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rainbowbookworm's review
3.0
This slim volume will teach readers about an important era in baseball history.
wrentheblurry's review
3.0
SUMMARY: This book weaves together biography and fiction, with the real part concerning Satchel Paige, a famous African-American baseball player during the 1920s through the 1940s. The point of view is told from a man named Emmet, who comprises the fictional aspect of the story. Emmet was a promising minor-league player himself, who scored a run on a steal versus Paige in 1929. While sliding into home base, his knee sustained a serious injury, and that was his last baseball game. The book focuses on Emmet, though Emmet keeps tabs on Satchel, and eventually Satchel's team comes to Emmet's town in Tuckwilla, Alabama to face off against the best players from town.
EVALUATION: I found this book interesting and intriguing, in tone and writing. The artwork is colored with sepia tones, an interesting and unusual choice for this medium. That is one of the bonuses of graphic novels--there are so many different styles and ways to represent the art, and most of them work very well.
WHY I WOULD INCLUDE IT: I would not normally enjoy reading a story about baseball, or many other sports. This sort of thing would normally bore me, only written in prose. Yet something magical happens when the words are combined with the pictures and then I am able to focus on what's really important: the segregation issues and how Emmet's family coped. I even became interested in the baseball part of the novel, and if this book could affect me in this way, it will affect others. This is a part of history that we should not forget, in order to prevent it from ever happening again, and the tweens of today should be educated on it. Tweens are more likely to want to read books with serious subject matter if they are presented in a graphic novel format, and this book fits the bill perfectly.
yabetsy's review against another edition
5.0
Who was baseball’s greatest player ever? Who would walk two men – on purpose, before striking out the next three? -- Satchel Paige did that in the 1942 Negro World Series. He went on to pitch for another 30 years! And was finally inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971. Sturm, the head of the Center for Cartoon Studies uses Paige’s story a device to show the cruelty and hardships under the Jim Crow days in the South.
lorathelibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
I rated this the way I did, not because it wasn't excellent literature, it was, but because I just didn't find it all that entertaining. It was hard for me to relate to. It was an interesting story and telling it in the form of a graphic novel was a great idea.
sandraagee's review against another edition
4.0
As a librarian I'm a bit confused as to which collection this book should belong in. Fiction or non-fiction? Maybe biography? Children's or YA? I have no idea since this graphic novel is a brilliant little amalgam of all of the above.
It should be noted that this book is really more about Jim Crow than it is about Satchel Paige. Instead, the baseball great is really an effective tool for looking at the time period in this narrative. But seeing the story through someone else's eyes is probably more meaningful than if we saw it from Paige's perspective.
It should be noted that this book is really more about Jim Crow than it is about Satchel Paige. Instead, the baseball great is really an effective tool for looking at the time period in this narrative. But seeing the story through someone else's eyes is probably more meaningful than if we saw it from Paige's perspective.
turrean's review against another edition
4.0
Everything published by the Center for Cartoon Studies is worth reading!
chadstep's review against another edition
4.0
Not a biography, but a "through the eyes of" story, I liked it for the simple illustrations, study of Paige's throwing technique, plus a bit of pitcher/batter psychology. It wasn't really insightful, but a basic study that showed me a bit of who he is at around a 9-11 year old reading level.
dawnoftheread's review against another edition
3.0
Really great stuff! I enjoyed it and learned some too.
iffer's review against another edition
4.0
Short, but expressive. A great springboard for exploring the history of segregation, racism and baseball. I didn't love the art style, but three-toned coloring and the panels conveyed the mood of the story/issues, as well as the excitement of a baseball game, well.
elmeeks's review against another edition
4.0
Genre: Graphic novel, historical fiction
Rating: **** I liked this graphic novel because it used baseball to address racism and what was going on in the country from 1929-1944. While it gave information about Satchel Paige, it also went beyond baseball describing what life was like for African Americans in the south during that time period.
Plot Summary: The story is told from the perspective of a young African American, Emmet Wilson, who leaves home to play in the Negro League in 1929. He scores a run off of Satchel Paige, but blows his knee out and ends his career doing it. When he returns home he faces the daily inequalities of being African American in the south. After some rough years and hard luck, Satchel Paige comes to town to play baseball agains the White All Star team of Tuckwilla Alabama. What follows is a riveting baseball game, as well as some soul searching from Emmet.
Main Characters: Emmet Wilson is a young ball player with the Negro League at the beginning of the story. He leaves home to play ball and earn some money so he can lead a better life. Unfortunately he blows out his knee and is unable to play after scoring a run off of Satchel Paige. Emmet has trouble feeling comfortable with himself after his injury.
Satchel Paige is a famous baseball player. He played in the Negro League and eventually the Major Leagues after Jackie Robinson breaks the colored barrier. He was a real show man and a fantastic pitcher.
Key Issues: racism, overcoming obstacles, baseball, Jim Crow Laws
Other Interesting Information: This book has good information in the Introduction and Panel Discussion located in the front and back of the book.
Rating: **** I liked this graphic novel because it used baseball to address racism and what was going on in the country from 1929-1944. While it gave information about Satchel Paige, it also went beyond baseball describing what life was like for African Americans in the south during that time period.
Plot Summary: The story is told from the perspective of a young African American, Emmet Wilson, who leaves home to play in the Negro League in 1929. He scores a run off of Satchel Paige, but blows his knee out and ends his career doing it. When he returns home he faces the daily inequalities of being African American in the south. After some rough years and hard luck, Satchel Paige comes to town to play baseball agains the White All Star team of Tuckwilla Alabama. What follows is a riveting baseball game, as well as some soul searching from Emmet.
Main Characters: Emmet Wilson is a young ball player with the Negro League at the beginning of the story. He leaves home to play ball and earn some money so he can lead a better life. Unfortunately he blows out his knee and is unable to play after scoring a run off of Satchel Paige. Emmet has trouble feeling comfortable with himself after his injury.
Satchel Paige is a famous baseball player. He played in the Negro League and eventually the Major Leagues after Jackie Robinson breaks the colored barrier. He was a real show man and a fantastic pitcher.
Key Issues: racism, overcoming obstacles, baseball, Jim Crow Laws
Other Interesting Information: This book has good information in the Introduction and Panel Discussion located in the front and back of the book.