A Nation's Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis
- author: Matt De La Pena http://www.mattdelapena.com/
- illustrator: Kadir Nelson http://www.kadirnelson.com/
- medium: oils on wood
- year of publication: 2011
- publication city: New York, NY
- publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers
- ISBN: 978-0-8037-3167-7
Annotation: Joe Louis is America’s hero in the boxing ring, facing off with opponent Max Schmeling, the fighting pride of Hitler’s master race. The story tells of Louis’ rise to boxing legend and his role in raising America’s pride during war.
Personal Thoughts: A nation’s hope is impressive. Even if you are only slightly familiar with boxing history, you will be impressed by the presentation of this picturebook. Again, Kadir Nelson proves to be on the forefront of today’s greatest illustrators. Most pages are double spreads of a minimalist picture that convey meanings not by filling the pages with lots of images, but by making the reader concentrate on a single event or fewer objects. Joe Louis’ portrait as a child, sitting solitary and staring straight out at you, or two pairs of boxing gloves, glistening under the stadium lights, touching each other to signal the start of a match. Some of the images are so famous, coming from old photographs. I have seen them many times in other media, but haven’t realized I was looking at Joe Louis, in a crowd of adorers in Harlem, or at Yankee stadium, in battle with Schmeling. The book has the effect of a Ken Burns documentary, offering a still photograph and giving background information to help the reader build a feeling for the time. In one image, an old poster touting the Louis/Schmeling match, in another, various newspaper clippings of Louis’ victories. It is a beautiful presentation and a fine example of a great picturebook for older readers.
***Allusion -
But Joe knows tonight's fight is bigger
than any two men
Son of a black sharecropper
against Hilter's "master race" 
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