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    We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball
    We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball
    We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball
    Audiobook1 hour

    We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball

    Written by Kadir Nelson

    Narrated by Dion Graham

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    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.

    We Are the Ship is a tour de force for baseball lovers of all ages.

    Winner of the Coretta Scott King Book Award 2009—author award and illustrator honor; Winner of the Sibert Medal Home Page Award 2009

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateJan 30, 2009
    ISBN9781423375401
    We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball
    Author

    Kadir Nelson

    Kadir Nelson is a two-time Caldecott Honor recipient. Among his other awards are an NAACP Image Award, and the 2009 and 2014 Coretta Scott King Author Award. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Sports Illustrated, and The New Yorker. He lives in Los Angeles, CA. www.kadirnelson.com Twitter: @kadirnelson Instagram:@kadirnelson

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    Reviews for We Are the Ship

    4.5/5

    211 ratings40 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Kadir Nelson's rich paintings draw you into the ballfields of yesterday; the players he depicts exude strength and dignity. As the narrator describes the high and lowlights of Negro League Baseball, you can't help but wonder how much richer the sport would be if society had been more enlightened.

      2/2010 Listened to the audiobook narrated by Dion Graham. As the voice of the Everyman ballplayer, the Graham's narration spools as smoothly and warmly as an elder recalling stories from back in the day.
    • 4/5
      Was very interesting and I learned a lot that I did not know about baseball.
    • 5/5
      Richie's Picks: WE ARE THE SHIP: THE STORY OF NEGRO LEAGUE BASEBALL by Kadir Nelson, Hyperion/Jump at the Sun, January 2008, 88p., ISBN: 0-7868-0832-2 "We didn't really know how rough it was in the Negro Leagues until some of our guys went up to the majors. Play was a lot 'nicer' there. In our league, everything was legal. We would do whatever it took to win. Pitchers threw anything and everything. Spitters, shine-balls, emery balls, cut balls -- you name it. They cut that ball to pieces and had curveballs breaking about six feet! Throw a new white ball to the pitcher, and it would come back brown from all the tobacco juice and what-have-you. You never knew what the ball was going to do once it left the pitcher's hand. And throwing at the batter was common. The pitcher would knock you down just to mess with your head. Look up at the umpire, and he'd just say. 'Get up and play ball, son.' That's why the batting helmet was invented. When Willie Wells was just a rookie, he found the ball was making its way toward his head a little more often than he liked, so he decided to wear an old miner's helmet when he stepped up to the plate. Boy, did they laugh at him! But today, you won't find a ballgame played without batting helmets." A lot of hurt resulted from the evils of segregation in America. But when it came to so-called "black" music and "white" music, wasn't it ignorant whites who got the short end of the stick if they failed to experience the music being created by Black Americans whether it be the musicians of the Harlem Renaissance or Marian Anderson or 'Train and Miles or the stars of Motown or George Clinton or Tupac? "Oscar Charleston was a mean son-of-a-gun. He would just about go looking for trouble. One time he snatched the hood off a Ku Klux Klansman." Sure, there were a host of indignities experienced by the black Americans who took the field in Negro League Baseball and then had to find places to eat, sleep, shower, and pee. Kadir Nelson does an excellent job of illuminating those difficulties. But after reading WE ARE THE SHIP, there is no doubt that -- just as with the music -- those who wasted opportunities to experience Negro League Baseball were the ones who was poorer for it. WE ARE THE SHIP is a raucous, joyous, visual and textual celebration of Negro League Baseball that will leave its readers wishing that there was a stash of vintage film somewhere that we might all have a chance to view the long-ago hijinks and incredible skills of black ballplayers who were every bit as good and better than the white guys in the so-called major leagues. America did belatedly got a look at a number of veteran Negro League stars who were eventually permitted to join the majors. Unfortunately, in contrast to the few like Jackie Robinson and Roy Campanella who got to spend many of their prime years in the majors, the majority of the stars whom we meet in WE ARE THE SHIP were either too old to follow Jackie there or merely got to play out their final years, long beyond their best seasons and the heroics (and antics) that Kadir Nelson speaks of here. "Umpiring wasn't always that great, either. Some of those guys wouldn't have known a strike