Black Diamond: The Story of the Negro Baseball Leagues

by Patricia C. McKissack, Fredrick L. McKissack

A history of the Negro Leagues features extensive player profiles, a baseball history timeline, and photographs.

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction, Baseball, History, Historical, Childrens

192 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1994

About the author

Patricia C. McKissack was the Newbery Honor, Coretta Scott King Award-winning author of The Dark-Thirty and Porch Lies an ALA Notable Book. She collaborated with Jerry Pinkney on Goin' Someplace Special (Coretta Scott King Award winner) and Mirandy and Brother Wind (Coretta Scott King Award winner and Caldecott Honor Book).

Reviews

[Chase W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book to learn about facts from long ago about baseball and how it changed. It shows what African American baseball players had to go through to get to where they are today. This book will teach you really interesting things you may not know about the past of baseball and how it has grown from then to now. I really liked this book and I recommend it to anyone 10 and above. It has a little vulgar language but it was from the past of what they said and did. I really liked this book and I hope you get the chance to read it.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this as a boy. One of my early exposures to injustice and triumph.

[Joseph Piard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Book called Black Diamond had grabbed my attention a lot because even though sometimes I felt like discourage, there is always a passage that always keep me connected because I wanted to know what is going to happen finally with the Negro Baseball league who had been segregated . And also, if someone made a joke or something else, the author shows you the picture of that person. It is a very interesting book. Check it out.

[Jaymie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was very interesting.

[Nancy J]

This was a quick read, and I learned more than I thought I would. Great piece of history I haven't thought to explore before, and I'm glad I did.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading baseball history. It pains me to think a man was judged unworthy to play by the color of his skin.

[Ben Stasium · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about the struggles of being a black baseball player in the early to mid 1900s and how much worse racism was back then, specifically in baseball. These players had to go through a lot of hate, criticism and discrimination. They were segregated from playing baseball in the white major leagues. It also focused on the accomplishments of the black players. For example,creating the negro leagues, fighting though the hate, criticism and discrimination and then eventually making baseball and u segregated sport.

These players were being discriminated blond belief and it really makes you think about how different life was back then and even though we have racism a in our society today it was nothing compared to what life was like back then. Some of these baseball players are very are very respected today because they went through all of the pain of being a black baseball player but never got the respect the deserved and all that they went though was for the love of the game. Some of the most notable players that ever played in the negro leagues or even eventually played in the white major leagues include, Jackie Robinson (the one who broke the color barrier), Willie Mays, Hank Aaron and many, many more.

In conclusion this book was very enjoyable to me and I really liked how they focused on the stories of individual players and their histories. It gave me a very good knowledge of how the black baseball players were treated and how they got through it. Also, I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys baseball and/or baseball history and I would recommend it to someone who wants to learn a little bit about racism in that time period.

[Michael Morrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enlightening and saddening, inspiring and infuriating, this is a good overview of the history of black participation in baseball.
It needed better copy editing. For example, at one place Monte Irvin is called "Monty" Irvin, and a reference to "Chattanooga Lookouts" should have been "Chattanooga Black Lookouts" and one to the "Atlanta Crackers" should have been "Atlanta Black Crackers" (and isn't that a deliciously ironic name?), but any flaws are relatively minor compared to the value of the history.
I am torn between keeping "Black Diamond" here at my desk as a handy reference or giving it to someone else to admire as I have.
I've decided to give it to a library to share during upcoming (February of 2020) Black History Month.
There are some wonderful characters presented in this book, and far too many of them are just about unknown to the general United Statesian.
For example, how many of us knew that the Negro Leagues actually signed up at least three FEMALE ball players, and they played more than the one inning Jackie Mitchell played for the Chattanooga Lookouts -- in which, by the way, she struck out Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth!
Books about black baseball have been around more than 100 years, but this might be the best one to start with.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This nonfiction book looks at the history of the black baseball players who were forced to build their own leagues because they were not allowed in the white major leagues. Readers will likely be faced with unknown names who represented greatness, then come across more familiar names, like Jackie Robinson and Willie Mayes. The book also does well to show how “behind the times” the United States was with its segregation laws, as many Black players would play winter seasons in Mexico and the Caribbean, where color didn’t matter.
• No language or sexual issues
• Many photographs and documents
• Appendix with player profiles, a timeline, suggested reading, etc.

