Description
The true story of John Meyers and Charles Bender, who in 1911 became the first two Native pro baseball players to face off in a World Series. This picture book teaches important lessons about resilience, doing what you love in the face of injustice, and the fight for Native American representation in sports.
Charles Bender grew up on the White Earth Reservation in Northwestern Minnesota. John Meyers was raised on the Cahuilla reservation in Southern California. Despite their mutual respect for each other's talents and their shared dedication to Native representation in baseball, the media was determined to pit them against each other.
However, they never gave up on their dreams of being pro baseball players and didn’t let the supposed rivalry created by the media or the racism they faced within the stadium stop them. They continued to break barriers and went on to play a combined total of nine championships.
With text by Traci Sorell and illustrations by Arigon Starr that brings these two players to life, the stories of John Meyers and Charles Bender remain an inspiration for achieving and maintaining one’s dreams in the face of prejudice.
About the Author
Traci Sorell (she/her) is a 2021-22 Tulsa Artist Fellow and the award-winning author of We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga (which was a Sibert, Orbis Pictus, Boston Globe-Horn Book, and American Indian Youth Literature Award honor book) and At the Mountain's Base (an AIYLA Honor book), and co-writer of Indian No More, which won the AIYLA Middle Grade category. She is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation and lives on her tribe's reservation in Oklahoma. Her 2021 nonfiction middle grade titles include Classified: The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer and We Are Still Here! Native American Truths Everyone Should Know. You can visit Traci online at tracisorell.com and follow her on Twitter and Instagram @tracisorell.
Chelsea Clinton (she/her) is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of She Persisted, She Persisted Around the World, She Persisted in Sports, She Persisted in Science, Don't Let Them Disappear, It's Your World and Start Now!, as well as Grandma's Gardens and The Book of Gutsy Women, which she wrote with Hillary Clinton, and Governing Global Health with Devi Sridhar. Chelsea earned a master’s degree in public health from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, where she is now an adjunct assistant professor, and a PhD in international relations from Oxford University. She is also the Vice Chair of the Clinton Foundation, where she works on many initiatives, including those that help empower the next generation of leaders. She lives in New York City with her husband, Marc, their three children and their dog, Soren.
Gillian Flint (she/her) is an illustrator who has a passion for painting in watercolors. She has been drawing and creating characters for as long as she can remember. Her work has been published in the USA, the UK and Australia. In her spare time she enjoys reading and gardening at her home in the UK. You can visit Gillian online at gillianflint.com and follow her on Instagram @gillianflint_illustration.
Alexandra Boiger (she/her) has illustrated nearly twenty picture books, including the She Persisted series by by Chelsea Clinton; the popular Tallulah series by Marilyn Singer; and the Max and Marla books, which she also wrote. Originally from Munich, Germany, she now lives outside of San Francisco, California, with her husband, Andrea; daughter, Vanessa; and two cats, Luiso and Winter. You can visit Alexandra online at alexandraboiger.com and follow her on Instagram @alexandra_boiger.
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