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In 1954, Darrell Huff published a witty, informative exposé of the use of statistics by advertisers, the government and the media to mislead their audiences, called How to Lie With Statistics. Over the course of an entertaining 142 pages, Huff explained how the statistically challenged reader can see through the smoke and mirrors to get to the real meaning, if any, of what is being presented. I happened to stumble across a tattered copy of this book as an impressionable ten-year-old and remember enjoying it primarily for its cartoon illustrations. However, I like to think that it also started me down the path of being a keen observer of charts, graphs, and numbers, especially when they are being used to try to convince me of something.
So it was with some amusement that I read an e-article that came over the transom. It's a reposting of a blog by fellow librarian Joyce Valenza which deconstructed an argument that Wikipedia was superseding libraries in the public's endless quest for information. Deconstructed? Nay! She sliced and diced the argument to shreds with the critical thinking skills of a true teacher-librarian born to the profession. The article's focus was an infographic that Open Site, the self-proclaimed "free Internet Encyclopedia" (wait, I though that was Wikipedia--- never mind) posted, which stated that Wikipedia had forced the print-version of Encyclopedia Britannica out of business. Here it is, for your amusement:
I know what you are saying: "Whoa, those are a lot of statistics!"
And I am replying: "Oh yes, a lot of unsupported and distorted statistics."
And you are saying: "But look at all those sources!"
And I am replying: "Oh yes, but remember, in the immortal words of Darrell Huff, that 'the secret language of statistics, so appealing in a fact-minded culture, is employed to sensationalize, inflate, confuse and oversimplify.'"
And I am replying: "Oh yes, a lot of unsupported and distorted statistics."
And you are saying: "But look at all those sources!"
And I am replying: "Oh yes, but remember, in the immortal words of Darrell Huff, that 'the secret language of statistics, so appealing in a fact-minded culture, is employed to sensationalize, inflate, confuse and oversimplify.'"
As Ms. Valenza notes, comparing library visits to Wikipedia visits, as the infographic purports to do, is a bit of an apples vs. oranges comparison, since one is achieved with the click of a mouse and one person can click repeatedly throughout the day (or night, if that person is an insomniac). Ms. Valenza goes on to ask some very pertinent questions about the research methods of the infographic creators, the types of questions that teacher-librarians need to instruct their students to ask, the types of questions that Darrell Huff was writing about in 1954:
Which libraries are these people measuring? What students? And students are generally required to use multiple sources, so which do they consult after Wikipedia? How does YouTube factor into the equation?
And where did they get the figure that books have declined by 12%? And after the Great Recession hit, library use increased! As Ms. Valenza notes, the authors of this infographic seem to need a lesson in improving their own research skills.
And are we supposed to be impressed that there's an increase in students who are plagiarizing Wikipedia? Or more impressed that teachers are becoming more savvy in catching it?
Eeeesh!
But don't take my rehash as the final word. Check out the original blog post by Ms. Valenza at School Library Journal: the Never Ending Search.
Kudos, Joyce!
But I did learn that Wikipedia is looking for female editors...maybe I'll apply!
Which libraries are these people measuring? What students? And students are generally required to use multiple sources, so which do they consult after Wikipedia? How does YouTube factor into the equation?
And where did they get the figure that books have declined by 12%? And after the Great Recession hit, library use increased! As Ms. Valenza notes, the authors of this infographic seem to need a lesson in improving their own research skills.
And are we supposed to be impressed that there's an increase in students who are plagiarizing Wikipedia? Or more impressed that teachers are becoming more savvy in catching it?
Eeeesh!
But don't take my rehash as the final word. Check out the original blog post by Ms. Valenza at School Library Journal: the Never Ending Search.
Kudos, Joyce!
But I did learn that Wikipedia is looking for female editors...maybe I'll apply!
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Apparently my post of a couple of days ago regarding fonts struck a nerve, judging by the comments and emails. Just what is it about Comic Sans that drives people to such passionate heights of love and hate? Personally, I have nothing against the Comic Sans font. It is, in fact, the favorite font of teachers hither and yon because 1) it's easy to read; 2) it's friendly and unassuming (as far as fonts go); 3) it's just about the only typeface that uses a handwritten style letter "a"; and 4) it is an easy font for children with dyslexia to decipher.