from their left foot. At one time, the league had official umpires, but they couldn't travel with the teams. It was too expensive. A few of the umpires were former players. Pop Lloyd and Wilber 'Bullet' Rogan used to ump later on in their careers. Those guys were tough. They had to be, with guys like Oscar Charleston and Jud Wilson in the league. At one game in Kansas City, there were three umpires. Rogan was behind home plate, and the other two were at first and third. A play took place at third base, and Rogan ran down the line. He called the man out, and the base umpire called him safe. They started to argue and got into a fight. Bullet Rogan pulled out a knife, and the other guy panicked and took off running toward the center-field fence and climbed over it. The next day it was in the papers. Rogan had a bad temper. We wouldn't argue too much with him about balls and strikes. Whatever he called you, you would just let it go. He was old, but he'd fight you anyway. Some guys even played with a gun in their uniforms. It was a rough league." Sure, I, myself, had read some book about the Negro Leagues back when I was a kid. I knew the names of Sachel Page and Josh Gibson. But Kadir Nelson truly brings the wild scene to life. WE ARE THE SHIP is a celebration that you must not miss.
    • 5/5
      We Are The Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball, with words and paintings by Kadir Nelson, is a unique and praiseworthy book. Nelson’s choice to make the voice of the narrator as a collective voice, the voice of we, the voice of all the players of the Negro Leagues, provides an instant immediacy for the reader. And the illustrations are simply beautiful works of art, capturing the power, pride, and dignity of the Negro League players.
    • 5/5
      Beautifully told and illustrated part of baseball history
    • 3/5
      A great non fiction novel that highlights some of the negro league's greatest players . It is a solid depiction of the life a playerisn this league including some o fthe struggles faced by these players. It provides a solid hostorical framework to undertanding this league and the groundwork that occurred to integrate the sport. Good illustrtaions and informative text.
    • 5/5
      We Are the ship is an absolute fantastic story. The writing is so engaging and descriptive. In the first paragraph it says, "We made baseballs out of old rags or balled-up tin cans, and we played with broomsticks for bats and hit bottle tops for practice." This sentence is so powerful. It shows the background of these players and how far they have come from hitting bottle tops in their backyards. I also liked how descriptive this sentence was. It was easy for me to picture what was happening. I also thought the pictures were really great. They are also very interactive. There are a couple of pages in the middle of the book that fold out to show the entire baseball team. I also really liked how the illustrations almost looked like paintings. I also liked the use of language. The author used words like fastball and curveball to describe the pitchers throw and I thought that was obviously great terminology for a book about baseball. Overall, I think this is a fantastic book and anyone who is interested in history or baseball should definitely read this. I think the big idea in this story was to educate readers on racial discrimination and the things that African American baseball players went through to be even considered baseball players. I also think the author wanted to show what it took for these baseball players to overcome segregation in order to play the one sport that they love.
    • 5/5
      Coretta Scott King Award for author and Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor. Kadir Nelson's emotional text and pictures tell the story of the Negro League baseball from it's beginnings in 1920 to it's decline in 1947 when Jackie Robinson went to the majors.
    • 5/5
      This book was amazing! The way it was written as if there was one guy telling the story of when he played captivated me. The facts and names he brought out were amazing. He even pointed out the extreme negatives (both from segregation and from Negro League team owners taking advantage of their players) judicially and with no need to hide their actions. They were just presented as a fact of the time. After reading how Kadir Nelson tried to be faithful to his paintings, but couldn't always because of the lack of pictures or even accurate written descriptions of people and places he sometimes had to guess, I love the paintings even more. They are beautiful and look like they could be pictures on baseball cards I collected growing up. Naturally a perfect design idea for a book on baseball. The way this book teaches about baseball and racial segregation seamlessly is stunning. I would read this book in class to my students and we would talk about it.
    • 4/5
