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

Green, Michelle Y.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0142400726 ISBN 13: 9780142400722

Publisher: Puffin Books, 2004

Synopsis

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.

About this title

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.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-7. Just in time for baseball season comes a winning biography of Mamie "Peanut" Johnson, one of only three women (so far) to play professional baseball. Johnson was a pitcher with the Negro Leagues' Indianapolis Clowns from 1953 to 1955. In the introduction, Johnson speaks directly and movingly to the reader about her meeting with author Green, who then lets the famous ballplayer tell her own story in a lively first-person narrative. Johnson's ebullient personality and determination fairly leap off the page as the biography follows her from her childhood on her grandmother's South Carolina farm and her personal struggle against discrimination ("this colored girl thinks she can play ball") through her breakthrough and triumph on the team. The short, action-packed chapters are illustrated with occasional photos of Johnson and of other players she knew, including Satchel Paige, who taught her how to throw the curveball ("The first thing you gotta do, little missy, is stop squeezing the ball so tight"). Although baseball fans will be the first to grab this title, the true story of the underdog who succeeds despite tremendous odds will have wide appeal. Green includes a bibliography and a list of organizations and baseball Web sites. Debbie Carton
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About this edition

• Publisher: Puffin Books
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0142400726
• ISBN 13: 9780142400722
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 111
• Illustrator: Nelson Kadir