Special Collections

I Never Had It Made

The bestselling autobiography of American baseball and civil rights legend Jackie RobinsonBefore 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. I Never Had It Made 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.I Never Had It Made 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.More than a baseball story, I Never Had It Made 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.I Never Had It Made endures as an inspiring story of a man whose heroism extended well beyond the playing field.

Date Added: 05/25/2017

Goin' Someplace Special

Confronted with the indignities and humiliations of segregated Nashville in the 1950s, young 'Tricia Ann holds her head high and remembers that she is "somebody, a human being--no better, no worse than anybody else in this world."

For the first time, 'Tricia Ann has been allowed to venture outside her community all by herself. Her grandmother has prepared her well, fortifying her "with enough love, respect, and pride to overcome any situation."

'Tricia Ann, though frustrated by the Jim Crow laws that forbid her, as an African American, to enter certain restaurants and hotels, or even to sit on park benches marked "For Whites Only," rises above her pain and makes her way to one of the only places in the city that welcomes her with open arms: the public library.

Winner of the Coretta Scott King Medal

Date Added: 05/25/2017

The Patchwork Quilt

Tanya loved listening to her grand-mother talk about the patchwork quilt as she cut and stitched together the pieces of colorful fabric. A scrap of blue from brother Jim's favorite old pants, a piece of gold left over from Mama's Christmas dress, a bright square from Tanya's Halloween costume-all fit together to make a quilt of memories.

But one day Tanya's grandmother becomes ill, and Tanya doesn't know how to help her. It's then she decides to finish Grandma's masterpiece herself, and with the help of Mama and the whole family, she sets to work.

All the trust and sharing between a young girl and her treasured grand-mother is captured in Valerie Flournoy's story, lovingly illustrated in Jerry Pinkney's evocative paintings.

Winner of the Coretta Scott King Medal

Date Added: 05/25/2017

Rosa

Fifty years after her refusal to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, city bus, Mrs. Rosa Parks is still one of the most important figures in the American civil rights movement. This tribute to Mrs. Parks is a celebration of her courageous action and the events that followed.

Winner of the Coretta Scott King Medal

Date Added: 05/25/2017

Gone Crazy in Alabama

Newbery Honor winner and New York Times bestselling author Rita Williams-Garcia tells the story of the Gaither sisters, who are about to learn what it's like to be fish out of water as they travel from the streets of Brooklyn to the rural South for the summer of a lifetime.Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern are off to Alabama to visit their grandmother, Big Ma, and her mother, Ma Charles. Across the way lives Ma Charles's half sister, Miss Trotter. The two half sisters haven't spoken in years. As Delphine hears about her family history, she uncovers the surprising truth that's been keeping the sisters apart. But when tragedy strikes, Delphine discovers that the bonds of family run deeper than she ever knew possible. Powerful and humorous, this companion to the award-winning One Crazy Summer and P.S. Be Eleven will be enjoyed by fans of the first two books as well as by readers meeting these memorable sisters for the first time.

Winner of the Coretta Scott King award

Date Added: 05/25/2017