What's to hate?
The strange thing is Comic Sans was not created to be a font for everyday use. It was designed in 1994 by Vincent Connare, who worked as a typographic engineer at Microsoft. He was working on a beta version of Microsoft Bob, a software package designed to be particularly user-friendly. (Never heard of it? I know. Neither had I!) The software included a word processor and a finances management piece, and for a time was the developmental baby of Melinda French, who later became Mrs Bill Gates.
Hey, that pooch in the corner looks familiar!
Connare thought the choice of Times New Roman was not quite appropriate for this next-door neighbor vibe. Too harsh, a bit schoolmarmish, even...shall we say... boring. Connare was a graphic novel aficionado. He took that inspiration, speech bubbles and all, and ran with it, conjuring up simple, rounded letters that might have been created by an Ellison die cutter or even just a pair of scissors. Of course, he wasn't sitting there snipping away. He used a popular font-making software package.
Vincent Connare: no regrets!
The font that he created, which was still nameless, was rejected for technical
reasons, but then it was resurrected for the successful Microsoft Movie Maker program. From there, it was added as a typeface called Comic Sans (without a serif) in the Windows 95 operating system, and the rest is history. For the record, Vince also created the Trebuchet and Magpie fonts.
Apparently, Comic Sans is the victim of its own success, its ubiquity (in the words of the art world). Too much of a good thing... familiarity breeds contempt. What should have stayed in the realm of the child-like and casual strayed into serious or formal territory. Comic Sans may have been wonderful for designs related to comic books, cartoons or children, but those in the know declared that it had no place in business or professional work usage. Thus, the Comic Sans backlash.
The "Ban Comic Sans" movement is the brainchild of graphic designers Dave and Holly Crumbs, who admit their resistance is more than a little tongue-in-cheek.
But love it or hate, we can all just get along and agree that there are certain times when Comic Sans is just inappropriate!
reasons, but then it was resurrected for the successful Microsoft Movie Maker program. From there, it was added as a typeface called Comic Sans (without a serif) in the Windows 95 operating system, and the rest is history. For the record, Vince also created the Trebuchet and Magpie fonts.
Apparently, Comic Sans is the victim of its own success, its ubiquity (in the words of the art world). Too much of a good thing... familiarity breeds contempt. What should have stayed in the realm of the child-like and casual strayed into serious or formal territory. Comic Sans may have been wonderful for designs related to comic books, cartoons or children, but those in the know declared that it had no place in business or professional work usage. Thus, the Comic Sans backlash.
The "Ban Comic Sans" movement is the brainchild of graphic designers Dave and Holly Crumbs, who admit their resistance is more than a little tongue-in-cheek.
But love it or hate, we can all just get along and agree that there are certain times when Comic Sans is just inappropriate!
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Caution: this post contains photos of a graphic nature which may disturb those of a more sensitive nature (and women who wear sensible shoes)!
The historical origins of the practice (torture?) of footbinding are vague, although brief references in Chinese texts of the time suggest that small feet for women were preferred as early as the Han dynasty (206 B.C. - 220 A.D.). The first documented reference to the actual binding of a foot is from the court of the Southern Tang dynasty in Nanjing (618 - 900 A.D.). The text celebrates the fame of its dancing girls renowned for their tiny feet and beautiful bow shoes. The practice became the standard for feminine beauty at the imperial court, the mark of a "woman of wealth and taste," and then spread downward socially and geographically as the lower classes endeavored to imitate the style of the elite (as it is ever thus).
The historical origins of the practice (torture?) of footbinding are vague, although brief references in Chinese texts of the time suggest that small feet for women were preferred as early as the Han dynasty (206 B.C. - 220 A.D.). The first documented reference to the actual binding of a foot is from the court of the Southern Tang dynasty in Nanjing (618 - 900 A.D.). The text celebrates the fame of its dancing girls renowned for their tiny feet and beautiful bow shoes. The practice became the standard for feminine beauty at the imperial court, the mark of a "woman of wealth and taste," and then spread downward socially and geographically as the lower classes endeavored to imitate the style of the elite (as it is ever thus).