[Marcelo Gonzalez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an fantastic place to start if you're just starting to look into the history of the Negro Leagues. It lists some of the greatest players and tells a bit about each of them, begging the reader to dig further into the greats.. I actually really like the attention they gave to Effa Manley, who is often looked dover for her own contributions to the leagues.

Short, sweet, and packed with information. Loved every moment of it.

[Georgie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was my introduction to the Negro Baseball Leagues. I was thoroughly captivated and learned so much. It was very powerful for me to learn about this league of gentlemen and the roadblocks they faced and the successes they gained. This was probably my first foray into the world of racism and the importance of diversity in children's books. I can't unknow what I've been learning.

[Steve Schinke · Rating 3 out of 5]

A high level overview of Negro Baseball Leagues, good for what it was intended to be.

[Adryel Ortiz · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Story of the Negro Baseball Leagues by Patricia C. McKissack and Fredrick McKissack, jr. Takes place during the 1860’s to the 1950’s and has African American people from real time periods. The book was on my teacher’s shelf and it looked interesting so I decided to try the book and read it for myself. At first the blurb didn't hook me into the book but as I read a few pages it slowly peaked my interest.
The book doesn’t really have a plot since the book explains the history of African American baseball leagues through the hardships they had to go through. It explains the different leagues that were created throughout the time period they lived in. The characters vary throughout since the book has people from different periods. The conflict for each person was trying to become part of the baseball league and be counted as an actual player.
At the end of the book is where it got better because it talks about the African American players who were entered into the hall of fame due to their recognition. My favorite part would be the ending quote that is used to conclude the book, “I have no ill feelings about never having had the opportunity to play in the big leagues… There’s no use in me having bitterness in my heart this late in life about what’s gone by. That’s just the way I feel about it… I can say I contributed something.”
Overall my thoughts on the book is that it is useful for people who are interested in trying to learn about the origins of baseball history. Most of the authors books are connected to stories African Americans and the times during slavery. I would recommend this book to my old history teacher, since she was very into the time period about slavery, this books gives a new take on African Americans who weren’t able to play but made their way up.

[Chase Parsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written for readers in the middle school years but definitely entertaining to all, this was a highly enjoyable and informative book about the Black baseball era. It felt like two books blended together: one on baseball and another on civil rights. It is impossible to comprehend one without the other, and racism and segregation are constant themes. It was a relief to finally get to the part about how Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1945, but even then there were problems. Fans and players were not won over immediately and the negro league owners were not compensated for their players. All in all though, these are amazing stories about overcoming hardship and about baseball. There are many wonderful photographs and visuals.

Some of the players are downright mythical: "Cool Papa" Bell (fastest man, hit a lifetime .429), Satchel Paige (brilliant pitcher and unique personality), and Josh Gibson (best power hitter and hit homeruns with one arm). By all accounts these players were just as good as any major leaguers! Many of them barnstormed around Latin America as well and were treated much better there.

One serious piece I had not contemplated enough was that, especially in the early days, players were often expected to clown around like a minstrel show to entertain and draw more fans. Rube Foster ("The Father of Black Baseball") bravely forbade this practice when he created the first true Black league, but it continued in some respects into the mid-1900s.

Finally, a small shout out to the Seattle Mariners (my home team) who did a great job one game honoring the Seattle Steelheads (a short-lived Black team) and it made me want to learn more.

[Brendan Shea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Black Diamond is a great book. I've had this volume for many years, but never gotten to it. Sports and baseball aren't my hot buttons. I do love basketball, but baseball is a sport I love to view in person, as it really is America's greatest pastime. There's nothing quite like traveling to a ballpark on a nice day, walking into the ballpark, selecting a nice lunch and going to sit in an admittedly cramped seat amongst friends to watch a bunch of guys through, hit and catch balls all day long. It's relaxing, it's all american, it's pleasant, it's family-friendly, sometimes it's a little raucous, but classic, fun entertainment.

