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Children's Nonfiction Baseball & Softball

Big League Dreams

Baseball Hall of Fame's first African-Canadian, Fergie Jenkins

by (author) Richard Brignall

Publisher
James Lorimer & Company Ltd., Publishers
Initial publish date
Mar 2010
Category
Baseball & Softball, Prejudice & Racism
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781552774861
    Publish Date
    Mar 2010
    List Price
    $9.95
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781459406155
    Publish Date
    Oct 2013
    List Price
    $12.99

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Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels

  • Age: 11 to 18
  • Grade: 8 to 12
  • Reading age: 11 to 18

Description

This is a history of black major league baseball players and the crumbling of the colour barrier in sport, and the story of how Fergie Jenkins rose to the top to become Canada's first inductee into the American Baseball Hall of Fame.

Fergie Jenkins grew up in the era when Jackie Robinson became the first black man to play major league baseball, and Willie O'Ree became the first black NHL player. Inspired by these professional athletes, and with doors now opening for young men like himself, Fergie went on to have a remarkable career in major league baseball.

Former sports journalist Richard Brignall traces the ups and downs in Fergie's career, from his humble roots in Chatham, Ontario, to his time with the Phillies, the Cubs, the Red Sox, and the Rangers. Along the way, Brignall examines what it meant for a man to be black in the United States versus Canada in the 1960s and 70s.

About the author

Richard Brignall is a freelance writer, former newspaper sport reporter, based in Kenora, Ontario. He has over 130 articles published in magazines like Cottage Life and Outdoor Canada. He helped originate the Recordbooks series at James Lorimer and Company. This series focuses on Canadian sports history and issues like race, gender, disability, and poverty. He has written seven books for this series. Titles include Small Town Glory about the Kenora Thistles winning the Stanley Cup, Forever Champions about the Edmonton Grads women’s basketball team, Big League Dreams about black baseball player Fergie Jenkins, and China Clipper about Chinese-Canadian football player Norm Kwong. 

Richard Brignall's profile page

Awards

  • Short-listed, Golden Oak Award
  • Winner, VOYA 2011 Nonfiction Honor List

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Richard Brignall: "Brignall's text is tightly written, keeping it easy to read, but also giving it a pace that propels the reader through the fascinating story . . ."

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