      An outstanding book, with an informative and immensely readable narrative, and gorgeous illustrations, Kadir Nelson's We Are the Ship is a work that draws the reader in, even if she (like myself) has little interest in baseball. The story of African-Americans in the sport - the title comes from a quote from Rube Foster, who founded the Negro National League - prior to the admittance of Jackie Robinson into the Major Leagues, in 1947, it is a celebration of the perseverance and independence of spirit that allowed so many athletes to continue in the face of limited opportunities, and discriminatory policies. It is also an enlightening examination of American history, exploring how racial segregation was enacted, not just in sport, but in everything from hotel accommodation to military service.I learned quite a bit from this book - I'd never known, for instance, that African Americans played baseball with everyone else, until around 1887, when team owners stopped hiring them - and enjoyed it far more than I expected to. The artwork was simply breathtaking (that I did expect!), with Kadir Nelson's typically brilliant use of light, and his expressive figures. Somehow, his paintings just seem to shine! There were some references to chasing girls (and a comment about Latin women) that I could have lived without, but otherwise, I appreciated everything about We Are the Ship. It's more text-heavy than a standard picture-book, so I think it is better suited to upper elementary-school and middle school readers. All in all, a wonderful book, one I would recommend to young readers interested in baseball, or American history, and to fans of the author/artist.
    • 3/5
      VOYA:My Rating: 3Q, 3PI think that I should note that I read this book as an audiobook (performed by Dion Graham) so I am not quite sure if this reading experience was as great as it should/could of been. At the end of the book the author speaks to the artwork, which I did not get to partake in. I think that the illustrations added much to the content of the book. This book is the story of many gifted sportsmen, the unknown and the famous. It not only focuses on the timeline of the Negro Baseball League’s creation and demise, it’s a story of how many men worked tirelessly for something that they loved and believed in. They fought against racism, segregation, and violence. They were away from home and loved ones for months on end, traveled in dreadful conditions and fought emotionally and physically for baseball. We are the Ship is also about a brotherhood of men that was created through their love for baseball. I think that this book is geared toward a very specific audience and advisers (parents, teachers, librarians) would very likely have to assign this book to anyone outside of this specific audience. I learned a great deal about this subject, which I knew nothing about. This book is also best suited for the younger range of YAs (12-14yo).
    • 4/5
      4Q, 3P. Any book that can both keep me interested and be about baseball is a good book. The initial appeal will obviously be greatest to readers with an interest in the game, but there's plenty here to appeal even to sports ignoramuses such as myself. I found the book to be a fascinating look at a part of history I knew little about, covering the entire history of the Negro Leagues, from their beginnings to the final games (in 1960!). It's all delivered in an engaging, conversational tone and paired with lush, brilliantly-colored portraits that bring the feel of the ballpark, with its dust and blazing sun, to life. As an adult reader, I found myself wishing the book had gone into a bit more depth and detail in places, but a younger reader might find it just the right length.
    • 4/5
      5Q 4PThis book could stand alone on the stunning illustrations of some of the greatest players from Negro League Baseball. Such grand and masterfully rendered portraits set a powerful tone. The history of Negro League Baseball is communicated as though you are chatting with the legends themselves which allows you to become immersed in such a fascinating facet of sports history. Nelson's writing and work greatly honors this beloved American past time.
    • 3/5
      My VOYA ratings: 5Q, 3P"We Are the Ship" is a beautifully done book about a slice of American history not many are likely to know much about. I especially loved the rich, thoughtful illustrations; I think they make the book. The story of the Negro Leagues is one I wasn't very familiar with, and so it was cool to learn more about the history of the League and its players. Nelson's conversational narrative is very interesting and adds a lot to the book in terms of style and feel; you're almost transported back to a specific time and place along with him.That said, at times the book felt a bit like a list of past players (yawn), and although I appreciate the author's mission to ensure their recognition, I'm not sure teens will be interested enough without some pushing to pick up this book. Still, very well done.
    • 3/5
      3Q, 4PNelson writes a history of Negro League Baseball beginning in the 1920s and then ending with the integration of African-American players into the Majors in the late 40's. As someone who isn't a baseball fanatic, I did appreciate the nostalgia elicited for this time in American history when the magic of baseball united our war-torn country. I also appreciated the tales of hardships endured by the players and their steadfast determination to emerge from racist culture. Most of all, I appreciated the provocative, oil-painted illustrations.
