We Are the Ship; The Story of Negro League Baseball - Kadir Nelson

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Nelson, K. (2008). We are the ship the story of Negro league baseball. New York: Jump at the sun.

ISBN 9780786808328

PLOT SUMMARY

Using an “Everyman” character, this is the story of how the Negro League paved the way for the desegregation of the Major Leagues. We are given a brief window into the lives of men and women of the early 1900’s to show the hardships they faced, not just in their daily lives but in their career choices as well.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Colored. Segregation. Racism. These are themes we think of when you hear the words like “bus” or “water fountain” or “schools”. Admittedly, this is not something I would have ever associated with the sports world. When you hear about the great baseball players, Jackie Robinson undoubtedly is mentioned in conversation. But, what we forget to ask ourselves is, how did he get there? This is a story of all the men before him that paved the way for the Major League world to become accepting to any player no matter the color. No longer did they have to lie about the race of a player to say “wow, he is good!”

The oil painting illustrations show a depth that brings to life the emotions of the time. We see bleak acceptance hidden in the eyes, we see the hard work with little reward hidden in the flat smiles of the players, and we see the unfiltered joy of players on the mound to an accepting crowd. Each painting is distinguished in a way that shows the myriad of players that made up the collective of the Negro League. Even though the text is lengthy, it is written in a way that readers want to continue on in the journey and the illustrations connect directly with the wording.

REVIEW EXCERPTS

“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.” – Kirkus Reviews May 20th, 2010

“As illuminating as the text is, Nelson’s muscular paintings serve as the true draw.” – Publishers Weekly January 2008

CONNECTIONS 

*For older grades - Imagine if your teacher said boys would automatically get A’s, even if they don’t do the assignment, while girls could only reach a B maximum. How would that make you feel? What steps could you take to change the teachers mind?

*For younger grades – Have the students walk in and the ones wearing the color black get to sit in the desks while everyone else is told to sit on the floor.