Ernest Eugene Barnes Jr., born in 1938 in Durham, North Carolina, was an American artist as well as a professional football player. But none of that could be foreseen when he was a kid.

As Tate writes:

“Sports didn’t come easy for Ernest. He couldn’t run very fast. He couldn’t dribble a basketball to save his life. No one picked him to play on their teams. Ernest felt pretty lousy about it all. ‘I couldn’t conform easily to the athletic ideal,’ he once said.”

Such a beginning pulls you right in. Hey, you might think, I am, or was, like that too. What happened to turn him into a star?

There was something Ernie was good at, and that was art. But “opportunities to learn about art were slim for kids in the Bottom during the 1930s.” Especially if you were a Black kid: art museums were segregated in the 1930s and 1940s and would not admit Blacks to look at art. But Ernie’s mother found a way. She did domestic work for an attorney in Durham who loved classical music and art. So sometimes, she took Ernie along with her while she worked, and he sat and looked through the art books.

At school, Ernie was bullied:

“A boy who didn’t play sports. Who loved art, played the trombone, and enjoyed reading poetry? He got teased for being different. ‘They hated me,’ he once said.”

It got so bad, teachers allowed him to leave school early to avoid more fights. At home, he sketched in his art pad.

In junior high, just to try to stop the bullying, he “dragged himself to the coaches’ office and joined the football team.” He couldn’t keep up. But Ernie was big, and everyone thought he would make a great defensive lineman. So in high school, Ernie’s mom signed him up. The weight-lifting coach took an interest in Ernie and helped him build muscle.

Soon, he improved his game, along with his confidence. His life changed:

“Not only did he play football, but Ernest also became the team captain. Later, he joined the track team, too, becoming state champion in the shot put. By graduation, he had earned twenty-six athletic scholarships to colleges and universities.”

All the good offers were from schools far from home however. Segregation still was the pattern in North Carolina. He decided to attend nearby North Carolina College, an all-Black school. He played football for them, but quit track to devote more time to art.

Ernie didn’t know what to paint, however, and his art teacher encouraged him to “use what you see.” What was all around Ernie was football, and so that is what he began to paint.

He also got to go to the North Carolina Museum of Art for the first time when segregation laws eased, but didn’t see any Black artists there. Tate tells of Ernie's recollections about the visit:

“‘Where are the paintings by Negro artists’ he asked the museum guide. ‘I’m afraid your people don’t express themselves this way,’ she said.”

Ernie was determined to change that misconception. He did play professional football after his college graduation, but before and after games, and during time-outs, he would sketch. It didn’t go over well with coaches. He decided to stop playing when he was twenty-seven, and league owners agreed to hire him as the Official Artist of the American Football League. His paintings were popular, and he had exhibits all over the country. In 1979, he even exhibited at the North Carolina Museum of Art!

Tate concludes:

“From pigskins to paintbrushes, Ernie Barnes grew to be a man successful at being himself.”

Back matter includes an Afterword with more about Ernie’s story, Author’s Note, and references including websites and video links. In the note, Tate - both the author and the illustrator - recounts that as a child he loved the television show “Good Times,” and especially the artwork of one of the characters J.J. Evans. He later learned that the art shown as J.J.’s was actually by Ernie Barnes. He also related to Barnes’ life story as a kid interested in art and vilified for it, and who later took up sports and did well at both.

Evaluation: This is the second book for kids I have read about the life of Ernie Barnes (the first was Between the Lines: How Ernie Barnes Went from the Football Field to the Art Gallery by Sandra Neil Wallace). The authors of each book were moved by the dedication and optimism of Ernie Barnes, and his perseverance in both doing what he loved, and in trying to change people’s points of view through art. In Tate’s case, the more personal element comes through as well. It’s a stirring story, and children who want to learn more about Barnes will benefit from a long list of resources for further exploration of Barnes’ life and work. (Ernies Barnes died in 2009.) ( )

Ernest “Ernie” Barnes was teased for his love for art and indifference to sports; despite this, Ernie found a way to satisfy his love of art and stop the teasing.

This biography begins with Barnes’ early life in segregated Durham, North Carolina, where he was singled out by classmates for his lack of athletic ability. In junior high, Barnes joined his school’s football team but later quit. In high school, coaches recruited Barnes due to his size, and after taking up weight training, he became a powerhouse player. His incredible talent on the field led to college scholarships and, eventually, spots on several pro teams. At the end of his athletic career, Barnes decided to return to art full time and held his first art show while employed as an artist for the New York Jets. Barnes’ paintings were featured in art shows across the country and appeared on the TV show Good Times, a show Barnes also appeared on and that young Tate watched regularly. Via quotations, Tate weaves Barnes’ own voice into his smoothly told narrative, to great effect. Tate’s illustrations are a bit of a departure from his characteristic style, using matte surfaces and collage to evoke Barnes’ times. A scene of Barnes in uniform, sketching on the sidelines, says it all. A conversational afterword and author’s note flesh out Barnes’ life and describe Tate’s process. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Will inspire young readers to stay true to themselves. (source notes, bibliography)

Remarkable story, and a lot of the remarkable elements are reminders of how divided (and ignorant) American culture/people have been over issues of race. ( )