Young girls between the ages of four and seven were the ideal candidates for the start of the torture/foot binding. A strip of cloth ten feet long and two inches wide was wrapped tightly around the foot. The four small toes were broken and bent under the sole. The arch of the foot was bowed to make the foot shorter. The cloth wrap was tightened over time and the foot was confined by increasingly smaller shoes. After about two years, the process (torture) had done its job. By then, the feet were useless for walking more than a few steps. The results of this torture:
An x-ray of feet deformed by the practice of footbinding and a look from the outside
All of this cruelty was performed so that they could wear shoes like those to the right.
As you can imagine, they spent most of their time lying around on sofas, which may sound like a cushy deal, but not when you start thinking about it. Too much lying around and lack of exercise and pretty soon your leg muscles would start to atrophy and you would just dissolve into a puddle of weak, useless flesh.
The practice was banned by the Chinese Republic in 1912, but continued on the down low into the 1930's, after which it finally died out. (After all, hard-working Communist women have to be able to haul ass!)
As you can imagine, they spent most of their time lying around on sofas, which may sound like a cushy deal, but not when you start thinking about it. Too much lying around and lack of exercise and pretty soon your leg muscles would start to atrophy and you would just dissolve into a puddle of weak, useless flesh.
The practice was banned by the Chinese Republic in 1912, but continued on the down low into the 1930's, after which it finally died out. (After all, hard-working Communist women have to be able to haul ass!)
But I mispeak. The actual practice of binding the foot may have died out, but the idea of shoes as instruments of torture is still thriving in 2012, particularly in the DSW dynasty. A trip to any shoe store (other than the Birkenstock outlet) during prom season -- or any time of the year, for that matter -- will provide ample evidence. Some women are still willing to contort their feet at excruciatingly strange angles and bind them into cruelly splendid modern day equivalents of the rack and the press in order to (insert your own reason here). Submitted for your perusal:
Yeah, okay, these shoes may say something, but you can bet it's not "hey, let's take the dog for a walk around the block."
And whether it's a pair of 6 inch heels or 4 inch shoes: ouch, it makes my feet hurt just looking at them!!!
One of these photos is a realistic depiction of what a footbound woman can do.
I could have danced all night... and still have begged for... a foot massage!
Early 20th Chinese footbound girl being carried; early 21st Century footbound Lady Gaga being carried
Torture device? Take a look at that x-ray. This is your foot in crazy-high heels.
And what fiendish minds conjure these instruments of torture? The most famous designers of these cruelities also known as high-heeled shoes are men: Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy Choo, Christian Louboutin, Salvatore Ferragamo, Noritaka Tatehana (Lady Gaga's torturer). There's your answer, ladies. They don't have to insert their precious body parts which have 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments, 19 muscles and tendons into their own creations. The only men who wear high heels are generally pretending to be women!
As a proud mother, I have to say that my wise-beyond-her-years daughter left the store with a pair of lovely, sparkling, eye-catching shoes... with sensible heels!
As a proud mother, I have to say that my wise-beyond-her-years daughter left the store with a pair of lovely, sparkling, eye-catching shoes... with sensible heels!
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Elementary students love to experiment with fonts. In fact, they are so hooked on changing fonts, that I use it an incentive for getting their actual work completed: "No changing fonts until you have finished your [fill in the blank]." It's the technology equivalent of "no dessert 'til you eat your dinner." Yep, call me a Tiger Teacher, but this technique turns them into 50 word per minute typists, guaranteed. But the choice of a font can be a highly controversial topic, as noted in a post at Cracked.com. "If graphic design was a religion, fonts are its priests - some are brilliant and enhance your understanding of the text and others are, well ... best avoided."
One of the most reviled fonts ever!
