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tensy's review against another edition
3.0
I have been an admirer of the Williams sisters since they first sprang onto the women's tennis circuit in the late 1990s. This autobiography by Serena Williams describes her upbringing and family dynamics, although she avoids going into much detail about the difficult moments, like her parents divorce and sister's murder. I would almost classify this as a young adult book, primarily because she spends a great part of the book refelecting on her motivation on the tennis court and her championship spirit. I have a daughter who has played on the junior tennis circuit and I am amazed at how she was able to succeed with only her father as her initial coach.
His unorthodox training style (garnered from watching professional matches on television) included throwing footballs to help with their serves, daily practices on public courts in very rough neighborhoods in Lynwood, CA and choosing to avoid participating in the junior circuit. He also encouraged them to keep daily journals with motivational quotes, match analysis and notes on their opponents. Interestingly, my daughter's coach also required his kids to do the same. Excerpts from these journals begin each chapter of the book and give us insight into her competitive mindset. One of the pictures in the book shows post-it-notes on her tennis bag.
Here are a few of the things I enjoyed reading about Serena:
--She is the youngest of five sisters and until her late teens was quite small.
--A glimpse into what makes a champion, "You need a wild streak if you hope to be a serious competitor. You need a kind of irrational killer instinct. You need to put it out there that you're reckless and unpredictable." Unfortunately, this mind set has led her to some major blowups on the court, as witnessed at the recent 2009 US Open. The book ends with the 2008 US Open.
--She is a Jehovah's Witness and her faith has pulled her through some very emotional moments in her life, including the death of her older sister, Tunde.
--She chose not to put a tennis court in her home because she and Venus decided that they needed to build some distance in their lives between home and tennis.
--Serena likes to make a fashion statement on the courts. Her philosophy is "if you carry a positive picture of yourself you'll present a positive picture to everyone else...I always felt that when there was an edge to how I looked, there was an edge to my game." Who could forget the infamous catsuit or biker outfit?
And most importantly, that bond she has with her sister, Venus, is absolutely genuine. At the end of the book Serena tells us that she is still a work in progress. I look forward to seeing the next chapters in her life.
His unorthodox training style (garnered from watching professional matches on television) included throwing footballs to help with their serves, daily practices on public courts in very rough neighborhoods in Lynwood, CA and choosing to avoid participating in the junior circuit. He also encouraged them to keep daily journals with motivational quotes, match analysis and notes on their opponents. Interestingly, my daughter's coach also required his kids to do the same. Excerpts from these journals begin each chapter of the book and give us insight into her competitive mindset. One of the pictures in the book shows post-it-notes on her tennis bag.
Here are a few of the things I enjoyed reading about Serena:
--She is the youngest of five sisters and until her late teens was quite small.
--A glimpse into what makes a champion, "You need a wild streak if you hope to be a serious competitor. You need a kind of irrational killer instinct. You need to put it out there that you're reckless and unpredictable." Unfortunately, this mind set has led her to some major blowups on the court, as witnessed at the recent 2009 US Open. The book ends with the 2008 US Open.
--She is a Jehovah's Witness and her faith has pulled her through some very emotional moments in her life, including the death of her older sister, Tunde.
--She chose not to put a tennis court in her home because she and Venus decided that they needed to build some distance in their lives between home and tennis.
--Serena likes to make a fashion statement on the courts. Her philosophy is "if you carry a positive picture of yourself you'll present a positive picture to everyone else...I always felt that when there was an edge to how I looked, there was an edge to my game." Who could forget the infamous catsuit or biker outfit?
And most importantly, that bond she has with her sister, Venus, is absolutely genuine. At the end of the book Serena tells us that she is still a work in progress. I look forward to seeing the next chapters in her life.
soliteyah's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.0
Quick read with some interesting perspective.
aeroplanino's review against another edition
4.0
A book written from the heart. I appreciate Serena more after reading it!
munchin's review against another edition
3.0
It's alright but not engagingly written and disappointingly lacking in insight. And she fails to mention some pretty major moments in her career. It's kind of odd and disjointed. Still, her personality comes through well and fans of hers will find something worthwhile here. In general, though, sports biography fans should reach for Agassi's book.
exurbanis's review against another edition
2.0
From my 2009 Blog post:
This book follows Serena’s career from her poor childhood in Compton Court, California where her parents drilled Serena and her sisters in tennis everyday, to her 2009 status as Australian Open winner.
In between, there’s a lot of practice, a lot of hating to lose (to the point of very poor sportsmanship), a lot of winning, a lot of practice, a lot of hating to lose, and a lot of practice. There’s not a lot of introspection here.
Certainly, Serena’s worked hard all her life to get where she is, but she comes across as a spoiled “baby of the family” who throws tantrums when she loses and who was not above lying and cheating as a child to win. Maybe Serena just needs to grow up and tell her story from another perspective.
A pre-teen or teenage tennis fan (or Serena fan) would likely enjoy this book. As for me – it was just tedious.
(A win from the publisher.)
This book follows Serena’s career from her poor childhood in Compton Court, California where her parents drilled Serena and her sisters in tennis everyday, to her 2009 status as Australian Open winner.
In between, there’s a lot of practice, a lot of hating to lose (to the point of very poor sportsmanship), a lot of winning, a lot of practice, a lot of hating to lose, and a lot of practice. There’s not a lot of introspection here.
Certainly, Serena’s worked hard all her life to get where she is, but she comes across as a spoiled “baby of the family” who throws tantrums when she loses and who was not above lying and cheating as a child to win. Maybe Serena just needs to grow up and tell her story from another perspective.
A pre-teen or teenage tennis fan (or Serena fan) would likely enjoy this book. As for me – it was just tedious.
(A win from the publisher.)
ct21's review
4.0
Some of the writing was a little awkward but overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this and look forward to the 2008 onward update.
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