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A Negro League Scrapbook

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In 1998, my family visited the Negro League Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. It was an unforgettable experience. To create this book, I paired a poetic tribute to the Negro Leagues with statistics, anecdotes, player profiles, and historic images of baseball players, teams and memorabilia. The result is a virtual museum of the Negro League's heyday during the Jim Crow era. Back then, African-Americans were treated as second-class citizens, but these black ball players were second to none. And their game was first class. The most rewarding part of researching this project was talking with baseball legend Buck O'Neil, who graciously provided the book's foreword. The book appeals to baseball fans and history buffs of all ages.

With the saturation of sports coverage today, great teams & players are as disposable as the paper boxes for a fast-food meal. That is what makes A Negro League Scrapbook so important for young people.

With a forward by the great Buck O'Neil, the book takes the reader through the pre-NLB era to 1947, when Jackie Robinson donned the Brooklyn Dodgers uniform and desegregated Major League Baseball. The rich history of NLB includes no discrimination in the stands, on the field or in the front offices.

Through the use of archival photographs - in a layout like a family album - and creative, short cutlines/overviews, the book can be a fun study tool for family members. It is important that our future leaders in all walks of life learn about the past today to forge ahead with a clear understanding of the journey to tomorrow.

Young people will not learn about NLB - or the pre-NLB era - in most history classes. And the names Satchel Paige, Cool Papa Bell, Buck Leonard, Josh Gibson and - importantly - Buck O'Neil need to be understood in an overall historical sense as much as appreciating their achievements on the diamond.

Carole Boston Weatherford has touched all the bases - and home plate - with a book that adults and children can share and learn from for many years.

"A Negro League Scrapbook" paired with Sharon Robinson's "Safe at Home" would make a great gift for boys ages 10 - 16. Add a baseball glove and other gear and you are sure to score a home run with your loved one!
The history in "Scrapbook" should be taught to our boys at school or in church -- please don't let this history die! "Safe at Home" has great insight into the thought processes of boys dealing with death, moving, peer pressure, bullies, teamwork, hard work, and perseverance. This would also be a great gift for a new teacher looking for high quality history and / or sports books. Enjoy!