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Sunday marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. It's a tragedy that has been commemorated in print, on film, and over the airwaves numerous times. Perhaps its continued fascination is due to the combination of hubris, glamour, social stratification, cowardice, bravery and sacrifice that swirl around the massive ocean liner and the events that led to her doom on the night of April 14-15, 1912. Other maritime disasters of similar magnitude have faded into obscurity; however, in the hands of a skillful writer, they can come to life in all its horrific immediacy:
Lusitania by Diane Preston (2003). On May 7, 1915, as she closed in on the city of Liverpool, England and the end of her 101st eastbound crossing from New York City, the R.M.S. Lusitania, the pride of the Cunard Line and one of the most magnificent ocean liners afloat, steamed into the sites of a terrifying new weapon and became the casualty of a horrible new kind of warfare.
Lusitania by Diane Preston (2003). On May 7, 1915, as she closed in on the city of Liverpool, England and the end of her 101st eastbound crossing from New York City, the R.M.S. Lusitania, the pride of the Cunard Line and one of the most magnificent ocean liners afloat, steamed into the sites of a terrifying new weapon and became the casualty of a horrible new kind of warfare.
Just 11 miles off the southern coast of Ireland, she was struck
by a torpedo fired from the German submarine. She exploded and sank within eighteen minutes. 1,198 lives, more than half of the passengers and crew, were lost. The deliberate and cold-blooded sinking of the Lusitania shocked the world. With the deaths of 128 American passengers, it was the event that spurred the United States to abandon its neutral stance and enter the armageddon we now call World War I.
by a torpedo fired from the German submarine. She exploded and sank within eighteen minutes. 1,198 lives, more than half of the passengers and crew, were lost. The deliberate and cold-blooded sinking of the Lusitania shocked the world. With the deaths of 128 American passengers, it was the event that spurred the United States to abandon its neutral stance and enter the armageddon we now call World War I.
Sultana: Surviving the Civil War, Prison and the Worst Maritime Disaster in American History by Alan Huffman (2009) The title says it all. And it's unbelievable that, outside of American history professors and Civil War buffs, this tragedy has been absolutely forgotten. In April 1865, the steamboat Sultana moved up the Mississippi River, its engines straining under the weight of twenty-four hundred passengers—mostly Union soldiers, recently released from Confederate prison camps. By law, she was only allowed to carry 376 persons, including the crew. At 2 a.m., three of Sultana's four boilers exploded. Within twenty minutes, the boat went down in flames, and an estimated seventeen hundred lives were lost. Those who did not perish in the fire drowned in the cold, fast-moving river. The other events of that April -- the end of the war, the assassination of President Lincoln, the hunt for John Wilkes Booth -- overshadowed this tragedy, which was, by sheer loss of life, the worst maritime disaster in U.S. history. The author captures this harrowing story in vivid detail through the experiences of four individual soldiers who survived the Civil War's final hell to make it back home.
Into the Mist: The Story of the Empress of Ireland by Ann Renaud (2010). In the early hours of May 29, 1914, the Empress of Ireland, the crown jewel of the Canadian Pacific Line, plunged to the bottom of the St. Lawrence River in just 14 minutes, after colliding with the SS Sorstad, a coal freighter. Over 1,000 passengers and crew members died. But there's more to the story than just disaster. The ocean liner's true legacy is the significant role it played in the building of Canada. During the ship's many crossings between Canada and England during its years of service from 1906 to 1914, it carried royalty, politicians, scientists, authors, actors, captains of industry, and military servicemen, but most important, it ferried more than 115,000 hopeful immigrants from Europe to build new lives on Canadian soil. The author paints a moving portrait of a ship and its time of glory.
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One of my favorite children's authors is Beverly Cleary. I adored her books as a child, and plowed through all of the Beezus and Ramona series in my formative years. And I love her as a librarian, pressing her wonderful, crisply-written novels into the hands of my young patrons. If they read one, they want to read them all. She turns 96 today. Here's a lovely piece from last year's New York Times on her ageless appeal.
A former librarian who knew she could write a better children's book... and she did
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More than 3 million students are expected to graduate high school next month. It's fascinating (to a librarian, anyway) to look at the world from their perspective.
