Respect! The Walter Tull Story

"Respect! The Walter Tull Story by Michaela Morgan. This is a Barrington Stoke book, it’s a very quick read, and a very good read. There are a lot of different readers out there, and talking to librarians and going to schools I meet students who are less confident readers for a number of reasons. If you feel you’re not very good at something, or struggle with something, you’re going to run a mile from it. Reading about a subject like football, that you love, is a great way to get over some of those barriers and get into books. Respect touches on big issues: racism, war, bullying, and is written in a conversational tone, so if you’re not that confident you haven’t got to struggle with the formality of language. It’s almost like the book is talking to you. I chose it because as a football fan the Walter Tull story is a really important one. It’s shocking to me that so few people know who he was, and why he was important, especially when you think about how famous footballers are these days. If you want a real football hero, look at this guy. He overcame incredible adversity and deprivation to become the first black professional football player. For a while he suffered so much racist abuse he almost stopped playing. But he didn’t. He kept going and paved the way for others to follow. Then, during the First World War he became the first black officer in the British Army commanding white troops. There was an army rule at the time saying that black men couldn’t be officers, and the British Army actually changed it so they could make Walter Tull an officer – which is tribute to just how exceptional a person he was. If it hadn’t been for Walter Tull and people like him then, how much longer would it have taken for football to become integrated? There’s still a long way to go of course, but he started it. I wish every football fan knew about this guy because he’s really important – a real hero."