Robinson revisits her famed father in book
“I really love research,” said Sharon Robinson from her home in Delray Beach. “Preparation is something that has always interested me. I go to baseball games to watch players warm up.”
The daughter of baseball legend Jackie Robinson, the author is headed to Orlando to discuss her children’s novel “The Hero Two Doors Down.” She will lead a writing workshop Thursday for kids aged 9-14 at the Washington Branch Library, followed by a discussion and signing at the downtown Orlando Public Library (4:30 p.m. workshop; 7 p.m. discussion; all events are free, but registration is encouraged; check ocls.info for details).
“Hero” is based on the true story of Steve Satlow, a boy in 1948 New York who lived down the street from Jackie Robinson, who broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball the year before. An avid Brooklyn Dodgers’ fan, Satlow wound up becoming friends with the player. “What I’m hoping children will think about is that we need to look beyond the superficial and get to know people, find more commonalities than differences,” said Robinson, 67. “We’re stronger as a community.”
Released last year, the book is told from Satlow’s point of view. “I had to think about the voice of an 8year-old Jewish boy in 1948,” she said. She notes that she approached the research for this as she would “any other project.” For “Hero” that meant interviewing her own mother and Satlow, as well as revisiting biographies of her father — including his autobiography — and news articles about and by him.
“You do your weather research, you do your music research,” Robinson said. “I mean, what was the most popular cold cereal? All of that is research.”
She’s written six books about her father, most of them for children. “It’s less appealing to me to write a straight biography,” she said. “I like telling stories and thinking about how you can deal with resilience and growth from mistakes.”
Robinson views her family’s story as a rich mine for education. “My family story covers American history from 1919 through to today,” she said. “And I love history but I didn’t like the way it was taught when I was a student … I like bringing it into a story so you can see how it’s impacting real characters.
“It’s a chance to get [children] reflecting on issues of the day even though I’m talking about the past.”
The former professor published her first book, “Stealing Home: An Intimate Family Portrait by the Daughter of Jackie Robinson,” in 1996.
“I always loved to write, but I didn’t think of myself as much of a writer,” she said. “Writing is always a challenge. It’s almost like what you hear people say about golf. You don’t ever master it. You get better.”
In 1997, Robinson created Breaking Barriers, a character and education initiative with Major League Baseball and Scholastic Publishing that she still manages. As one lesson, she often likes to take kids with her to watch baseball players warm up before games. “I show them the players work hard before they even get on the field.”