When they were born, the Soviet Union had crumbled, South African apartheid was ending with the general election of 1994, and the administration of President Bill Clinton launched the first official White House website, www.whitehouse.gov.
In the year they were born, former President Richard Nixon died and musician and lead singer for Nirvana, Kurt Cobain committed suicide; actress Dakota Fanning and singer Justin Bieber were born.
They have never lived in a world with reality TV.
On September 11, 2001, they were in second grade.
They've grown up with cellphones and cellphones with cameras, giving them instant access to friends and family.
When they were born, the Soviet Union had crumbled, South African apartheid was ending with the general election of 1994, and the administration of President Bill Clinton launched the first official White House website, www.whitehouse.gov.
In the year they were born, former President Richard Nixon died and musician and lead singer for Nirvana, Kurt Cobain committed suicide; actress Dakota Fanning and singer Justin Bieber were born.
They have never lived in a world with reality TV.
On September 11, 2001, they were in second grade.
They've grown up with cellphones and cellphones with cameras, giving them instant access to friends and family.
They look at digital and social media (texts, tweets, Facebook, YouTube, etc.) as an essential part of everyday life. They are members of the least religious generation in history. They are also the most ethnically diverse generation in history (all according to the "Profile on Millennials" compiled by the Pew Research Center). Arizona Diamondbacks, created in 1998. Fifteen sports teams were created during their lifetime: 3 in the NBA, 2 in Major League Baseball, 6 in the National Hockey League, and 4 in the NFL. The only President Bush they've known is George W. When they were born, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera and librarian heartthrob Ryan Gosling were all well-behaved Mouseketeers. (No head-shaving melt-downs or wardrobe malfunctions on the radar back in 1994!)
Before they were famous: Mouseketeers Ryan Gosling (front left),Britney Spears (front right), Christina Aguilera (second row, right)and Justin Timberlake (third row, right).
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...on Mattel for coming out with a Katniss Everdeen Barbie doll... if a girl is still young enough to play with Barbie dolls, she probably shouldn't be reading The Hunger Games or viewing the movie...but hey, it's commerce. Let's celebrate kids killing kids for $29.95 a pop!
...on the author, Suzanne Collins, for selling out her creation for 200,000 pieces of silver. As a book, The Hunger Games pointed up the sickness at the heart of reality TV and echoed back to the bloody gladiator and Christian-bating spectacles of ancient Rome. As a movie, The Hunger Games uses the spectacle of children hunting and killing children as entertainment. Some things should be left on the page.
Here endeth the rant...
...on the author, Suzanne Collins, for selling out her creation for 200,000 pieces of silver. As a book, The Hunger Games pointed up the sickness at the heart of reality TV and echoed back to the bloody gladiator and Christian-bating spectacles of ancient Rome. As a movie, The Hunger Games uses the spectacle of children hunting and killing children as entertainment. Some things should be left on the page.
Here endeth the rant...
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So let's celebrate with studly men extolling the virtues of... the written word and libraries!
The actual Old Spice dude:
The actual Old Spice dude:
And a parody:
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Here it is again: spring and the baseball season. And both Chicago teams lost their openers. Luckily, it's a looooong season. And, as Scarlett would say, "Tomorrow is another day." We can say that for awhile, maybe up until the All-Star break, at which point we will begin to say, "Wait 'til next year." Scratch a baseball cynic and you will find a baseball romantic, raised in a ballpark, on popcorn, peanuts, and ice cream eaten with a wooden spoon. So while we are waiting for victories, as a librarian I can always find solace in books. So here's an admittedly quirky, highly subjective list of some favorites:
Bang the Drum Slowly by Mark Harris (1956)
"O bang the drum slowly and play the fife lowly,
Play the dead march as they carry me on,
Put bunches of roses all over my coffin,
Roses to deaden the clods as they fall" – The Streets of Laredo
Bang the Drum Slowly, one of a quartet of novels by Harris with protagonist Henry “Author” Wiggen, reaches for the heights in sports literature and might even be considered one of those elusive “great American novels.” Set back in the day before free-agency created millionaires out of regular guys who play games for a living, Harris viewed sports with a coldly realistic eye. His players are workmanlike drudges who have off season jobs and indulge in foul language, alcohol, and womanizing (when they are not playing baseball or TEGWAR-the exciting game without any rules). Team management cares mainly about the bottom line. Things that happen off the field do effect performance on the field. The writing is honest; the plot, which revolves around the relationship between a star pitcher and his roommate, the quirky third-string catcher just diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, is engrossing; and the narrative voice is wonderfully distinctive. An excellent film version starring a very young Michael Moriarty and Robert DeNiro was released in 1973.
