heavily discounted. One sided not really worth listening to.
- By Dwight Henning on 07-17-24
By: Howard Bryant
-
What's My Name, Fool?
- Sports and Resistance in the United States
- By: Dave Zirin
- Narrated by: Aaron Abano
- Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Here Edgeofsports.com sportswriter Dave Zirin shows how sports express the worst, as well as the most creative and exciting, features of American society. Zirin explores how Janet Jackson's Super Bowl flash-time show exposed more than a breast, why the labor movement has everything to learn from sports unions, and why a new generation of athletes is no longer content to "play one game at a time" and is starting to get political.
-
-
Interesting read
- By sosnows8 on 08-16-20
By: Dave Zirin
-
On the Shoulders of Giants
- My Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance
- By: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Raymond Obstfeld
- Narrated by: Richard Allen
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In On the Shoulders of Giants, indomitable basketball star and best-selling author and historian Kareem Abdul-Jabbar invites listeners on an extraordinarily personal journey back to his birthplace. He leads us through one of the greatest political, cultural, literary, and artistic movements in our history, revealing the tremendous impact the Harlem Renaissance had on both American culture and his own life.
-
-
The best of both worlds
- By Marianne on 10-06-08
By: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and others
-
How Baseball Happened
- Outrageous Lies Exposed! The True Story Revealed
- By: Thomas W. Gilbert
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 10 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The fascinating, true origin story of baseball - how America’s first great sport developed and how it conquered a nation.
-
-
superb reading. ate it up in 2 days.
- By Bill on 01-13-22
-
Ida B. the Queen
- By: Michelle Duster
- Narrated by: Michelle Duster
- Length: 3 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ida B. Wells committed herself to the needs of those who did not have power. In the eyes of the FBI, this made her a “dangerous negro agitator”. In the annals of history, it makes her an icon. Ida B. the Queen tells the awe-inspiring story of a pioneering woman who was often overlooked and underestimated - a woman who refused to exit a train car meant for White passengers; a woman brought to light the horrors of lynching in America; a woman who cofounded the NAACP.
-
-
I was expecting something different
- By L on 02-01-21
By: Michelle Duster
-
Forty Million Dollar Slaves
- The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Black Athlete
- By: William C. Rhoden
- Narrated by: William C. Rhoden
- Length: 9 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From Jackie Robinson to Muhammad Ali and Arthur Ashe, African American athletes have been at the center of modern culture, their on-the-field heroics admired and stratospheric earnings envied. But for all their money, fame, and achievement, says former New York Times columnist William C. Rhoden, Black athletes still find themselves on the periphery of true power in the multibillion-dollar industry their talent built. Provocative and controversial, Rhoden's Forty Million Dollar Slaves weaves a compelling narrative of Black athletes in the United States.
-
-
Book and Narrator Review
- By Leonor on 12-26-17
-
The Heritage
- Black Athletes, a Divided America, and the Politics of Patriotism
- By: Howard Bryant
- Narrated by: Ron Butler
- Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Today, sports arenas have been transformed into staging grounds for American patriotism and the hero worship of law enforcement. Teams wear camouflage jerseys to honor those who serve; police officers throw out first pitches; soldiers surprise their families with homecomings at halftime. Sports and politics are decidedly entwined. But as journalist Howard Bryant reveals, this has always been more complicated for black athletes, who from the start were committing a political act simply by being on the field.
-
-
I guess there’s a reason why this one was so heavily discounted. One sided not really worth listening to.
- By Dwight Henning on 07-17-24
By: Howard Bryant
-
What's My Name, Fool?
- Sports and Resistance in the United States
- By: Dave Zirin
- Narrated by: Aaron Abano
- Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Here Edgeofsports.com sportswriter Dave Zirin shows how sports express the worst, as well as the most creative and exciting, features of American society. Zirin explores how Janet Jackson's Super Bowl flash-time show exposed more than a breast, why the labor movement has everything to learn from sports unions, and why a new generation of athletes is no longer content to "play one game at a time" and is starting to get political.
-
-
Interesting read
- By sosnows8 on 08-16-20
By: Dave Zirin
-
On the Shoulders of Giants
- My Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance
- By: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Raymond Obstfeld
- Narrated by: Richard Allen
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In On the Shoulders of Giants, indomitable basketball star and best-selling author and historian Kareem Abdul-Jabbar invites listeners on an extraordinarily personal journey back to his birthplace. He leads us through one of the greatest political, cultural, literary, and artistic movements in our history, revealing the tremendous impact the Harlem Renaissance had on both American culture and his own life.
