The Negro Leagues: Celebrating Baseball's Unsung Heroes

by Matt Doeden Narrated by Book Buddy Digital Media

Overview

When modern baseball fans think of African American players, they may think of Ken Griffey Jr. or Derek Jeter. But what about the black stars who didn't play Major League Baseball? In the early 1900s, black players were not allowed in the Major Leagues. The Negro Leagues provided an alternative for African American players.

Discover the Negro Leagues in this book packed full of facts, photos, and stories. Learn about the biggest games and wildest moments of the Negro Leagues era, as well as some of the greatest (and least well-known) players. You'll also find out about the history of African American baseball and the people who worked to end the sport's decades of segregation.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"A concise, highly readable, and thoughtful introduction to an oftentimes overlooked segment of sports history."—School Library Journal

School Library Journal

01/01/2017
Gr 4–7—Doeden ties the story of the Negro Leagues to that of race in the South, noting that there were integrated teams in the years immediately after the Civil War but that segregation followed the enactment of Jim Crow laws in the late 19th century. Doeden then traces the rise of "barnstorming" teams—not tied to any city—and the entertainment spectacle that accompanied it, before outlining the professional growth of the leagues under leaders such as Chicago American Giants manager and owner Rube Foster. The narrative swells to take in the legendary rivalry between the Kansas City Monarchs and the Homestead Grays in a string of gripping World Series matchups in the early 1940s. The book is amply illustrated with period photos, most of them posed but with some action shots included. A later chapter details legendary players of the Negro Leagues, such as Hall of Fame pitcher Satchel Paige; slugger Josh Gibson, who reportedly drove a fair ball over the third deck and out of Yankee Stadium; and Toni Stone, one of few women to have played in the Negro Leagues. Another chapter takes up Jackie Robinson's breaking of the color barrier in signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, despite often virulent racist resistance, and the eventual decline of the leagues by 1960. VERDICT A concise, highly readable, and thoughtful introduction to an oftentimes overlooked segment of sports history.—Bob Hassett, Luther Jackson Middle School, Falls Church, VA

Kirkus Reviews

2016-10-19
A broad survey of African-Americans in baseball, from the end of the Civil War to the era of Jackie Robinson and the last of the barnstormers.Though far from "unsung" considering Kadir Nelson's soaring We Are the Ship (2008) and the plethora of both general histories and individual biographies available, black players from Robinson, Satchel Paige, and Josh Gibson to less-prominent ground breakers such as Moses Fleetwood Walker, Rube Foster, and Toni Stone certainly merit another tip of the cap. Unlike Nelson, Doeden doesn't pull readers out onto the field of dreams. Instead, mixing in notable games and spotlight player profiles, plus plenty of team and individual photos, Doeden offers a fluent if standard-issue chronicle of the rises and falls of significant Negro Leagues and independent teams in the wake of professional baseball's exclusion of African-Americans. (Other minorities get no more than a few references and an intriguing group portrait of a diverse "All Nations" team from around 1915.) Also, in a closing "Legacy" chapter, he brings his account up to the present by analyzing, albeit in a superficial way, the modern decline in the percentage of African-Americans in the ranks of the modern major leagues. It's conventional fare, but it's systematic and at least a little broader in scope than older titles. (notes, further reading, index) (Nonfiction. 10-13)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171855888
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	01/01/2018
Series:	Spectacular Sports
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	10 - 13 Years

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