Bound To Stay Bound

Bulletin for the Center... - 04/01/2008 At first glance, this hefty oversized offering may suggest a text-heavy “coffee table” showcase for Nelson’s monumental portraiture of these undervalued giants of baseball. Riveting as the pictures are, though, Nelson matches them with a readaloud-worthy narration delivered in the voice of an imaginary player who’s seen it all, lived it all. The history of the segregated sport takes on the tone of an intimate memoir, recalling the earliest days of barnstorming and “clowning,” the formation of a true league under Rube Foster, the trials and triumphs of life on the road, innovations from shin guards to night games, the big-name heroes, the ultimate breakthrough into the major leagues which signaled the arrival of civil justice and the bittersweet end of Negro League play. Full-page and double-bleed compositions, and even a foldout of the First Colored World Series players (cleverly hidden beneath an oversized ticket reproduction), visually elevate the players to the status of legend, but the conversational style of the text brings them back down to earth: “Man, if we had a nickel every time we heard, ‘If you were white, you’d be worth such-an’-such,’ we’d all be rich men.” With source notes, an index, bibliography, and brief filmography, this will be an enticing selection for research paper writers as well as an all-’round great read for baseball enthusiasts. EB - Copyright 2008 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.

School Library Journal - 01/01/2008 Gr 3 Up-In this attractive, oversized book, Nelson offers an appreciative tribute to the Negro Leagues. Adopting the perspective and voice of an elderly ballplayer, he offers a readable account that is infused with an air of nostalgic oral history: "Seems like we've been playing baseball for a mighty long time. At least as long as we've been free." With African Americans banned from playing in the major leagues, Rube Foster organized the Negro Leagues in 1920 and grandly proclaimed: "We are the ship; all else the sea." From 1920 through the 1940s, they offered African Americans an opportunity to play ball and earn a decent living when opportunities to do so were scarce. Nine chapters offer an overview of the founding and history of the leagues, the players, style of play, and the league's eventual demise after Jackie Robinson broke major league baseball's color barrier in 1947. Nelson's brilliant, almost iconic paintings vividly complement his account. Starting with the impressive cover painting of a proud, determined Josh Gibson, the artist brings to light the character and inherent dignity of his subjects. Hank Aaron, who started his Hall of Fame career in the Negro Leagues, contributes a heartfelt foreword. This work expands on the excellent overview offered in Carole Boston Weatherford's A Negro League Scrapbook (Boyds Mills, 2005). It is an engaging tribute that should resonate with a wide audience and delight baseball fans of all ages.-Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information. - Copyright 2008 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 02/01/2008 *Starred Review* Award-winning illustrator and first-time author Nelson’s history of the Negro Leagues, told from the vantage point of an unnamed narrator, reads like an old-timer regaling his grandchildren with tales of baseball greats Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, and others who forged the path toward breaking the race barrier before Jackie Robinson made his historic debut. The narrative showcases the pride and comradery of the Negro Leagues, celebrates triumphing on one’s own terms and embracing adversity, even as it clearly shows the “us” and “them” mentality bred by segregation. If the story is the pitch, though, it’s the artwork that blasts the book into the stands. Nelson often works from a straight-on vantage point, as if the players took time out of the action to peer at the viewer from history, eyes leveled and challenging, before turning back to the field of play. With enormous blue skies and jam-packed grandstands backing them, these players look like the giants they are. The stories and artwork are a tribute to the spirit of the Negro Leaguers, who were much more than also-rans and deserve a more prominent place on baseball’s history shelves. For students and fans (and those even older than the suggested grade level), this is the book to accomplish just that. - Copyright 2008 Booklist.

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