Review: We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson

Nelson, Kadir. (2004). We Are The Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball. New York: Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Press.  96 pages. ISBN 0439357918.

Awards/Selection Lists:  - Coretta Scott King Author Award
- Richie's Picks Nonfiction titles
- Robert F. Sibert Medal

Author's Website: http://www.kadirnelson.com/

Brief Summary:  Up until the 1890's it was very common to see African American's playing professional baseball. Then, seemingly overnight, the league forced out the black players, who had no other choice but to play for Latin America teams or start their own league. In 1920, Rube Foster, a former baseball player, did just that. He joined most of the teams together to form the first professional negro baseball league. They played hard, in most cases at least ten times harder than the white leagues. Little to no equipment, few rules, showy players, bad tempers, opportunistic venues, little compensation, discrimination 3-4 games a day, and not even knowing how they might get from game to game, or where their next meal might be found, even if they had money in their pockets, showed just how dedicated these men were to the game. Along with an opportune comment by a new baseball commissioner in 1944, these men went from entertaining haphazard, though often plentiful, crowds, to re-integrating professional baseball in 1945, when Jackie Robinson was signed to the Dodgers. Unfortunately, while this was a huge step forward, it was also the beginning of the end for a hard playing league that gave many the opportunity and respectability they craved, as hardened and dedicated baseball players.

Personal Reaction: The first thing that comes to mind when I read this book is "beautiful." The story is long, and there are a lot of names you may not remember, and some baseball terminology that the non-sports fan might find daunting, but overall the voice of this book is soft, and kind, hardworking, but above all, honest and humble. It accurately depicts the hardships that these players encountered just to keep on playing, to keep entertaining, to do what they loved and support their families. These men played when everyone else told them they couldn't. They were, in many cases, expected to be more respectable off the field than the other professionals. They were making history. Unfortunately, because of racial tensions and discrimination, many of the sports best players were never recognized. However, with Nelson's book, that grievous wrong is being addressed and many of these players are beginning to see the light of day once more.

Written from the narrative perspective of one of the old time baseball players, Nelson does a phenomenal job of really portraying how hard these men had it, but how many of them never dared to complain, as long as they could play. It's important history, for civil rights, for sports, but mostly, for human kind. The tenacity these folks showed paved the way for all those who followed, fighting for their rights in an unfair world.

Front/Back Matter: Title page, copyright page, dedication, foreword, author's note, acknowledgments, bibliography, filmography, endnotes (by chapter), index.

Content Evaluation: By far this book has some of the most comprehensive back matter I have ever found for young adult non-fiction. References are listed by the chapter they are used in, to help corroborate the research. A lot of background information is provided, along with clearly indexed common terms, and additional resources. The rich tone and the glorious presentation of Nelson's spectacular paintings carry this book all the way across home plate. You don't have to be a lover of baseball to love this book, just a lover a great book and a great story.