Black Star

Black Star (2024) by Kwame Alexander is the second installment in The Door of No Return series. The story follows Charlene “Charley” Cuffman, the granddaughter of Kofi Offin from the first novel. Set in the Jim Crow South during the Great Migration, Charley dreams of becoming the first Black female pitcher in professional baseball. However, a fateful challenge at a church picnic exposes her to the harsh realities of segregation, forcing her to confront the difficult truths of her family’s history and the racial tensions of her time. The novel explores themes of Dreams and Determination, Generational History and Self-Discovery Through Family Legacy, and Courage Against Racial Injustice. 

This guide refers to the 2024 Kindle e-book edition published by Little, Brown and Company.

Content Warning: The source material and guide contain depictions of death and racism. In particular, they discuss enslavement and racist violence.

Plot Summary

Twelve-year-old Charlene “Charley” Cuffey is a passionate and talented baseball player inspired by her father (whom she calls “Daddy”), who once tried out for a minor league team and taught her his skills. Charley’s most cherished memory is attending a Baltimore Black Sox game with Daddy.

She spends her summer days practicing with her best friend, Willie Green, and their white friend, Henry, on a baseball field near their church. Despite their love for the sport, racial segregation restricts them from using the nicer fields in the white section of town, which frustrates Charley.

Charley also shares a special bond with her grandfather Nana Kofi, who tells her stories about his life in Africa and teaches her Twi, his native language. Nana’s health is fragile, with frequent coughing fits and exhaustion, yet he remains a source of wisdom and strength in Charley’s life.

One day, Charley perfects her pitching skills with Willie, including throwing left-handed curveballs instead of using her usual right hand. When their classmate Cecil the Third, a bully, mocks her for being a lesser player as a girl and taunts Willie, Charley bets that she can beat his team at the upcoming church picnic game. If her team wins, Cecil owes her a quarter; if Cecil wins, he gets her prized Baltimore Black Sox hat.

Charley’s older sister Gwen gives her a signed baseball glove from a professional Black female player. This gift inspires her to achieve her dream of being a professional baseball player.

However, Charley encounters the harsh realities of her time. On a trip to the bank with Nana, both the bank manager and local white boys harass them, throwing rocks and calling them racial slurs. Nana explains the dangers of standing up to white people in their town, recounting a recent lynching story. The racial violence and injustice leave Charley shaken.

Charley struggles to form a full team as the church picnic approaches, eventually recruiting her niece and nephews despite their lack of skill. She and Willie name their team the Black Stars, inspired by the St. Louis Stars team and Nana’s dream of returning to Africa aboard the Black Star ship.

Meanwhile, Nana falls ill with pneumonia, confining him to his room. Charley worries about him.

Charley and her mother attend a speech by Mary Bethune, an equal rights and human rights activist advocating for education and equality for Black women. Charley asks Mary about destiny, explaining that everyone should be allowed to follow their dreams. Charley gets a standing ovation. Mary says that Charley is an ambitious, thinking girl whom they should all try to emulate.

On the day of the big game, they wait out the long church service and festivities on the baseball field, like tug-of-war. Since the field is in use, Charley and the other kids secretly travel across the bridge to the white-only ball field. They convince Willie’s older brother to be their chaperone.

Cecil reveals that Willie has joined his team, which leaves Charley hurt and betrayed. Willie can’t meet her eyes. Despite the betrayal, Charley pitches fiercely. Though her team struggles, Henry hits a surprising home run, tying the score. Later, Cecil disputes a fair catch and quits the game.

While the others leave, Willie apologizes to Charley. He explains that Cecil was going to hurt her if he didn’t agree to play for his team. Cecil promised that he would throw the ball at Charley’s head every time she batted, so Willie only played with him to protect her. Charley forgives him.

White boys approach them, yelling that they are trespassing on a white-only field. The boys threaten to take Charley’s signed glove unless she beats them in a pitching challenge. With Willie’s encouragement, Charley strikes both boys out, but her final curveball makes the boy miss his swing so hard that he twists his ankle and falls. Charley and Willie ask if he’s okay, but the boy only cries. Charley and Willie run away. The boys throw rocks at them. The injured boy calls them racial slurs and says that he’s going to tell his father that Charley broke his ankle.

At home, Nana has recovered. He comforts Charley, but the white boys’ threat becomes real when her family learns that white men are planning to attack in retaliation. Charley’s family packs up to escape north, leaving Daddy behind to protect their home.

The white men set Willie’s home on fire. He and his brother hurry into Charley’s uncle’s car to escape with them.

As they flee, Charley feels devastated and guilty. Nana tells her stories and promises that their struggles will pass. He states that she, like him, will one day tell her grandchildren stories of resilience and survival. Charley believes his words, holding onto her dreams in the face of adversity.