-
-
The best of both worlds
- By Marianne on 10-06-08
By: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and others
-
How Baseball Happened
- Outrageous Lies Exposed! The True Story Revealed
- By: Thomas W. Gilbert
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 10 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The fascinating, true origin story of baseball - how America’s first great sport developed and how it conquered a nation.
-
-
superb reading. ate it up in 2 days.
- By Bill on 01-13-22
-
Ida B. the Queen
- By: Michelle Duster
- Narrated by: Michelle Duster
- Length: 3 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ida B. Wells committed herself to the needs of those who did not have power. In the eyes of the FBI, this made her a “dangerous negro agitator”. In the annals of history, it makes her an icon. Ida B. the Queen tells the awe-inspiring story of a pioneering woman who was often overlooked and underestimated - a woman who refused to exit a train car meant for White passengers; a woman brought to light the horrors of lynching in America; a woman who cofounded the NAACP.
-
-
I was expecting something different
- By L on 02-01-21
By: Michelle Duster
-
Rise Up
- Confronting a Country at the Crossroads
- By: Al Sharpton
- Narrated by: Al Sharpton, Leon Nixon
- Length: 9 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Beginning with a foreword by Michael Eric Dyson, Rise Up is a rousing call to action for our nation, drawing on lessons learned from Reverend Al Sharpton’s unique experience as a politician, television and radio host, and civil rights leader.
-
-
Inspired and inspiring
- By Jessica S on 10-13-20
By: Al Sharpton
-
I Never Had It Made
- By: Jackie Robinson
- Narrated by: Ossie Davis
- Length: 2 hrs and 59 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A straightforward yet inspiring story of what it took to be the first man of color to break into the white world of professional sports. Jackie Robinson's story is more than a telling of his tremendous talent; it is also a recollection that showcases his tenacious spirit, bravery and the courage of his ideals.
-
-
Understanding Jackie Robinson's Best Performance
- By Kdoll on 04-03-14
By: Jackie Robinson
-
Baseball
- A History of America's Game
- By: Benjamin G. Rader
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 12 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A succinct history of baseball, newly revised and updated. In this third edition of his lively history of America's game, widely recognized as the best of its kind, Benjamin G. Rader expands his scope, covering record crowds and record income, construction of new ballparks, a change in the strike zone, a surge in recruiting Japanese players, and an emerging cadre of explosive long-ball hitters. The book is published by The University of Illinois Press.
-
-
Good book!
- By Judy Ellis on 04-15-18
-
The Book of Gutsy Women
- By: Hillary Rodham Clinton, Chelsea Clinton
- Narrated by: Hillary Rodham Clinton, Chelsea Clinton
- Length: 14 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hillary Rodham Clinton and her daughter, Chelsea, share the stories of the gutsy women who have inspired them - women with the courage to stand up to the status quo, ask hard questions, and get the job done.
-
-
More encyclopedia than book
- By Fountain of Chris on 10-09-19
By: Hillary Rodham Clinton, and others
-
The Sword and the Shield
- The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.
- By: Peniel E. Joseph
- Narrated by: Zeno Robinson
- Length: 11 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
To most Americans, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. represent contrasting ideals. The struggle for Black freedom is wrought with the same contrasts. While nonviolent direct action is remembered as an unassailable part of American democracy, the movement's militancy is either vilified or erased outright. In The Sword and the Shield, Peniel E. Joseph upends these misconceptions and reveals a nuanced portrait of two men who, despite markedly different backgrounds, inspired and pushed each other throughout their adult lives.
-
-
Helpful contribution to civil rights history.
- By Adam Shields on 05-13-20
By: Peniel E. Joseph
-
Until I Am Free
- Fannie Lou Hamer's Enduring Message to America
- By: Keisha N. Blain
- Narrated by: Tyra Kennedy
- Length: 7 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A blend of social commentary, biography, and intellectual history, Until I Am Free is a manifesto for anyone committed to social justice. The book challenges us to listen to a working-poor and disabled Black woman activist and intellectual of the civil rights movement as we grapple with contemporary concerns around race, inequality, and social justice.
-
-
Great book, couple pronunciation glitches
- By Sara T. on 06-18-22
By: Keisha N. Blain
-
Tigerland
- 1968-1969: A City Divided, a Nation Torn Apart, and a Magical Season of Healing
- By: Wil Haygood
- Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
- Length: 16 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Against the backdrop of one of the most tumultuous periods in recent American history, as riots and demonstrations spread across the nation, the Tigers of poor, segregated East High School in Columbus, Ohio, did something no team from one school had ever done before: They won the state basketball and baseball championships in the same year. They defeated bigger, richer, whiter teams across the state and along the way brought blacks and whites together, eased a painful racial divide throughout the state, and overcame extraordinary obstacles on their road to success.
