Kadir Nelson

Five stars for art, no doubt. Kadir Nelson is really a genius illustrator, particularly his portraits, which are captivating and have this epic quality. How can an illustration just seem important in and of itself? I don't know, but these illustrations do. They're powerful.

Now on to the text: I love that Nelson took over 400 years of history and told the story in under 100 pages. To sit and read this book in one go feels like the entire history of this country is flashing before your eyes. show more The scope of it is awesome.

Of course, you can't really squeeze the whole "Story of America and African Americans" into 100 pages, can you? Not without leaving the reader feeling a little dizzy. And that's where I think the text runs into trouble. You have to skip over big stuff, and not really explain most things to satisfaction. It can be a little confusing and it has some bumpy transitions. Despite my complaints, the overall impact of the book is impressive. show less

An outstanding book, with an informative and immensely readable narrative, and gorgeous illustrations, Kadir Nelson's We Are the Ship is a work that draws the reader in, even if she (like myself) has little interest in baseball. The story of African-Americans in the sport - the title comes from a quote from Rube Foster, who founded the Negro National League - prior to the admittance of Jackie Robinson into the Major Leagues, in 1947, it is a celebration of the perseverance and independence show more of spirit that allowed so many athletes to continue in the face of limited opportunities, and discriminatory policies. It is also an enlightening examination of American history, exploring how racial segregation was enacted, not just in sport, but in everything from hotel accommodation to military service.

I learned quite a bit from this book - I'd never known, for instance, that African Americans played baseball with everyone else, until around 1887, when team owners stopped hiring them - and enjoyed it far more than I expected to. The artwork was simply breathtaking (that I did expect!), with Kadir Nelson's typically brilliant use of light, and his expressive figures. Somehow, his paintings just seem to shine! There were some references to chasing girls (and a comment about Latin women) that I could have lived without, but otherwise, I appreciated everything about We Are the Ship. It's more text-heavy than a standard picture-book, so I think it is better suited to upper elementary-school and middle school readers. All in all, a wonderful book, one I would recommend to young readers interested in baseball, or American history, and to fans of the author/artist. show less

We Are The Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball, with words and paintings by Kadir Nelson, is a unique and praiseworthy book. Nelson’s choice to make the voice of the narrator as a collective voice, the voice of we, the voice of all the players of the Negro Leagues, provides an instant immediacy for the reader. And the illustrations are simply beautiful works of art, capturing the power, pride, and dignity of the Negro League players.

I have been tearing up regularly since the night of November 4, 2008, when I stood with thousands of others in Chicago's Grant Park and watched and listened as history was made. I stood in my kitchen and read this book immediately upon taking it from the shipping box, and teared up all over again, and I have to admit that it is hard to review objectively a book that made that happen.

But I can say honestly that this is an excellent book. Nelson has taken words spoken by President Obama and show more drawn images inspired by those words, and I think he has done very well by them.

The very first page is a sign that says "VOTE" with an arrow pointing (presumably to the polling place, but, in this context, it tells us to turn the page). On the next, a line of people begins about a third of the way in, facing right, and the following pages continue that line of people into the voting booths. It's a powerful statement on the importance of the franchise, and brought to my mind the long lines at the voting stations that day and on the early voting days.

The people that Nelson draws are not stick figures, not placeholders; one has the sense that they are portraits of real people. I don't know if they are or not, but each is very individualistically drawn. The artist has also chosen to use a basic black-white-gray palette, with strong yet easy lines that give a feeling of fluidity and motion, appropriate to the idea that we as a country have moved forward and will continue to do so.

I was not familiar with Nelson's work before receiving this book, but am not surprised to learn that he is a Caldecott Honor winner. show less