{"product_id":"the-black-bruins-9781496217042","title":"The Black Bruins","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChronicles the inspirational lives of five African American athletes who faced racial discrimination as teammates at UCLA in the late 1930s. Best known among them was Jackie Robinson, a fourstar athlete for the Bruins who went on to break the colour barrier in Major League Baseball and become a leader in the civil rights movement.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Johnson engagingly captures the lives, struggles, and triumphs of five men whose greatness transcended American sports.\"—\u003ci\u003eKirkus\u003c\/i\u003e starred review\u003cbr\u003e\"Johnson has a novelist's skill with narrative, which gives extra flair to this fascinating look at an era of evolving racial attitudes.\"—Wes Lukowsky, \u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"James Johnson offers a well-researched analysis of the careers of the young athletes, from the discrimination they faced on the playing fields in Westwood through the success, and even fame, they achieved in their professional lives. . . . This highly-readable book should not be relegated to a sports library, despite its absorbing accounts of early Bruins football: readers interested in social and cultural history will be intrigued by the surprising impact of the five on the civil rights movement.\"—Helene Woodhams, \u003ci\u003eArizona Daily Star\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"James W. Johnson's \u003ci\u003eThe Black Bruins\u003c\/i\u003e maps the rise of five former Bruins' athletes who not only helped further the integration of college sport, but each became trailblazers in their own right. . . . \u003ci\u003eThe Black Bruins\u003c\/i\u003e is a home-run for those unfamiliar with both UCLA's modest—yet significant—contribution in integrating college sports in the late 1930s and the five former teammates who helped put UCLA on the map. The book also reminds readers that narratives are not singular, but intersect with others. Perhaps an existential take-away from \u003ci\u003eThe Black Bruins\u003c\/i\u003e is one that compels us not only to consider more carefully how to appropriate and build upon such legacies, but also to better see how our own diverse and distinct California narratives connect to each other.\"—Nickolas Hardy, \u003ci\u003eBoom California\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Johnson brings these five meaningful lives into full, vivid view, and he reminds his readers of their significant contributions to American sport and race relations.\"—Jack Ryan, \u003ci\u003eAethlon\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A reader interested in the compelling stories of five men who spent their lives breaking down racial exclusion in college football, major league baseball, the NFL, in film, and in politics will find much to enjoy here. . . . The lives of these men also expose much about the social and political history of race in the twentieth-century United States.\"—Andrew Doyle, \u003ci\u003eJournal of Arizona History\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"What happens after UCLA is what makes this book an important one to read for those readers who are interested in the civil rights movement and the integration of sports and entertainment.\"—\u003ci\u003eGuy Who Reviews Sports Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Must-reading for anyone who would truly understand the foundations of activism among black athletes today and their evolved sense of a broader role and obligation in society beyond athletic proficiency and performance.”—Harry Edwards, professor emeritus of sociology at the University of California, Berkeley\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e“Five African American men enrolled at UCLA in the late 1930s, touching off a revolution in collegiate sports, introducing integration to Major League Baseball and pro football, and bringing diversity to public life. This well-researched, engrossing account brings four athletes into sharp focus as they move from high-school and university athletic fame to national and regional prominence and groundbreaking civic and social achievement.”—Jim Price, editor, writer, and sports historian\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e“Those who came before me, detailed in this book, paved the way not only for my life as a minority student-athlete and later athletic director at UCLA; they also provided the opportunity for future generations of Bruins from every walk of life to become barrier-breakers as well.”—Dan Guerrero, director of athletics at UCLA\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAcknowledgments\u003cbr\u003e Introduction\u003cbr\u003e Prologue\u003cbr\u003e 1. No Bed of Roses in Pasadena\u003cbr\u003e 2. The Kingfish and Woody\u003cbr\u003e 3. The High School Years\u003cbr\u003e 4. The Little Brother\u003cbr\u003e 5. Obstacles to Overcome\u003cbr\u003e 6. A Sorry Season\u003cbr\u003e 7. An Easy Choice\u003cbr\u003e 8. Fitting in at UCLA\u003cbr\u003e 9. Under-the-Table Help\u003cbr\u003e 10. Filling the Coffers\u003cbr\u003e 11. High Expectations\u003cbr\u003e 12. A Disappointing End to the Season\u003cbr\u003e 13. Decision Time\u003cbr\u003e 14. Passed Over by the NFL\u003cbr\u003e 15. The Indispensable Robinson\u003cbr\u003e 16. World War II Beckons\u003cbr\u003e 17. Moving Up in the Ranks\u003cbr\u003e 18. Making NFL History\u003cbr\u003e 19. The Negro League Years\u003cbr\u003e 20. End of the Line at LAPD\u003cbr\u003e 21. Leaving Athletics\u003cbr\u003e 22. Movie Star in the Making\u003cbr\u003e 23. A Promotion Earned\u003cbr\u003e 24. Blending In\u003cbr\u003e 25. Changing Los Angeles\u003cbr\u003e 26. The Civil Rights Years\u003cbr\u003e 27. Their Legacy\u003cbr\u003e Notes\u003cbr\u003e Bibliography\u003cbr\u003e Index","brand":"University of Nebraska Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49409228144983,"sku":"9781496217042","price":15.19,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781496217042.jpg?v=1730506042","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/the-black-bruins-9781496217042","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}