Charlie Takes His Shot: How Charlie Sifford Broke the Color Barrier in Golf

by Nancy Churnin, John Joven (Illustrator)

Overview

Charlie Sifford loved golf, but in the 1930’s only white people were allowed to play in the Professional Golf Association. Sifford had won plenty of black tournaments, but he was determined to break the color barrier in the PGA. In 1960 he did, only to face discrimination from hotels that wouldn’t rent him rooms and clubs that wouldn’t let him use the same locker as the white players. But Sifford kept playing, becoming the first black golfer to win a PGA tournament and eventually ranking among the greats in golf.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807511282
Publisher:	Whitman, Albert & Company
Publication date:	01/01/2018
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	268,321
Product dimensions:	8.10(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	5 - 7 Years

About the Author

Nancy Churnin is the theater critic for the Dallas Morning News and author of several picture books for children. She was born in New York and graduated from Harvard University with a master's from Columbia University School of Journalism. She lives in Dallas, Texas, with her husband, Dallas Morning News arts writer Michael Granberry, and their four sons. John Joven has illustrated numerous children's books, magazines, apps, and comic books published around the world. He lives in Colombia.

Editorial Reviews

11/20/2017
In a quietly affecting story about barrier-breaking golfer Charlie Sifford, Churnin describes the African-American athlete’s lifelong devotion to the game despite systemic racism. As a youth, Sifford became a caddie in order to get on the green in 1930s North Carolina; he later won the Negro National Open multiple times. Sifford’s hopes of playing professionally were ignited when Jackie Robinson wrote a newspaper column in support of Sifford, but even a court win against the Professional Golfer Association didn’t mean an end to mistreatment and abuse. Joven’s soft, smudgy cartoons soften the harder moments of Sifford’s story, and Churnin concludes on a hopeful note: “And now it was possible for everyone who loved the game to play and hear cheers from the crowd.” Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Karen Grencik, Red Fox Literary. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

"A poignant and inspiring tale of a groundbreaking sports figure whose name and story should be well-known." —Kirkus Reviews

"A quietly affecting story . . . . Churnin concludes on a hopeful note: 'And now it was possible for everyone who loved the game to play and hear cheers from the crowd.'" —Publishers Weekly

"An engaging picture book introducing a little-known American hero." —Booklist

From the Publisher

01/01/2018
Gr 1–3—Churnin details the life of Charlie Sifford, the first black man to compete in the Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA).The narrative opens with a young Sifford playing a game of golf by himself at night ("If anyone saw him, he'd be in trouble"), before detailing Sifford's life as a caddie and how segregation forbid him from entering PGA tournaments. Inspired by a meeting with Jackie Robinson (who "didn't quit or lose his temper" when faced with racism), and with the help of lawyer Stanley Mosk, Sifford would eventually win a discrimination case against the PGA in 1960. The overturning of the PGA's Caucasians-Only clause allowed Sifford to go on to win the Greater Hartford Open in 1967, the Los Angeles open in 1969, and the Senior PGA Championship in 1975 to become known as the "Jackie Robinson of golf." Churnin provides a thoughtful overview of discrimination and how it impacted the world of sports through the 1960s. The illustrations are colorful and their size and placement vary throughout the story, providing a more dynamic reading experience and breaking up larger blocks of text. The characters especially come to life on the page with a range of expressions and emotions conveyed through the art. VERDICT A worthwhile addition to school libraries looking for sports-related picture book biographies.—Kelly Topita, Anne Arundel County Public Library, MD

School Library Journal

2017-10-16
A biography of Charlie Sifford, the African-American man who integrated professional golf.As a child, Charlie had to practice golf at night because black people weren't allowed to play on private courses in 1930s Jim Crow North Carolina. So Charlie became a caddie and competed in—and won—tournaments for black players. Charlie wanted to play in the PGA, but the organization had a "Caucasians-only" rule. Joven's art realistically portrays Charlie getting older as he moves the action forward, often using multiple illustrations per page. Light layers of color overlap, angular shapes giving the story a suitably retro look. Learning about Jackie Robinson, the first African-American in Major League Baseball, leads Charlie to hope that he can integrate golf. When Charlie meets Jackie, Jackie is honest: "It's going to be awfully tough, Charlie." (The dialogue throughout is unsourced.) In her straightforward, quietly passionate narrative, Churnin records how Charlie keeps playing but can't change the racist PGA rules. Finally, a Jewish lawyer, Stanley Mosk, successfully gets the rule rescinded, and Charlie becomes the first African-American PGA player. Churnin emphasizes that that isn't the end of the discrimination and abuse Charlie suffers—but finally, one day, he hears a new sound: encouragement from the gallery instead of boos. A poignant and inspiring tale of a groundbreaking sports figure whose name and story should be well-known. (author's note, timeline) (Picture book/biography. 6-10)

Kirkus Reviews