Baseball - Biography, Baseball Players

Satchel Paige: Don't Look Back

Name: Satchel Paige: Don't Look Back
Author: David A. Adler
ISBN: 9780152055851

by David A. Adler, Terry Widener

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Overview

Satchel Paige could throw a baseball like no one else. But when he began his career in the 1920s, even the best African American players were kept out of the major leagues. Paige rose to stardom in the Negro Baseball Leagues—and he waited for his chance to play in the "big show." Finally, at an age when most players retire, Paige proved that staying in the game pays off.

David A. Adler and Terry Widener, the award-winning team behind several acclaimed sports biographies, have created a powerful story about a talented athlete who just wouldn't give up. Satchel Paige is an inspired subject for baseball lovers, readers who are interested in African American history, and anyone who has held on to a dream.

Synopsis

The inspiring story of an amazing pitcher who was determined to stay in the game

Publishers Weekly

These creative collaborators (Lou Gehrig: The Luckiest Man) offer a multidimensional portrait of another athlete worthy of the spotlight. Born in Alabama in 1906, Satchel Paige was called by many the greatest pitcher of his day (quoted here saying as much are his contemporaries Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams and Dizzy Dean), yet for years he was barred from playing in the Major Leagues because he was African-American. Adler's crisp yet conversational narrative throws out nuggets about Paige's boyhood (e.g., he earned his nickname after rigging up a pole and rope to carry multiple satchels at the train depot). Aided by Widener's stylized acrylics, which serve up alluring perspectives of on-field action, the author chronicles Paige's accomplishments pitching for semi-pro black baseball teams and in the Negro Leagues. Finally-on his 42nd birthday (he never confessed his birth date until he retired, at age 59), and after pitching for 25 years-he signed with the Cleveland Indians. Readers will cheer Paige's long overdue, triumphant moment when later that year he was the first African-American to pitch in a World Series. Pithy quotes by Paige, interspersed throughout the text, also convey his gumption and grit. Ages 5-8. (Jan.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

About the Author, David A. Adler

David A. Adler lives in Woodmere, New York. Joy Allen lives in Cameron Park, California.

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Editorials

Publishers Weekly

Children's Literature - Mary Loftus

This book could be described as a picture book biography. Younger readers may be drawn to the vibrant acrylic illustrations, while older readers will easily follow the text—more text than the average picture book. This is the story of an athlete, a sport, and racism. Satchel Paige is known as one of the best pitchers ever, and his dream was to play in the major leagues. "But no team would take him because he was black." Rather than allow the racism of the time to dampen his dream, Satchel Paige continued to excel. His response to racist treatment was to answer with his performance on the field. When players on an all-white semi-professional team made racist comments, Paige had his teammates sit down on the field, and then he threw three straight strikeouts. This story will inspire readers that it is never too late to realize a dream. At the age of forty-two, Satchel Paige made it to the majors, where he played until he was fifty-nine years old! This is a great story for a baseball fan as well as readers who may not know the first thing about the sport.

Kirkus Reviews

Satchel Paige was an amazing, immensely popular pitcher who won many games in the Negro Leagues. He was admired and respected by the white baseball stars like Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams and Dizzy Dean, who faced him in off-season barnstorming games, but was virtually unknown by white baseball fans. He persevered through all the hardships and finally reached the major leagues at the age of 42, the year after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. Adler captures the real man behind the persona that Paige so carefully projected. He had whimsical names for his pitches, like "trouble ball" and whipsey-dipsey-do." "Don't look back, something might be gaining on you" is just one of the rules he invented for himself. But he was also outspoken about segregation and the limited opportunities of African Americans. He knew that racism had cheated him of a major-league career. Paige's innate dignity shines in Widener's cartoon-like, acrylic illustrations that beautifully complement the text. Another winning effort from Adler. (chronology, sources) (Picture book/biography. 7-11)