We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson - J 796.357 NEL

Sometimes a book comes along with illustrations so impressive, you see them in your sleep. This is one of those books. Nelson, a painter, tells the remarkable story of unsung heroes who overcame untold hardships to do the one thing they loved most – play baseball. His splendid visual narrative, told in the first person, makes you feel as though you’re sitting right there in the bleachers, basking in the colors and tones of the day and in the triumphs and defeats of Negro League baseball. This documentary about our national game will prompt laughter and tears in those who recall the legendary Satchel Paige and Jackie Robinson and awe and disbelief in those who see them, and many others, for the first time. The title comes from the league’s founder, Rube Foster, who said in 1920, "We are the ship; all else the sea." Submitted by Sue Parsons, Youth Services Librarian