"Alone, each story is a good one. Combined -- and they can hardly be separated -- the Rickey-Robinson story becomes compelling even mythical. For those readers not particularly interested in baseball, I trust that this book might help them to consider the game in a new light, or at least appreciate its place in American history. At the same time, those who do not have to be persuaded that baseball truly is America's game will hardly be disappointed by the pages that follow, because baseball necessarily lies at the heart of this work". -- From the Preface.