We are the ship is a story about Negro League baseball, and the struggles they overcame to play the game that they loved. This book looks at the game of baseball before teams were racially integrated, and when there was both a white and a negro league. This book points out the many players that contributed to the sport, and who's names no one will ever now because of the racial turmoil of the time. We Are The Ship journeys with negro baseball teams, and sheds light on the opression they faced in the towns they played in. Players had to travel in cramped, hot busses, and at times sleep in them on the side of the road. Players even had to cook their own food over campfires, because the people in certain towns did not allow African Americans to stay in their hotels, or eat in their restaurants. The story of Rube Foster is also documented in this book, and the example he set for league managers around the country. He ran his team like a professional league, and expected his players to perform. His league was so successful, that many manager started to follow in his example. This book also sheds some light on the Latin American Leagues. During a time when the world was divided by hate and bigotry, Latin America was the one place that Negro Leagues felt at home. They were treated as heros, and they could stay in any hotle, and eat in any resaurant their hearts desired. Players in the Negro Leagues loved playing their, but like everyone else, the pangs of homesickness would hit and they would return to their hometowns. Towards the end of the World War, life changed for players on Negro Leagues. Although Major League managers stared to scout the Negeo Leagues, they were hesistant about being the first to sign an African American.When A.B. "Happy" Chandler was elected as the new commissioner of for the Pro Leagues, he issued a statement the would change baseball for ever. He believed if African Americans could go to war, then they were good enough to play in the pro leagues. Jackie Robinson was the first player to be intergrated into the professional leagues, and the eyes of the world were on him. Although he had been signed to the Brooklyn Dodgers, there were many people who did not like the idea of him playing pro ball. Jackie Robinson received death threats, and had to deal with being descriminated against on and off the field. He knew that his behavior in the league would dictate what people though of African American players everywhere, so he did not retaliate and kept it all inside. Jackie Robinson helped open the gates for all African Amrican player, which slowly caused the end of the Negro Baseball Leagues. After watching Jackie Robinson play, managers from other teams started signing other African Americans to join the league. The book states that player were asked all the time, if they were bitter about not being given the chance to play in the pro leagues. The author closes with stating that some were, but most of the players aren't. The players on the Negro Leagues considered themselves fortunate to play baseball for a living. They look upon the players that made it the professional leagues, and were proud that played a part in getting them there. In essence, they were the ship that helped get them their. The highlight of this book are the wonderfully detailed pictures that go along with the heartwrenching stories. The reader feels as if they are sitting in the game watching history unfold. Children of any age will be mesmerized by the images as they flip through the pages. The author has such an inthusiasm for the players of this time, that you feel as you know by the time their story has been told. Teacher of any age group can us this book when studying the civil rights movement, and students in the third grade an up will enjoy reading the stories of the men that helped shape the history of baseball.
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