    • 5/5
      This is great book and it talks about my favorite sports heros Jackie Robinson.. All of the pictures truly explain who Jackie Robinson was. I would definantly read this book to teach them about the first black baseball athlete.
    • 4/5
      Kadir Nelson uses a first-person, "everyman" narrator to tell the story of Negro League baseball from its beginnings in the 1920s through its decline after Jackie Robinson moved to the majors in 1947. Nelson accompanies his informational text with dozens of full-page and double-page oil paintings. Each illustration captures the strength and determination of the men who fought against all odds, including discrimination and prejudice, to achieve greatness.
    • 4/5
      We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson is a short nonfiction book about African-Americans who created their own baseball league during segregation. The actions of these athletes made baseball the game as it is today. It integrates racial discrimination with players’ fortunes and misfortunes. Nelson writes this story as a player in the league who goes through struggles and successes in fulfilling his baseball dream. Through it all, there are wonderful oil paintings that depict baseball in the 1920s.I would definitely teach this book to my classroom. First, it is a nonfiction book that is interesting, mainly to boys, but interesting nonetheless. In addition, there are two major points in the book that I would love to teach to a classroom. The first theme is perseverance. The African-Americans in the book show how the players overcame all of the hardships during that time period, which is what I would love to teach my students. The second major thing that I would use this book to teach is the history of something that no one really knows much about, the Negro Baseball League.Overall, I liked this book. It was interesting and the pictures were amazingly drawn. The topic is one that I did not know anything about, but the emotions that the writings and pictures inspired in me were wonderful. I would highly recommend this book to readers who are looking for an interesting nonfiction book that tells the history of something special.
    • 5/5
      I gave this book five stars for the rich, emotional and gorgeous illustrations and for Kadir's affectionate view of baseball.
    • 5/5
      To quote Hank Aaron, "Kadir's powerful paintings eloquently bring this era to life and speak volumes about the old Negro Leagues." I had no idea I knew so little about the baseball history of black America until I read this book. I loved all the anecdotal history which brought this era to life so vividly and unforgettably. This is one of those books you want to keep forever yourself and pass down to your children and grandchildren. Highly Recommended!
    • 5/5
      Using the voice of an unnamed player Kadir Nelson tells the story of Negro League baseball from its beginnings in the 1920s through its end in 1960. In his oil paintings he gives every player’s portrait a bearing, as if the viewer is looking up at an exquisitely colored monumental statue of the man.
    • 4/5
      I am not really a baseball fan, but this book still kept my attention. The illustrations were really neat and made it feel like they were photographs or actual stills from what was really happening which was nice, but weren't completely my favorite style. The narrator's tone of voice was very conversational and made it also come alive. He told the story of the Negro Leagues from their beginnings to their end. I enjoyed it and thought it would be a great book for a unit on multiculturalism or history.
    • 5/5
      This was an interesting book. It talks about African Americans and their start up in major league baseball. It touched on a lot of different things such as how it came about, the struggles faced, the good and th bad. This story caught my eye because it's something that interests me. I'm from Philadelphia and we have always dedicated a lot of time to learning about the the past, present, and future of Black History. I also played Softball for 12 years so I shared a common interest.
    • 5/5
      Through the perspective of the players, this book tells the lesser know stories of the members of the negro baseball leagues from the 1920's to 1947. A fantastic story with illustrations to match. A pleasure to read and look at.
    • 5/5
      Kadir Nelson, through interviews with some of the Negro League greats, has put together a wonderful book about the Negro Leagues. It tells the story of many of the players, some of whom went on to stardom in the Major Leagues. It tells of the prejudice exhibited to many of the players by whites, while at the same time they crowded the stadiums to watch them play. It also tells of some comraderie between white and black players.For anyone interested in baseball, Majors, Minors, Negro League, etc, this is a must read. The history of baseball is incomplete without understanding the Negro League.
    • 5/5
