Title: Satchel Paige:
Striking Out Jim Crow
Author: James Sturm & Rich Tommaso
Publisher: Hyperion Books For Children (2007)
Age: 4th-6th grade
Lexile Reading Level: GN690L
Awards: n/a
Review
Baseball is my passion. I love to watch, read, talk, and
write about the game. I especially love to read about the Negro Leagues – the
leagues created for black baseball players when they were not allowed to play
with whites. Satchel Paige was the biggest name in the Negro Leagues (if not
all of baseball) and the legends of his exploits both on and off the field are
legendary.
However, Satchel
Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow is not about Satchel Paige. Not really.
It’s about a fictional sharecropper in Alabama named Emmet
Wilson. Wilson had once been a hotshot rookie who doubled off of Paige in a
game only to suffer a career-ending injury later that inning when he tried to score.
The book is told from Wilson’s perspective. We anticipate the at bat against
Paige. We deal with the struggle of losing your dream and being forced into
this horrific pseudo-slave system in the Jim Crow south where Wilson and his
family live in fear of the young, sadistic white men who lord over them. When a
traveling team of black ballplayers comes to town to take on the local white
team, Wilson finds joy and pride in the exploits of the players on the field,
especially Paige.
It’s a fine book. The reader is drawn to Wilson, roots for
him. The art is simple - black and white and grey and tan - which I think gives the story gravitas. I’m sure it would be eye-opening for young readers and could be a starting
point for other discussions. That being said, it’s not the book I expected or
wanted. It’s not about Satchel Paige. It’s not about Jim Crow. It’s about a man
who lives in the Jim Crow south. Paige becomes an almost mythical character in
the book and, in an odd way, I think that cheapens what he did. Paige was a
man. A man who was, in his prime, the best pitcher in the world and yet he
wasn’t allowed to compete day in and day out against white players because of
bigotry. Despite that, Paige thrived. And he inspired thousands if not millions.
I think that graphic novel should be made. Sadly, this one is not it.
Recommended Pairings:
1. We Are the Ship:
The Story of Negro League Baseball – Kadir Nelson
2. Only the Ball Was White – Robert
Peterson
3. March – John
Lewis
We Are the Ship is
one of my all time favorite books. Like in Satchel
Paige, Nelson uses a fictional character to be the narrator as he traces
the history of the Negro Leagues from their creation in 1920 until the
integration of baseball in 1947. As a bonus, Nelson’s artwork is incredible. In
addition, Nelson has written several other books about the life of black men
and women in America that are all worth reading. Peterson’s book is written for
adults but excerpts could be read for students. The players – Paige, Cool Papa Bell,
Buck O’Neill, and dozens more – come alive. And finally, March would be a great pairing as it, too, is a graphic novel and
shows the continuation of the struggle that Wilson faces in Satchel Paige. I wrote about my love for
Rep. Lewis’ March trilogy in my first
Read & Discuss post. It’s one of the most important books of the last
decade.
Suggested Activities:
Graphic novels are such a great tool for teachers and
librarians. They break down barriers for children and there are numerous
studies that show how GNs are beneficial for growing minds. You could just have
a graphic novel class where students read graphic novels (both fiction and
nonfiction) and create their own.
For older kids, Satchel
Paige and March could be used in
studies of segregation, civil rights, and American history in general.
And of course, Satchel
Paige could be used in studying the history of baseball and, specifically,
it’s role in the civil rights movement. Interesting parallels could be drawn
between sports in the 20s, 30s, and 40s and today’s athletes.