"O bang the drum slowly and play the fife lowly,
Play the dead march as they carry me on,
Put bunches of roses all over my coffin,
Roses to deaden the clods as they fall" – The Streets of Laredo
Bang the Drum Slowly, one of a quartet of novels by Harris with protagonist Henry “Author” Wiggen, reaches for the heights in sports literature and might even be considered one of those elusive “great American novels.” Set back in the day before free-agency created millionaires out of regular guys who play games for a living, Harris viewed sports with a coldly realistic eye. His players are workmanlike drudges who have off season jobs and indulge in foul language, alcohol, and womanizing (when they are not playing baseball or TEGWAR-the exciting game without any rules). Team management cares mainly about the bottom line. Things that happen off the field do effect performance on the field. The writing is honest; the plot, which revolves around the relationship between a star pitcher and his roommate, the quirky third-string catcher just diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, is engrossing; and the narrative voice is wonderfully distinctive. An excellent film version starring a very young Michael Moriarty and Robert DeNiro was released in 1973.
Ball Four by Jim Bouton (1970)
One of the original sports tell-all books, Bowie Kuhn, the
commissioner of baseball at the time, attempted to discredit it by claiming it was detrimental to the ideals of the sport. Bouton pitched for the New York Yankees, the Houston Astros and the Seattle Pilots (during the club's only year in existence), retired and later became a sportscaster. Ball Four is now considered to be one of the most important sports books ever written and was named to the New York Public Library’s list of “Books of the Century.” A great underdog story, which details Bouton’s struggle for a comeback on the strength of a knuckleball, Ball Four is insightful, laugh-out-loud funny, brutally honest, and an overall great read.
One of the original sports tell-all books, Bowie Kuhn, the
commissioner of baseball at the time, attempted to discredit it by claiming it was detrimental to the ideals of the sport. Bouton pitched for the New York Yankees, the Houston Astros and the Seattle Pilots (during the club's only year in existence), retired and later became a sportscaster. Ball Four is now considered to be one of the most important sports books ever written and was named to the New York Public Library’s list of “Books of the Century.” A great underdog story, which details Bouton’s struggle for a comeback on the strength of a knuckleball, Ball Four is insightful, laugh-out-loud funny, brutally honest, and an overall great read.
A Pennant for the Kremlin by Paul Malloy (1964)
Here’s a period piece from the Cold War-era before glasnost,
perestroika and the birthmark on Mikhail Gorbachev’s forehead caused the Soviet Union to crumble. The Chicago White Sox wind up the property of the Soviet government when, in a fit of pique, a wealthy hotel magnate wills everything he owns to the Reds - no, not the ones in Cincinnati. Unexpectedly, he croaks and the Soviets end up owning an American baseball team. They send the usual suspects to tend to their interests in Chicago. The new manager proves to be smarter than he looks in his half-suit/half-Sox uniform. His hottie of a daughter falls in love with the team’s star. And, of course, there’s the loyal Commie overseer who sends daily reports back to Moscow and distributes the worker’s newspapers to all the players. In one funny set-piece, Pravda sends a
propagandist/reporter to cover the story for readers back home, and he writes a scathing piece about a Cubs game while the Sox are out of town. In another lovely and well-written scene, the Soviet manager reflects on the great variety of people that he's encountered on the team road trips. The reader might feel more than a twinge of nostalgia for pre-Wal-Mart
and pre-Facebook America.
