Nothing but Trouble: The Story of Althea Gibson

Sue Stauffacher tells the story of Althea Gibson, the first African American ever to compete for and win a Wimbledon Cup. The reader learns that as a child Althea was considered "trouble." However, she had one person that truly believed in her and encouraged her to work hard at her gift. A beautiful book that can provide encouragement and hope in all children.

This was a great story about a woman who changed tennis so that African Americans could also be respected in the sport. More than Althea making a difference though I think that this story does a great job of showing what believing in someone can do. Buddy Walker always believed in Althea even when no one else did and that made her want to work harder and be better. I think this would be a great message to share with students that you may not be the person making the biggest difference but you can make a small difference to one person and it still means a lot. ( )

Before tennis, young Althea was a tomboy from Harlem. She used to play stickball, basketball, she ran fast, skipped class after recess, and played paddle tennis. Everyone would say she is, "nothing but trouble." One day, a local musician noticed she had talent, and so he introduced her to tennis. At first she had problems with how she was supposed to act, but she soon realized having an attitude affected her game. So she learned to use her anger to hit the ball harder, and then went on to win the Wimbledon Cup. ( )

tennis player! Persistence!

“Nothing but Trouble: The Story of Althea Gibson.” This African American biography story of Althea Gibson’s life shows that someone does care regardless of the negativity around you. The author, Sue Stauffacher was able to show that before Althea became the first African American man or woman to ever compete and win the coveted Wimbledon Cup, she endured different struggles such as being looked upon as a tomboy and always up to trouble. One person was able to see possibility in Althea and her rough athleticism ways and turn it into something spectacular. Through great description and a background story in the book, shows that this is a good example of African American biographies.