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A Strong Right Arm: The Story of Mamie "Peanut" Johnson

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A Strong Right Arm: The Story of Mamie "Peanut" Johnson

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Overview

Motivated by her love for the game and inspired by the legendary Jackie Robinson, Mamie Johnson is determined to be a professional baseball pitcher. But in a sport that's determined by white men, there is no place for a black woman. Mamie doesn't give up-from the time she insists on trying out for the all-male, all-white Police Athletic League until she realizes her dream and becomes one of three women to play in the Negro Leagues. Mamie Johnson's life shows that with courage and perseverance one can overcome even the greatest challenges.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780142400722
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	03/08/2004
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	661,427
Product dimensions:	5.06(w) x 7.81(h) x 0.34(d)
Lexile:	860L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Michelle Y. Green is a graduate of the University of Maryland College of Journalism and the Johns Hopkins University Masters Program in Writing. She teaches "The Art of Writing for Children," and two other courses at The George Washington University School of Continuing Education.

Ms. Green is the author of A Strong Right Arm: The Story of Mamie Peanut Johnson, the true story of the first woman to pitch professional baseball in a men’s league. She is also the author of the award-winning children’s book series, Willie Pearl, a book about her mother set in a Depression-era coal mining town.

Ms. Green lives with her two sons, Bryan and Evan, in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, where she roots for her favorite team, the Baltimore Orioles.

	Introduction	xi
	The Wall	3
	Carolina Summers	5
	Blackberry Sky	11
	Knuckleball	15
	Long Branch	22
	The Tryout	37
	Bannecker Field	47
	Change-up	61
	Full Count	69
	Call Me Peanut	82
	Miller's Field	99
	Appendices
	For More	107
	The They Played Baseball Foundation	110

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"A winning biography of Mamie 'Peanut' Johnson...the true story of the underdog who succeeds despite tremendous odds." -Booklist

From the B&N Reads Blog

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Editorial Reviews

"A winning biography of Mamie 'Peanut' Johnson...the true story of the underdog who succeeds despite tremendous odds." -Booklist

From the Publisher

Gr 4-7-Johnson played professional ball for the Indianapolis Clowns for three years in the waning days of the Negro Leagues. She succeeded as a professional athlete, competing on an equal footing against some of the best male ballplayers in the country. As her story makes clear, even though Jackie Robinson had broken the major-league color barrier a few years before, the U.S. was still mired in segregation and prejudice, and Johnson faced an equally pervasive bias against female athletes. She never let any of this stand in her way, however, and her love of baseball kept her going. This isn't an autobiography, but the author, who obviously interviewed her subject extensively, wisely tells the story in the first person. Consequently, whereas some sports biographies are a rather dull catalog of accomplishments, this one is peppered with colorful language and filled with Johnson's natural exuberance and love of life. While readers might wish for more descriptions of some of the professional games she played in and how she developed her impressive skills as a pitcher and infielder (she won far more games than she lost and had a respectable batting average), this is an enjoyable account of a part of baseball history that will come as a surprise to many readers. Black-and-white photos are scattered throughout.-Todd Morning, Schaumburg Township Public Library, IL Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

By chance, the author visited the newly opened Negro Leagues Baseball Shop in Maryland and discovered that there really were women who played professional baseball-and one of them was right there in the store. She was smart enough to ask Mamie Johnson if anyone had ever written her story and smart enough to grab at the chance. The result is at once unique, yet sadly representative of the hold racism had on every facet of society. From the time she was a young child, Mamie just wanted to play baseball. She had been taught to play like the boys, and her pitching ability had far surpassed most of the youngsters she played with and against. As she grew older, she had to constantly overcome the double prejudice of gender and race, but she usually managed to find a way to play. When Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in major league baseball in 1947, teams quickly began raiding the Negro Leagues for their best talent. It was at this time that Mamie and two other black women were contracted to play in the Negro Leagues. Although it was initially an economic decision made to boost gate receipts, the women made the most of the opportunity and were wildly popular. It was there that Mamie was given her nickname of "Peanut," a reference to her small size. Mamie is a strong, feisty woman who is-rightfully-immensely proud of her place in baseball history. She has formed the They Played Baseball Foundation to allow former Negro League players to pass on their vast knowledge of baseball. Green has wisely allowed her to tell the story in her own voice, a charming and personable one. The reader is richer for the opportunity of meeting Mamie in this poignant and fascinating story of a great lady.(Biography. 10-14)

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A Strong Right Arm: The Story of Mamie "Peanut" Johnson

A Strong Right Arm: The Story of Mamie "Peanut" Johnson

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