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

Bibliography:
Nelson, Kadir. 2008. We Are The Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball. New York: Jump At The Sunn /Hyperion an imprint of Disney Book Group. ISBN 13:978078608328

Plot Summary:
Kadir Nelson's We Are The Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball, is the story or stories of players who played for the Negro League Baseball teams. This books starts off with forewords from Hank Arron of the Milwaukee Braves. Nelson does a great job of telling the stories of these unsung heroes who had to overcome segregation, hatred, terrible conditions and low pay to do what they love best; play baseball. These players, to only name a few: Sol White, 'Smokey" Joe Williams, John Henry "Pop" Lloyd and Rube Foster were all gifted athletes and determined to play the game they loved best. These players faced triumphs both on and off the fields. But through integrity, hard work and a great love for baseball these players overcame racial discrimination and did what they loved best; play baseball.

Critical Analysis:
Kadir Nelson does a great job of capturing the readers attention through his breathtaking oil painting illustrations. These illustrations could be taking from the book in put in frames to display on walls as beautiful art-work. These illustrations are rich in emotional as they detail each players features from the the players eyes to his body built. This book reads as if you are sitting at a barber shop or a family gathering listening to someone talk about the "old times or old days". This book's narrator depicts the story as if he was there; from the beginning in the 1920s through the decline after Jackie Robinson crossed over to the major leagues. The narrator seems to very knowledgeable about presenting the facts. This book can be read by just simply opening up to any page without being lost if you did not start from the very beginning. Nelson takes time to offer his reader forwords from one of the greatest African-American players of all times Hank Aaron. He also provide reader with bonus pages such as on page 77 of his book : EXTRA INNINGS: The end of the Negro Leagues; Negro Leagues who made it to the major leagues and Negro Leagues in the national baseball hall of fame. His author's notes gives a more intimate detail of how he came to write this book. Nelson offers acknowledgments, bibliography, filmography, endnotes and index at the end of his book which helps communicate the subject matter much clearly and effectively. This book is intented for middle school students or higher because the pages are lengthy and written in a small font. Mostly likely those students who love baseball will be attractive to this book the most.

Review Excerpt(s):
From Booklist
*Starred Review* Award-winning illustrator and first-time author Nelson’s history of the Negro Leagues, told from the vantage point of an unnamed narrator, reads like an old-timer regaling his grandchildren with tales of baseball greats Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, and others who forged the path toward breaking the race barrier before Jackie Robinson made his historic debut. The narrative showcases the pride and comradery of the Negro Leagues, celebrates triumphing on one’s own terms and embracing adversity, even as it clearly shows the “us” and “them” mentality bred by segregation. If the story is the pitch, though, it’s the artwork that blasts the book into the stands. Nelson often works from a straight-on vantage point, as if the players took time out of the action to peer at the viewer from history, eyes leveled and challenging, before turning back to the field of play. With enormous blue skies and jam-packed grandstands backing them, these players look like the giants they are. The stories and artwork are a tribute to the spirit of the Negro Leaguers, who were much more than also-rans and deserve a more prominent place on baseball’s history shelves. For students and fans (and those even older than the suggested grade level), this is the book to accomplish just that. Grades 5-8. --Ian Chipman

Product Description
"We are the ship; all else the sea."--Rube Foster, founder of the Negro National League
The story of Negro League baseball is the story of gifted athletes and determined owners; of racial discrimination and international sportsmanship; of fortunes won and lost; of triumphs and defeats on and off the field. It is a perfect mirror for the social and political history of black America in the first half of the twentieth century. But most of all, the story of the Negro Leagues is about hundreds of unsung heroes who overcame segregation, hatred, terrible conditions, and low pay to do the one thing they loved more than anything else in the world: play ball. Using an "Everyman" player as his narrator, Kadir Nelson tells the story of Negro League baseball from its beginnings in the 1920s through its decline after Jackie Robinson crossed over to the majors in 1947. The voice is so authentic, you will feel as if you are sitting on dusty bleachers listening intently to the memories of a man who has known the great ballplayers of that time and shared their experiences. But what makes this book so outstanding are the dozens of full-page and double-page oil paintings--breathtaking in their perspectives, rich in emotion, and created with understanding and affection for these lost heroes of our national game.
We Are the Ship is a tour de force for baseball lovers of all ages. About the Author Kadir Nelson began his professional career as an artist, publishing his work and receiving commissions from publishers and production studios such as Dreamworks, where he served as the lead conceptual artist for Steven Spielberg’s “Amistad” and “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron,” Sports Illustrated, Coca-Cola, The United States Postal Service and Major League Baseball, among others. Presently, almost twenty illustrated books are in print, including Debbie Allen's DANCING IN THE WINGS, Ntozake Shange’s Coretta Scott King Award-winning book, and Carol Boston Weatherford’s MOSES: When Harriet Tubman Led her People to Freedom,” for which Nelson won a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award, a Caldecott Honor and an NAACP Image Award. Most recently, Nelson released his authorial debut, “WE ARE THE SHIP: The Story of Negro League Baseball” (Jump at the Sun/Disney), a New York Times best-seller. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Connections:
Students could use this book as a source when studying African-American history or baseball. It is a great resource of how the Negro Leagues got started offering many insightful information such as Negro Leagues that went to the majors baseball leagues and those who made it into the national baseball hall of fame.