Black Diamond: The Story of the Negro Baseball Leagues

Rating:
Summary: Black Diamond
Review: My book is about baseball. I read tha the baseball starte at 1820's, and when it start only white player weard allow to play it but the blaack players could not play baseball with white players because they weard been raises with them. A lot of cuban people weard playing with whith people with no problem. The white people hate the black people because they weard all different colors. The black people made a team that was call the Negro Baseball League, and there was the American Baseball League. the black people wanted to play in the white league they had to do a lot of stuff to get into the white leage wich was realy hard. They had to go alldoway to cuba to change their names and their social security and everything else they had to do to get to the american league. The book is preaty sad and happy at the same time.

Rating:
Summary: Black Diamond
Review: The story of race relations in American history is one of lost opportunity. This concise history of the Negro Baseball Leagues for young adult readers illustrates this basic point. The book discusses the names, dates, and circumstances of the major figures and events of the flip side of American baseball history. Legendary names such as Josh Gibson, "Cool Papa" Bell, and Satchel Page are just a few of the remarkable players who made important contributions to the game. Among others, they played for teams with names such as The Homestead Grays, The St. Louis Stars, and The Kansas City Monarchs. The book also tells the story of owners and managers, such names as Negro National League founder Rube Foster and the tough as nails woman owner of the Newark Eagles, Effa Manley spring to mind. The book also briefly explains how the infamous Jim Crow tradition brought about the Negro Baseball saga. In 1947, major league baseball was sucessfully integrated and that spelled the doom of the Negro Baseball leagues. The text includes an ample number of photographs. To assist younger readers, and for easy reference purposes, a player profile and time line section is provided at the back of the book. Underlying the historical text, there is the theme that segregated baseball mirrored the nagging problem of racism in America. A sense of fair play and even-handed justice demands that talent, skill, and just plain style should be celebrated, regardless of race. To do otherwise cheats everybody of a rewarding experience. Imagine if the great players of the Negro Baseball Leagues had the chance to play (with or against) the great players of the major leagues. Consider the void created by lost opportunity. ;-)

Rating:
Summary: Baseball, America, and racism.
Review: The story of race relations in American history is one of lost opportunity. This concise history of the Negro Baseball Leagues for young adult readers illustrates this basic point. The book discusses the names, dates, and circumstances of the major figures and events of the flip side of American baseball history. Legendary names such as Josh Gibson, "Cool Papa" Bell, and Satchel Page are just a few of the remarkable players who made important contributions to the game. Among others, they played for teams with names such as The Homestead Grays, The St. Louis Stars, and The Kansas City Monarchs. The book also tells the story of owners and managers, such names as Negro National League founder Rube Foster and the tough as nails woman owner of the Newark Eagles, Effa Manley spring to mind. The book also briefly explains how the infamous Jim Crow tradition brought about the Negro Baseball saga. In 1947, major league baseball was sucessfully integrated and that spelled the doom of the Negro Baseball leagues. The text includes an ample number of photographs. To assist younger readers, and for easy reference purposes, a player profile and time line section is provided at the back of the book. Underlying the historical text, there is the theme that segregated baseball mirrored the nagging problem of racism in America. A sense of fair play and even-handed justice demands that talent, skill, and just plain style should be celebrated, regardless of race. To do otherwise cheats everybody of a rewarding experience. Imagine if the great players of the Negro Baseball Leagues had the chance to play (with or against) the great players of the major leagues. Consider the void created by lost opportunity. ;-)