We Are The Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball

Bibliography:

Nelson, Kadir. WE ARE THE SHIP: THE STORY OF NEGRO LEAGUE BASEBALL. 2008. New York: Hyperion Books for Children ISBN 9780789808328

Plot Summary:

Segregation of African Americans existed in every space and place in the United States of America. One of the spaces was in sports, specifically, baseball. In this grand account and telling of an organization that was created because African Americans weren't allowed to play with Caucasions; Kadir Nelson gives us the story how The Negro League came to exist. Mr. Nelson begins with talking of the few Negro baseball players who in the mid-1860's played the game but due to discrimination and downright violent mistreatment would eventually be kicked off the teams they were playing on. The reader then learns about a player and manager by name of Rube Foster who would establish and organize The Negro Leagues: a baseball league of teams with only Black men as players.  The narrator goes on to tell how the teams would travel in the cars of players who could afford one or they had to take a train and sit in the area marked, "for coloreds only" to play against other teams in the league. The narrator talks about the way in which the Black ball players played: fast pitches, steady hands swinging the bat, and knocking balls out the park. There is also the support from the people who would pack out the little arenas to watch great players like, Satchel Paige, Oscar Charleston, Pop Lloyd, Josh Gibson, and others. The reader also learns that there was still disdain and hate for Blacks and sometimes they were prevented from playing because the Major League Baseball owners didn't like hearing about the success of The Negro League.  Through each inning or chapter, we learn about how The Negro League manage to become a showcase for great baseball talent as well as the troubles of finance and discrimination that took place. At one point in the story, our narrator talks about how White ballplayers looked forward to playing the Black ballplayers during the offseason.

Ultimately, the time came when one of the best and greatest ballplayers was offered an opportunity to play in the major leagues; it was Jackie Robinson.  Despite a war happening and losing players to the draft; when Jackie Robinson was given the chance to play on a bigger stage and with White players, that was seen as a way to finally show how good if not better skilled a Black man was at playing baseball. But it also led to the eventual folding of The Negro League because soon after Jackie Robinson began playing in the Majors; many other great players like Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, and others would go on to play in the Majors, too.

Critical Analysis:

Mr. Nelson has once again captured the richness of African American history by telling the story of Blacks and their impact on baseball.  Through his research of the greats who got their start in The Negro League, Mr. Nelson uses a ballplayer as a narrator and tells the history of this league.  He uses the voice of the narrator in first-person and has him tell of the experience of playing with guys who were very talented.  He also does a marvelous job of taking the pictures and photographs found in the museums and archives and bringing them to life through his painting.  Each painting is life-like and vivid in color and detail. Mr. Nelson also includes a foreword from one of the "greats", Mr. Henry "Hank" Aaron; which to any baseball fan is an honor that he would lend his words to this story.  There is a lot of great information contained on the pages of this book and I highly recommend it to not only baseball fans and historians but to sports historians in general.

Review Excerpt(s):

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY:"In his first outing as author as well as illustrator, Nelson (Ellington Was Not a Street ) delivers a history of the Negro Leagues in a sumptuous volume that no baseball fan should be without."

KIRKUS REVIEWS(starred):"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."

Connections:

• Use this story as an introduction to other African American baseball players who took the same journey as Jackie Robinson.  To show how Blacks were not well received in professional sports.
• During Women's History Month: teachers can use this story to talk about one of the first female owners of a baseball team, Effa Manley.
• The paintings found in the story can be shown in art class to highlight how the human form can be painted in a respectful and detailed manner.
• This book can be paired with video clips that can be found on PBS Learning Media.