A Strong Right Arm: The Story of Mamie "Peanut" Johnson (Carter G Woodson Honor Book (Awards)) - Hardcover

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.

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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