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musicislove127's review against another edition
5.0
Great book which i would highly recommend reading
crystal_reading's review against another edition
4.0
This was especially interesting book to me because for whatever reason, I didn't realize there was a Canadian football league until my most recent trip to Canada. I found myself in a restaurant with a game on and I couldn't place the teams though it looked like an NFL game.
Here is a story of a fabulous football player who is excluded from quarterbacking in the NFL simply by the color of his skin. It's told by the daughter of the quarterback Chuck Ealey.
This is a piece of history that I think will definitely interest my students. The issue of racism is one that needs to be seen from many different angles.
I'm also always happy to find good picture books about sports.
Here is a story of a fabulous football player who is excluded from quarterbacking in the NFL simply by the color of his skin. It's told by the daughter of the quarterback Chuck Ealey.
This is a piece of history that I think will definitely interest my students. The issue of racism is one that needs to be seen from many different angles.
I'm also always happy to find good picture books about sports.
yabooknerd's review against another edition
5.0
Great picture book about determination and trying hard. Perfect for 2016's summer reading
nikimarion's review against another edition
3.0
Wish this was a better adaptation of the author's book for adults, but sadly, it fell short, kind of literally. I did not know the last spread was going to lead into the copyright page--it felt very abrupt with the pace of the narrative throughout the book.
Matt James's illustrations use paneling and present the visual passage of time innovatively but not all spreads impressed me.
Matt James's illustrations use paneling and present the visual passage of time innovatively but not all spreads impressed me.
bent's review against another edition
4.0
An excellent read. Richardson explores her father's past, and in doing so, comes to terms with her own identity as a black Canadian. There are a lot of layers to this book - her dad's story, her mum's story, her own struggles with identity. Richardson writes in a straightforward and engaging manner and lets the reader discover major events and surprises along with her. I discovered this book while searching CFL players in the library's database and am glad I did. A fascinating read.
mmattmiller's review against another edition
4.0
Great story of determination and perseverance. GORGEOUS illustrations. Beautiful author's note (love that the author is the daughter of the boy/man the story is about.)
Definitely one to add to my library. (And yours!)
Definitely one to add to my library. (And yours!)
jooniperd's review
2.0
2.5-stars, really.
unfortunately, i liked the idea of this book more than its execution. i found the writing inconsistent, and it felt quite clunky while reading. i really admire what richardson was going for here - she is working through her own issues as she reflects on growing up a black canadian, and where/how she fit in (she comments often about her lighter skin colour (which she mentions she shares with her mum), describes how she was told she 'wasn't really black' by a university coach, struggles with her black identity, and is constantly balancing her life between her white friends and her black friends - seemingly playing a part depending on which group she was hanging out with).
richardson was also trying to learn more about her dad growing up as a black american. her dad was a star quarterback in high school and college, then had a great career in the CFL. while discovering her own place in the world, richardson also looks at black history and pivotal historical moments from her parents' earlier lives. they were coming up at the time of martin luther king jr., the black panthers, malcolm x, and the unrest of those times. richardson's dad, i guess, never really spoke much about what things were like when he was young. he seemed to downplay things and was never one to show pride, or be boastful. i could relate to richardson's curiosity as she probed her parents with questions, and even, with her dad's permission, contacted people who knew her dad back in the day. supplemented with her historical research, and newspaper reports, i hope richardson ended up feeling more connected to her family and their past as a result of this project.
there are a lot of really interesting things going on in this book, it just didn't come together very well for me in how it was written.
unfortunately, i liked the idea of this book more than its execution. i found the writing inconsistent, and it felt quite clunky while reading. i really admire what richardson was going for here - she is working through her own issues as she reflects on growing up a black canadian, and where/how she fit in (she comments often about her lighter skin colour (which she mentions she shares with her mum), describes how she was told she 'wasn't really black' by a university coach, struggles with her black identity, and is constantly balancing her life between her white friends and her black friends - seemingly playing a part depending on which group she was hanging out with).
richardson was also trying to learn more about her dad growing up as a black american. her dad was a star quarterback in high school and college, then had a great career in the CFL. while discovering her own place in the world, richardson also looks at black history and pivotal historical moments from her parents' earlier lives. they were coming up at the time of martin luther king jr., the black panthers, malcolm x, and the unrest of those times. richardson's dad, i guess, never really spoke much about what things were like when he was young. he seemed to downplay things and was never one to show pride, or be boastful. i could relate to richardson's curiosity as she probed her parents with questions, and even, with her dad's permission, contacted people who knew her dad back in the day. supplemented with her historical research, and newspaper reports, i hope richardson ended up feeling more connected to her family and their past as a result of this project.
there are a lot of really interesting things going on in this book, it just didn't come together very well for me in how it was written.
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