-
-
Flashback to the Late 1960s
- By Toni Bowes on 09-05-19
By: Wil Haygood
-
Trailblazer
- A Pioneering Journalist's Fight to Make the Media Look More Like America
- By: Dorothy Butler Gilliam
- Narrated by: January LaVoy
- Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dorothy Butler Gilliam, whose 50-year-career as a journalist put her in the forefront of the fight for social justice, offers a comprehensive view of racial relations and the media in the US.
-
-
Struggled to finish
- By SL41639 on 04-06-20
-
Why I Stand
- From Freedom to the Killing Fields of Socialism
- By: Burgess Owens
- Narrated by: Rich Cade
- Length: 12 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
American Individualism has been the crown jewel of a nation that has prioritized God, family, and freedom to out-dream its obstacles. It is the freedom of this individual spirit that is under attack by its adversarial ideology, Marxist Socialism. This destructive ideology has resulted in “killing fields” of bodies, souls, and dreams of billions worldwide. Consistent is the destruction of manhood, womanhood, the family, and every pillar that supports love of God and country. Why I Stand documents an ideology that uses trust to divide and betray.
-
-
Eye opening!
- By Susan Nelson on 03-04-19
By: Burgess Owens
-
King of the Court
- Bill Russell and the Basketball Revolution
- By: Aram Goudsouzian
- Narrated by: J. D. Jackson
- Length: 17 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bill Russell was not the first African American to play professional basketball, but he was its first Black superstar. From the moment he stepped onto the court of the Boston Garden in 1956, Russell began to transform the sport in a fundamental way, making him, more than any of his contemporaries, the Jackie Robinson of basketball. In King of the Court, Aram Goudsouzian provides a vivid and engrossing chronicle of the life and career of this brilliant champion and courageous racial pioneer. Russell's leaping, wide-ranging defense altered the game's texture.
-
-
Portrait of a Basketball Revolutionary
- By Susie on 01-28-13
By: Aram Goudsouzian
-
Jane Crow
- The Life of Pauli Murray
- By: Rosalind Rosenberg
- Narrated by: Janina Edwards
- Length: 18 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A mixed-race orphan, Murray grew up in segregated North Carolina before escaping to New York, where she attended Hunter College and became a labor activist in the 1930s. When she applied to graduate school at the University of North Carolina, where her white great-great-grandfather had been a trustee, she was rejected because of her race. She went on to graduate first in her class at Howard Law School, only to be rejected for graduate study again at Harvard University this time on account of her sex. Undaunted, Murray forged a singular career in the law.
-
-
What a legacy!!!
- By Paul on 03-08-21
-
Vanguard
- How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All
- By: Martha S. Jones
- Narrated by: Mela Lee
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The epic history of African American women's pursuit of political power - and how it transformed America.
-
-
Inspirational History
- By Krystal Fox on 11-07-22
By: Martha S. Jones
What listeners say about Strength for the Fight
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- David S. Massey
- 01-10-23
Incredible….. a must listen to.
Truly a most insightful and well researched book on the life of Jackie. I gained such an appreciation of just how incredible of an athlete Jackie was, but more importantly how deep his faith was that gave him the strength to persevere. Highly recommend.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Quella
- 11-11-22
Surprising what this man was able to acomplish
Let me start by saying that I enjoy listening to biographies to learn about different people and how they impacted our world, no matter the focus. I’m not a big fan of sports events or personnel, but I can say that the name Jackie Robinson often bubbles to the top with others like Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Ted Williams, and many others who affected Major League Baseball. Yet, I can honestly say, this is the first biographical piece I have listened to involving Mr. Robinson and I found it fascinating. “Strength for the Fight: The Life and Faith of Jackie Robinson” was written by Gary Scott Smith and exceptionally narrated by Shamaan Casey. The audiobook was both an eye opener as to the greatness, even outside of baseball, along with much tragedy this one man had to endure during his life. Even though there may be many other works covering Mr. Robinson’s life, this one seemed to be a more focused view of his religious influences and his overall faith in God no matter the situation, good or bad. If you are one that likes biographies or want to learn more about America’s number one sport of baseball history, I recommend you give this audiobook a listen. Even if you have previously studied this man, I think you will also learn something new about the person who desegregated Major League Baseball in a time of horrific race wars.
