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Rating: 
Summary: An Inspiration Read for All Ages
Review: "Do you have a dream? If you don't, maybe my story will get you started working on one. If you do, darling, you're already halfway to making it come true." Mamie Johnson's story is one that many will not be familiar with but one that leaves you feeling like you have met a new friend. This is a would be a great book for children between the grades 3-5 and are sports fans. But reading about Mamie's desire to achieve the goals she has had throughout her life is inspirational for any age. This is a great read for anyone looking for a story of courage and determination.
Mamie recounts her dream of playing baseball. Growing up in the 1930's and 40's was especially difficult for African American females, especially ones who loved baseball. But Mamie had a deep love for baseball and the determination to do "what she had been made to do."Mamie takes us on her journey which began with the Police Athletic League when she was in elementary school giving her her first chance to play with the boys. Like many times after this, Mamie was able to leave people speechless with her ability to play baseball for a woman or a man. Then two years after graduating from high school in 1953, Mamie had her chance at the minors. Standing at only 5'2" and 92 pounds, Mamie earned her spot pitching for the Indianapolis Clowns, a team in the Negro League. Mamie was one of only three women to every play in the Negro League. Before her baseball career came to an end, Mamie earned the name "Peanut" while playing in the Negro World Series for her image of being "a peanut of a woman in a man's game" as one mouthy fan put it. Mamie's life story represents the power of a dream. You are never too young to begin dreaming and setting goals for your life. While reading this book, you are going to be amazed at the talent and the desire to stop at nothing. After reading the book, you will be encouraged from a lady who knows what it means to go up against the odds. If you can dream it, it's possible. Take it from Mamie "Peanut" Johnson...she knows. And at 66, she still hasn't stopped dreaming.
Rating:
Summary: An Inspiration Read for All Ages
Review: "Do you have a dream? If you don't, maybe my story will get you started working on one. If you do, darling, you're already halfway to making it come true." Mamie Johnson's story is one that many will not be familiar with but one that leaves you feeling like you have met a new friend. This is a would be a great book for children between the grades 3-5 and are sports fans. But reading about Mamie's desire to achieve the goals she has had throughout her life is inspirational for any age. This is a great read for anyone looking for a story of courage and determination.
Mamie recounts her dream of playing baseball. Growing up in the 1930's and 40's was especially difficult for African American females, especially ones who loved baseball. But Mamie had a deep love for baseball and the determination to do "what she had been made to do." Mamie takes us on her journey which began with the Police Athletic League when she was in elementary school giving her her first chance to play with the boys. Like many times after this, Mamie was able to leave people speechless with her ability to play baseball for a woman or a man. Then two years after graduating from high school in 1953, Mamie had her chance at the minors. Standing at only 5'2" and 92 pounds, Mamie earned her spot pitching for the Indianapolis Clowns, a team in the Negro League. Mamie was one of only three women to every play in the Negro League. Before her baseball career came to an end, Mamie earned the name "Peanut" while playing in the Negro World Series for her image of being "a peanut of a woman in a man's game" as one mouthy fan put it. Mamie's life story represents the power of a dream. You are never too young to begin dreaming and setting goals for your life. While reading this book, you are going to be amazed at the talent and the desire to stop at nothing. After reading the book, you will be encouraged from a lady who knows what it means to go up against the odds. If you can dream it, it's possible. Take it from Mamie "Peanut" Johnson...she knows. And at 66, she still hasn't stopped dreaming.
Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating Story, Fascinating Person
Review: Green presents the fascinating story of Mamie "Peanut" Johnson, one of only three female professional baseball players. Raised in the Deep South, Johnson had a deep love of baseball early on and wanted to play the game, although she had two strikes against her: she was female and she was African American. Green describes Johnson's efforts to challenge the boundaries built around her because or her race and gender, and recounts both victories and defeats in the face of overt racism and sexism. Johnson's biggest break came in 1953, when she was signed by the Indianapolis Clowns in baseball's Negro Leagues. With the color barrier broken by Jackie Robinson, many players from the Negro Leagues had moved on to the Major League, leaving the owners of the Clowns desperate to sign new talent. Johnson played for the team until 1955. The book concludes with Johnson's present-day passion to keep people conscious of the Negro Leagues and their role in baseball's history. Although Green's first-person narration in the character of Mamie Johnson is confusing at first, the story of Johnson's life is compelling. The reader cannot help but admire Johnson. The vivid portrayal of the Negro Leagues and the prejudices of the day make this a great selection for Black History Month assignments, and Johnson's role as one of only three female pro baseball players makes this suitable for Women's History Month as well. However, it will be a shame if those commemorations are the only occasions when this book is read. The book includes an introduction by Johnson herself, who recounts how the author discovered her and her story; there are also a list of additional resources and a note about the "They Played Baseball" foundation.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating Story, Fascinating Person
Review: I believe this is a great book for young girls and also die hard baseball fans. It gives the wonderful message that if you really want to do something deep down in your heart, you can do it. Mamie Johnson proved this by being only one of three women ever in the Negro League. All througout her life she overcame both the fact of being an African American and a girl. She proved to everyone that she deserved a her position as a pitcher on the team. This book not only discuses the challenges of being a woman playing a man's game, but it also discuses the issue of segregation in the 1940's and 1950's. She discusses the problems the Negro League had to endure when playing games in the south, along with the the problems players like Jackie Robinson encountered in the major leagues as the first African American baseball player to cross the color barrier and play on a white major league team. Besides being a great inspirational story about a girl who defeated the odds and followed her dreams, it is also a great read because it describes one of the hidden and unacknowledged aspects in the history of baseball.
Rating:
Summary: Not Just A Regular Baseball Player
Review: I believe this is a great book for young girls and also die hard baseball fans. It gives the wonderful message that if you really want to do something deep down in your heart, you can do it. Mamie Johnson proved this by being only one of three women ever in the Negro League. All througout her life she overcame both the fact of being an African American and a girl. She proved to everyone that she deserved a her position as a pitcher on the team. This book not only discuses the challenges of being a woman playing a man's game, but it also discuses the issue of segregation in the 1940's and 1950's. She discusses the problems the Negro League had to endure when playing games in the south, along with the the problems players like Jackie Robinson encountered in the major leagues as the first African American baseball player to cross the color barrier and play on a white major league team. Besides being a great inspirational story about a girl who defeated the odds and followed her dreams, it is also a great read because it describes one of the hidden and unacknowledged aspects in the history of baseball.
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