Here’s a period piece from the Cold War-era before glasnost,
perestroika and the birthmark on Mikhail Gorbachev’s forehead caused the Soviet Union to crumble. The Chicago White Sox wind up the property of the Soviet government when, in a fit of pique, a wealthy hotel magnate wills everything he owns to the Reds - no, not the ones in Cincinnati. Unexpectedly, he croaks and the Soviets end up owning an American baseball team. They send the usual suspects to tend to their interests in Chicago. The new manager proves to be smarter than he looks in his half-suit/half-Sox uniform. His hottie of a daughter falls in love with the team’s star. And, of course, there’s the loyal Commie overseer who sends daily reports back to Moscow and distributes the worker’s newspapers to all the players. In one funny set-piece, Pravda sends a
propagandist/reporter to cover the story for readers back home, and he writes a scathing piece about a Cubs game while the Sox are out of town. In another lovely and well-written scene, the Soviet manager reflects on the great variety of people that he's encountered on the team road trips. The reader might feel more than a twinge of nostalgia for pre-Wal-Mart
and pre-Facebook America.
We Are the Ship: the Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson (2008)
The title comes from a quote by Rube Foster, the founder of the Negro National League: “We are the ship; all else the sea.” Kadir Nelson brings the struggles and successes of gifted African-American athletes to life in words and incredible illustrations. Even the staunchest fan of baseball may not be familiar with the stories of the passionate, hard-working men who played the sport in the shadow of segregation and formed their own league. This book is grounded in personal anecdotes that make history a living, breathing thing.
The title comes from a quote by Rube Foster, the founder of the Negro National League: “We are the ship; all else the sea.” Kadir Nelson brings the struggles and successes of gifted African-American athletes to life in words and incredible illustrations. Even the staunchest fan of baseball may not be familiar with the stories of the passionate, hard-working men who played the sport in the shadow of segregation and formed their own league. This book is grounded in personal anecdotes that make history a living, breathing thing.
Moneyball by Michael Lewis (2003)
Before the movie, there was the book. And the book introduced us to the concept of sabermetrics, the mathematical and statistical analysis of baseball records. And reading the book made me realize that my brother was a sabermetrician (??) before it was popular, because he would pore over baseball game box scores and create his own lists of baseball stats throughout the course of a season. Data, data, data! Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane and his assistant, Paul DePodesta use it creatively to challenge conventional baseball wisdom and put together a team that can compete on the field with other organizations that have a lot more money to throw around. It’s all about getting on base. Well, duh!
Before the movie, there was the book. And the book introduced us to the concept of sabermetrics, the mathematical and statistical analysis of baseball records. And reading the book made me realize that my brother was a sabermetrician (??) before it was popular, because he would pore over baseball game box scores and create his own lists of baseball stats throughout the course of a season. Data, data, data! Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane and his assistant, Paul DePodesta use it creatively to challenge conventional baseball wisdom and put together a team that can compete on the field with other organizations that have a lot more money to throw around. It’s all about getting on base. Well, duh!
A Whole New Ball Game: the Story of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League by Sue Macy (1995)
Here’s an authoritative and well-written account of the
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. From 1943 to 1954, women belonged at home, first, second and third base and in the outfield, too. The author dug into the archives and surveyed and interviewed former players to develop a clear picture of the era, showing us the reasons for the league's initial popularity and its ultimate failure. The league drew hundreds of talented athletes who worked to create a team spirit and who supported each other’s individual sense of worth as the players pushed up against the repressive social trends of the postwar era. It’s a fascinating look at a rather obscure era in American sports.
Here’s an authoritative and well-written account of the
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. From 1943 to 1954, women belonged at home, first, second and third base and in the outfield, too. The author dug into the archives and surveyed and interviewed former players to develop a clear picture of the era, showing us the reasons for the league's initial popularity and its ultimate failure. The league drew hundreds of talented athletes who worked to create a team spirit and who supported each other’s individual sense of worth as the players pushed up against the repressive social trends of the postwar era. It’s a fascinating look at a rather obscure era in American sports.