For me, I was mostly taken back by the battles this man fought to see Major League Baseball desegregated and what he had to endure for this to come to fruition, by no means was this an easy task. As he started to achieve success in this goal, many from his own race began turning on him and even call him a sellout. It seemed like he would never be able to win, and much of his life was plagued by these perceived swings in his alliances. I found his joining with the Jewish community to unify the races quite fascinating as the Jews were also a people group being segregated for their heritage. However, in all this turmoil, Jackie would hold fast to his God and believe that he was destine for greatness only by the power of his creator. Even with this belief, Jackie would work and train harder than many others knowing that such worldly changes require focus and effort along with the level of scrutiny he would be under. While listening, you begin to see the mental and physical scars this man had, and this did not even account for the tragedy he would face in his own life with the loss of one of his children.
I was a bit nervous when I started listening as I felt it was going to overlay a more modern view of racism on top of this historic person. The introduction had me worried that the book would only focus on race, and we would not get an overall perspective on this man who made history, not only in Major League Baseball, but also in his many life endeavors. It was quickly apparent that his faith is what drove his decisions and supported him in his trials. Even though some of his theology took a backseat to his social/political efforts, he still held fast to his beliefs. I found the section covering his early years, often involved in both gangs and some form of trouble fascinating. In his later years, he used these earlier life experiences to help those that were in a simular situation. I was quite amazed at the number of failed and successful enterprises he started after his baseball career along with his popularity being used to lead some of the US leaders around politics and the divide of race.
For the audiobook’s nearly eleven hours, the author kept me engaged and wanting to listen to more about this man and his role in making history. The writing and flow of the audiobook was well thought out and researched. Again, with me not being a big Major League Baseball fan, I was still captivated by all that this one man was involved in and the many trials he faced from an early age up until his death. I found the author’s focus on the religious side of this man also refreshing and enlightening. The only negative aspect is the author’s overuse of the acronym MLB instead of using the full term of Major League Baseball. In the audiobook’s narration this began to get on my nerves by the time I reached the end of the book. Maybe it could have been addressed by the narrator, but I understand why they stick to the text alone.
Let me turn my attention to the audiobook’s narration in this part of the review. I have listened to quite a few of Shamaan Casey’s works and I can say that, from a narration perspective, have enjoyed them all. I like his smooth and deep voice which flows gently as one listens. I do recall one or two spots where the audio appeared to have been patched/plugged, but both times were not anything that pulled me out of the story. The audio volume was overall consistent and for its length, it seemed to have been recorded all in one sitting, which I’m sure was not the case. This shows both professionalism and skill in the work of the narrator. Always a narrator I will listen to for years to come.
For parents and younger listeners, I would say that this biography could be enjoyed by most ages. There are a few heaver aspects around his political and religious events that may not be easily understood by younger audiences. Other than that, I think anyone will learn something new about this historic man and I would recommend it to any who may be interested.
In summary, a biography that can be enjoyed by people even if they do not love the sport. His work in changing the game of baseball was only the tip of the iceberg when held up to all that he accomplished during his life. The narration was right up there with some of the best, and I do like the deeper and suave voice of Mr. Casey. If you give this audiobook a chance, I guarantee you will learn something new about this great man of not only baseball history, but US history as well.
Disclaimer: I was provide a review copy of this audiobook by the author, narrator, and/or publisher in exchange for posting a non-bias review.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- DWD
- 11-25-22
Jackie Robinson's story - with a twist.
Published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company in October of 2022.
Read by Shamaan Casey.
Duration: 10 hours, 57 minutes.
Unabridged.
Jackie Robinson.
He is an icon of sports. And politics. And American history.
All fans of baseball know at least the broad strokes of the story of Jackie Robinson (1919-1972) and how he integrated baseball. This book offers a detailed re-telling of that story with a twist - a look at how Jackie Robinson's faith led him to this path and helped sustain him.
Robinson's early life, his time in service during World War II and his college sports career and his relationship with his wife are all covered. The biggest single part of the book is, appropriately, the story of how he and Branch Rickey (the head of the Brooklyn Dodgers) worked together to integrate Major League Baseball in 1947. The book also looks at how Rickey's faith led him to act to make the world a more just place by acting in such a symbolic manner.
I am not going to go through all of the details of Robinson's life - that's what the book is for. This book covers it all pretty thoroughly right up until his death in 1972. Sometimes, it was a little slow and repetitive about how Robinson demonstrated his faith. On the whole, though, it was a good listen.
The audiobook was read by Shamaan Casey. He had a perfect voice deep solemn voice for narrating this book. The only complaint I had was that he mispronounced several people's names, including singer/civil rights activist Harry Belafonte and baseball players Orel Hershisher and Derek Jeter. I don't look at this as necessarily the fault of the reader - if you don't know the name, you don't know the name. In my mind, the producer or director of the audiobook should have caught and corrected the mistakes.
I rate this audiobook 4 stars out of 5.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!