You Never Heard of Willie Mays?! Jonah Winter & Terry Widener

I've heard of Willie Mays.  Many of my relatives admired him.  So for those young ones who don't, here's a bit of baseball history that deserves to be remembered.

Schwartz & Wade sent me a copy of this book for review (thank you).  It has been published, so check with your local bookstore for a copy.

This book has one of those covers that changes as you move the book around.  You can see Willie make a swing and connect with the ball.  I looked up the correct term for it and was amazed to find it's called a lenticular cover.  Pretty fancy for moving graphics, isn't it?

Willie Mays had to fight great odds to get picked up by the major leagues.  Blacks had their own league; they also had their own water fountains.  It's not like the black rubs off, folks.  Only Willie's burning passion for baseball made his athletic greatness rise to a level the white man couldn't ignore anymore.  While this was long ago, there are still discriminations like this going on in the states.

If your family is a baseball aficionado or just likes history, it would make a nice combination to go see 42, the Jackie Robinson movie, and then read this book about Willie Mays and talk about baseball in that era.  Nowadays, some of the best paid players are black or of another culture.  The barriers don't seem to stand anymore if you can play ball well.  Remembering the past is a good thing.  You don't want to repeat the bad parts.

Happy reading.