Black diamond reveals what it was like for African Americans under segregation, Jim Crow, and other terrible racist practices. It follows these men and a few women, as they navigate the difficult landscape, where a lot of amazing players had to put up with terrible conditions, difficult travel, cruelty, poverty, and other adverse circumstances.

This book is interesting, tragic, uplifting, funny, and I loved every minute of reading it, but it could have had more depth, and told more about the personal stories of these players, not withstanding I don't know that a lot of data is around because these guys want chronicled maybe as much as white players and teams unfortunately.

As such, I have decided to write historical fiction on this subject, and if anyone would like to help contribute to the book, I am a caucasian, so I could use some help in writing faithfully about an experience that I'm not as informed about as I could be.

[Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Black Diamond is a thorough examination of the history of baseball as told through the perspective of the Negro Leagues. Dating as far back as the Civil War, there is mention of blacks participating in organized ballgames. Teams were formed in the 1870's and 1880's, mostly playing against other Negro League teams, although occasionally participation in exhibition games against white teams would occur. Through the years, wealthy white men established ownership of the professional baseball leagues, and banded together to keep blacks from being part of the sport. It was not until 1945, when Branch Rickey, of the Brooklyn Dodgers, signed Jackie Robinson to be the first African-American to play professionally. He debuted in 1947, and from that time on, the gates opened to many of the greatest athletes to ever play the game.

[Jeffery]

The book the black diamond was a very interesting read for me. I like a lot of true factual books and this book was all facts. I love the sport baseball and it was fun for me to read this book and me seeing how the old baseball was. The book was about the black leagues and how it was different from whites and blacks. Blacks had to make there own leagues because they did not want to support them. It was rough for the black people to play the sport baseball because of there color, people looked at them differently. I really enjoyed this book and if there was anything that could of been down better in my opinion is the amount of pictures was a lot in between all of the pages.

[Tim Sivils · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though the book had some awesome photographs and useful information in the appendix (individual player's history and timeline), overall, I was disappointed. Basically, my impression is that it is not a very well-written book. It contains lots of valuable information that should definitely be preserved, but the presentation of the narrative left me wanting something better. I would have rated it 3.5 had Goodreads allowed.

[Brady D]

Its about how black people joined into baseball and how they changed the game. Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. He was the first African American to play on an all white team in a all white league. Walter Brown organized the league of colored baseball clubs in 1887. Satchel Paige was a black pitcher who joined the league, In 1938 he got banned from baseball by Gus Greenlee.

[Matteo Cubello · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the baseball players, they were good but they should've combined with whites earlier in time if they were good enough to play in the mlb

[Jacob · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't really like it.

[Reggie Clairville · Rating 4 out of 5]

Covered the history of the various Negro Leagues on a high level. Wish the book was a bit more in depth but was overall an incredible read.

[Du · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great summary of the league. I wanted something more detailed and focused at times, but this is an enjoyable overview and paints a variety of pictures about the history and players/owners involved.

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aimed at youth, but I really liked this. Great fact-based history capturing both the injustice and the accomplishments of these players and this time.

[Linda Mastromonaco Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great reader for true baseball fans and historians

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read and full of information. Makes me want to go insist some names get up in the Hall of Fame.

[Michael Lehman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read. A lot of new knowledge about the creation and history of the NNL

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book I read was Black Diamond.The Authors are Patricia C. Mckissack and Fredrick Mckissack Jr.There are a variety of places but the main one that they mostly talked about was New york and different cities that are in New York.The main city that they talked about was Brooklyn and how that’s where Baseball started.There is really no person who tells the story;it’s just mainly the authors and their quotes and things but other than that its just the authors who tell the story.