      5Q4P- Kadir Nelson relates the story of the negro baseballs leagues, from inception to demise in easy to understand yet detailed prose. Full pages packed with small print text are faced with full page illustrations. As per usual, Nelson's paintings are vivid and atmospheric, true works of art that perfectly accompany the text.- Recommended for ages 8- 13.- Not explained by radical change.
    • 5/5
      Coretta Scott King Award, 2009. Available in hardcover or Audio, CD, Audiobook, CD, Unabridged; and on MP3 CD, MP3 Audio, Unabridged; a Preloaded Digital Audio Player; and audio download. Book contains over 40 oil paintings! Each painting depicts the individual as unique as the player featured in it.
    • 3/5
      This book is a wonderfully illustrated history of the Negro Baseball League. The title refers to a quote from the league owner who said once, referring to the fledgling league, "We are the ship; all else the sea." Many well known and not so well known stars of the major leagues had their careers start in the Negro League, during the first half of the twentieth century. The gameplay was very different, as outfielders would perform vaudeville acts and pitchers would play as dirty as they could. While attempting to make their league look professional enough for fans to be interested, they delighted in being down-to-earth agile athletes that loved the game so much that they would play pickup games against anyone with a full set of players and a pulse. That's not to say they weren't any good. They broke even or better playing against the Major Leaguers, pitching faster, running faster, hitting harder, and playing smarter. The reader is introduced to the famous Jackie Robinson, but also to the stars of the Negro League like Leroy "Satchel" Paige and James "Cool Papa" Bell. Grades 3-8. Appeal - wide. Group read-aloud. Strengths - rich illustrations, interesting conversational style text, anecdotalweaknesses - none
    • 5/5
      Nelson, K. (2008). We are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball. New York: Hyperion Books for Children.In We are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball, the reader learns about the players of the historic Negro League baseball. The author tells the story through the perspective of a player in the league. The history of the league is told from its beginning in the 1920’s to its decline in 1947. The author does an amazing job recreating the dialect and speech of the players of that time. It is truly an historic experience to read the story; you being to feel that you are there with the players. The story is an excellent history of the league and focuses on the hardships and triumphs of the players. These men had to deal with the issues of segregation, hatred, and low pay so they could play the sport they loved. Perhaps the best part of this book is the illustrations. There are many, beautiful illustrations throughout the book depicting the players of the Negro League. They serve as an excellent visual tool for understanding the history and struggle of these African American men. This is a story that could be appreciated by people of different times and places. It is a historical account of a baseball league created on race and the injustices that race was suffering. Baseball is a sport that has been played for many years worldwide, and will probably continue to be played for many more years. Any baseball player or lover of baseball can appreciate this story. This book is the 2009 Coretta Scott King Award winner.This book would be an excellent addition to an elementary school library. I would recommend this story for any baseball loving child. It is not just a story about baseball; it is a historical account of a little recognized and appreciated baseball era. I would use this book with an upper elementary school class during Black History month. I think it would be interesting to have the students choose a player or important event from the book and share it with the class. This way the students could teach each other about this important part of African American history.
    • 5/5
      Kadir Nelson, award-winning illustrator of children’s books, takes his first crack at writing one with We are the Ship. The result is impressive. Of course, as would be expected from Nelson, the illustrations are phenomenal – beautifully depicted realistic paintings with almost three-dimensional subjects. The book is a well-researched narrative of the Negro Leagues -- baseball teams formed, owned, and populated with African-Americans who were denied access to major league baseball because of racial segregation. This narrative is divided into ten sections – nine “innings” plus a final short chapter called “extra innings.” Nelson narrates using “we,” as if he stood shoulder to shoulder with these ball players, to make this history feel intimate and personal. He includes interesting tidbits, such as personal details about players, to make the tale even more engaging and lively. He backs everything up with an extensive bibliography and end notes. My only caveat is that there is a lot of text in what looks a picture book, so this book isn’t appropriate for very young children with short attention spans. However, older children and even adults will enjoy this book.