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A review by jecoats
Above the Rim: How Elgin Baylor Changed Basketball by Jen Bryant
5.0
This book was recommended and loaned to me by my colleague at Mather High School. The book has won the NCTE Orbis Pictus Award (2021).
Above the Rim is the story of NBA star Elgin Baylor and his lasting impact on professional basketball. The picturebook opens in 1945, depicting a young Baylor playing stickball in an alley because there is no place for Black people to play sports. However, that did not stop some older kids from breaking into the "white's only" courts at night to play basketball. A few years later, a nonsegregated basketball hoop is installed in his neighborhood. Baylor finds he a natural affinity for the sport, and eventually goes on to play on the collegiate level, leading his team to a championship. The NBA takes notice of his amazing skills, and in 1958 he is drafted to the Minneapolis Lakers. Baylor then takes a stand against segregation, refusing to play until he and other Black people can be treated like human beings. Because of Baylor's actions, the NBA refuses to stay in hotels or eat in restaurants that practice segregation.
Above the Rim, written by Jen Bryant, is an incredibly well crafted biography about Elgin Baylor. But it goes beyond a simple play-by-play of his life as a basketball star. Bryant includes parallels to important Civil Rights moments that were occurring during Baylor's life, such as Rosa Parks refusing to relinquish her seat and The Little Rock 9 being permitted to attend an all-white classroom. These moments help to foreshadow the importance of Baylor in the Civil Rights movement. In effortless fashion, Bryant brings the Civil Rights parallels to the forefront of the story, highlighting the change Baylor helped bring about in the NBA. Bryant's depiction of Baylor's life feels natural, and in just 40 pages, she tells the story of both a sports superstar and a Civil Rights activist.
The artwork by Frank Morrison is wonderful, and fits the overall narrative well. It has a lot of similarities to a kind of "Rockwellian" style of art, which I think matches up quite with the era the story depicts - I felt like I was looking at Americana artwork straight out of the 1940s and 1950s. Morrison's art style has an exaggerated touch as well, such as when he depicts Baylor with elongated limbs as he dunks the ball. I thought this added to the idea that Baylor had natural, almost inhuman, abilities as a basketball player - his limbs extending as if he is some kind of superhero soaring above the rim. Morrison also centers Black faces on the page, which naturally draws the reader's eye. It is great way to showcase and celebrate the characters and activists in the story, as well as celebrate Blackness in general.
I think the picturebook is, much like The Undefeated, 100% a mirror for our Black students. It's not just a wonderful visual showcase of amazing Black historical figures, but it also communicates to students that they can have a tremendous impact in everything they do. The book can also act as a window, informing other students on the importance of all people regardless of their race or culture. I think it could also be a powerful tool for social justice as it depicts a horrible and ugly time in our history, and helps readers understand why understanding systemic racism is important to societal progress.
Above the Rim is the story of NBA star Elgin Baylor and his lasting impact on professional basketball. The picturebook opens in 1945, depicting a young Baylor playing stickball in an alley because there is no place for Black people to play sports. However, that did not stop some older kids from breaking into the "white's only" courts at night to play basketball. A few years later, a nonsegregated basketball hoop is installed in his neighborhood. Baylor finds he a natural affinity for the sport, and eventually goes on to play on the collegiate level, leading his team to a championship. The NBA takes notice of his amazing skills, and in 1958 he is drafted to the Minneapolis Lakers. Baylor then takes a stand against segregation, refusing to play until he and other Black people can be treated like human beings. Because of Baylor's actions, the NBA refuses to stay in hotels or eat in restaurants that practice segregation.
Above the Rim, written by Jen Bryant, is an incredibly well crafted biography about Elgin Baylor. But it goes beyond a simple play-by-play of his life as a basketball star. Bryant includes parallels to important Civil Rights moments that were occurring during Baylor's life, such as Rosa Parks refusing to relinquish her seat and The Little Rock 9 being permitted to attend an all-white classroom. These moments help to foreshadow the importance of Baylor in the Civil Rights movement. In effortless fashion, Bryant brings the Civil Rights parallels to the forefront of the story, highlighting the change Baylor helped bring about in the NBA. Bryant's depiction of Baylor's life feels natural, and in just 40 pages, she tells the story of both a sports superstar and a Civil Rights activist.
The artwork by Frank Morrison is wonderful, and fits the overall narrative well. It has a lot of similarities to a kind of "Rockwellian" style of art, which I think matches up quite with the era the story depicts - I felt like I was looking at Americana artwork straight out of the 1940s and 1950s. Morrison's art style has an exaggerated touch as well, such as when he depicts Baylor with elongated limbs as he dunks the ball. I thought this added to the idea that Baylor had natural, almost inhuman, abilities as a basketball player - his limbs extending as if he is some kind of superhero soaring above the rim. Morrison also centers Black faces on the page, which naturally draws the reader's eye. It is great way to showcase and celebrate the characters and activists in the story, as well as celebrate Blackness in general.
I think the picturebook is, much like The Undefeated, 100% a mirror for our Black students. It's not just a wonderful visual showcase of amazing Black historical figures, but it also communicates to students that they can have a tremendous impact in everything they do. The book can also act as a window, informing other students on the importance of all people regardless of their race or culture. I think it could also be a powerful tool for social justice as it depicts a horrible and ugly time in our history, and helps readers understand why understanding systemic racism is important to societal progress.