PLOT SUMMARY

Learn about what it was like to play in the Negro Baseball League, from its humble beginnings to the integration of its players into Major League Baseball.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

With a foreword by the late, great Hank Aaron, this book by Kadir Nelson hits the ball out of the park. Nelson craftily carries out the baseball theme by naming each of his chapters by innings. His narrative carries out a self-proclaimed (in the Author’s Note) voice of we so that it feels like the players themselves are reminiscing about their time in the league. Nelson thoroughly covers everything from the founding of the league, the way the players played (everything was legal), what life was like, how much it cost the owners of the teams, the amazing talent (from the US and Latin America), exhibition games between negro and white leagues, and the league during WWII. Jackie Robinson has his own chapter (9^th Inning) dedicated to the strides he made breaking into Major League Baseball. Nelson includes a bibliography, endnotes, and an index, but notably missing is a table of contents.

One cannot review this book without mentioning the amazing paintings by Nelson. Rich in color with artful contrast of light and shadow, these beautiful paintings on each page are based on photographs from the era and give the less experienced reader an eye full of detail to absorb.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Awards: Sibert Informational Book Medal 2009, Coretta Scott King Author Winner 2009, Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor 2009

KIRKUS REVIEWS: “Nelson continues to top himself with each new book…Along with being absolutely riveted by the art, readers will come away with a good picture of the Negro Leaguers’ distinctive style of play, as well as an idea of how their excellence challenged the racial attitudes of both their sport and their times.”

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “Adopting the perspective and voice of an elderly ballplayer, [Nelson] offers a readable account that is infused with an air of nostalgic oral history….Nelson’s brilliant, almost iconic paintings vividly complement his account…. An engaging tribute that should resonate with a wide audience and delight baseball fans of all ages.”

CONNECTIONS

*Have students explore the history of segregation in America.

*Other books about Negro League baseball:

Weatherford, C.B. A NEGRO LEAGUE SCRAPBOOK. Boyds Mills Press, 2005. ISBN 978-1590780916

McKissack, P.C., et al. BLACK DIAMOND: The Story of the Negro Baseball Leagues. Scholastic, 1998. ISBN 978-0590682138