The story took place in mainly in the 1800’s through mid 1900’s.During this time period there was a lot of discrimination to the colored to the point where they had to come up with there own league which was later was called the National Negroes League or “NNL” and, of course, the whites had their own league.The writing in the book was okay and the reason I say that is because the Authors just don’t talk about one thing or person they're always talking about 2-3 things at a time and to me that’s a little frustrating I would like to learn about someone for little but then rather learning about 2-3 people at a time.In the book there is really no main character they just basically talk about the best players Negroes in the “NNL” and how they impacted it.And how that the negro’s wanted to eventually wanted to join the whites.The most important character in this book in my opinion is Jackie Robinson becuase he was the not only the best negro baseball player to live but he brought pride and encourgment.He did not only change baseball but he also encoureged other negros to be the best at baseball and hopefully to pros.Jackie Robinson changed because he was so good that he brought attention to himself so fans started to like him.

The theme of this story is racism throughout the whole book. All it did was talk about racism and how the negroes and the whites had their own “people” and leagues.And I think that the “NNL” had way better people than the white league people just didn't know because they were colored and they didn't care.The main conflict in this story was that the negroes didn’t have attention to the media.The “NNL” players didn't get paid enough and when they did get paid it wasn’t that much compared to the white league.there are a lot of characters in this book but i had to choose it would be Rube foster,Jackie Robinson,Oscar Charleston, and Satchel Paige.There are many other characters in this book but I thought those were the most talked about and the best players.

I kind of liked this book but then I didn't in some parts because they talked about completely different people the next page so that was kind of confusing but other than that it was okay.I recommend people who like reading about the NNL and how it formed and how it worked also for people who like reading about the best negroes that ever played.

[Ncardonick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicholas Cardonick
Mr. Williams
English I
21 November 2013


Black Diamond
Pcr Book Review

What I am reading is a book called the Black Diamond. The book the Black Diamond Is written by two authors, one author is Patricia Mckissack and the other author Fredrick Mckissack. The Black diamond was created 1994. my overall opinion of the Black Diamond is that the Black Diamond was a great book, because I love sports, and that It taught me the history of baseball.


In the Black Diamond the story took place on 1939, in
Cooperstown, New York. In the Black Diamond their are many protagonist, but the main protagonist is Satchel Paige. Satchel Paige was a pitcher for the New York Yankees, and the Homestead Greys. If I had to describe Satchel Paige I would say that Satchel Paige was a guy who never gave up even if he was losing a baseball game. Lastly all the players in my book turned out to be hall of famers.


The conflict in the Black Diamond was segregation because,
it was much harder getting to their game. Maybe the players would not be able to get to their because they were waiting for the train all day. The antagonist was the signs saying colored only in the towns. the protagonist can not solve the conflict because it was laws in some states. In the end the characters lived a so and so life because of the segregation but had a fun time playing baseball.

I think the authors message was that life will have bumps,
but they will smooth out if you just try your best. And also don't give up. The evidence that I have is the unhappy faces. they also threw trash on the play Jackie Robinson.

What I liked about this book is that I
learned lots of history about baseball. Because I love history. I did not like it because it had segregation in it because that is cruel. I loved all my characters in my book because they all their each personality. If had a chance to meet the author if he could make a book of the baseball players today.

[Darby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Black Diamond

The Black Diamond is by Patricia C.Mc Kissack and takes place in the United States. The book Black Diamond took place from 1845 to 1962 but slowly it did affect what baseball is like today.
The most important character in the book is Jackie Robinson because he is the first black player to play in the White major league teams and show other black players that they might have a chance to join the major leagues but the white people did not want them to. Everyone kept on fighting about racism and it was a very big problem that led to fits and and lots of sadness.
Before reading this book there is some information you might want to know about it. There is a big problem with racism. There is also a lot of fights that go on because of racism. The writing in the book is really harsh and pretty dramatic telling you all of the details most of the time. The author tells you some of the facts that other books might not tell you.I think that the reason the book is called black diamond is because black people are trying to be able to play in the major leagues on the baseball diamond.
The theme of the book is that you should never give up on your dream even if it is almost impossible to accomplish. The reason I liked the book Black Diamond was that Patricia c. Mc kissack gave great detail in about what it was like,what people tried to do to try and play ball,and what happened after that. One thing that i did not like about the the book was how the author would skip some parts and then go back to another part of the story of baseball. It made it confusing at some points and a little irritating too.
If I were to pick some type of person to read this book it would be someone that likes baseball and is into history.Someone that wants a book that is not too hard that would enjoy this book