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jnjarnot's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
algorithm0392's review against another edition
5.0
Got this (signed first edition) at Trident in Boston thanks to Natalie's birthday gift card, and it kept me company during a weekend laid low by covid.
I love memoirs. And sports. And stories about underdogs fighting for a bigger cause. This was all three and more. Billie Jean King has always been in the pantheon of tennis greats in my mind, but I did not remotely know her full story until reading.
Billie Jean King is my newest role model and aspiration after seeing how fearlessly and passionately she has focused on expanding opportunity and equity — not only in sports but in broader society, along with being a fierce competitor and magnificent champion. She took her platform and leverage as a champion to look out for future generations of women's players and advocate for pay equity starting a battle that we are still seeing play out in tennis and in other sports, and was unafraid to risk her own positions to do so.
I love memoirs. And sports. And stories about underdogs fighting for a bigger cause. This was all three and more. Billie Jean King has always been in the pantheon of tennis greats in my mind, but I did not remotely know her full story until reading.
Billie Jean King is my newest role model and aspiration after seeing how fearlessly and passionately she has focused on expanding opportunity and equity — not only in sports but in broader society, along with being a fierce competitor and magnificent champion. She took her platform and leverage as a champion to look out for future generations of women's players and advocate for pay equity starting a battle that we are still seeing play out in tennis and in other sports, and was unafraid to risk her own positions to do so.
larry_yonce's review against another edition
4.0
A great champion, on and off the court
Riveting autobiography, made even more so as the audiobook is read by the great lady herself!
Billie Jean King deserves all the accolades and honors that have come her way...a true inspiration. She writes frankly about it all...the good, the bad, and the ugly. I learned a lot and loved every moment of it. A fascinating life.
Riveting autobiography, made even more so as the audiobook is read by the great lady herself!
Billie Jean King deserves all the accolades and honors that have come her way...a true inspiration. She writes frankly about it all...the good, the bad, and the ugly. I learned a lot and loved every moment of it. A fascinating life.
majaisabella's review against another edition
5.0
Five stars isn’t enough, I need to inject this into my VEINS. This book made me cry so many times. Billie has so many incredible stories to tell, and is such an inspiring woman, and she writes with so much elegance and compassion, I was hanging on every single word. This is such a poignant reminder of what came before us in the women’s rights movement and the LGBT rights movement, and I hold so much respect for Billie Jean King and everything she’s done for pretty much every marginalised community. How many lives she’s touched is staggering. I don’t think I’ll ever forget this book, and it’s hung in my hall of fame forever.
oliviareads22's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
megtall's review against another edition
5.0
I really didn’t know anything about BJK listening to this audiobook. I had heard the name, of course. It wasn’t until I read Elton John’s recent memoir that I became interested in learning more about this world class human and athlete. I was fascinated start to finish and I’m so glad I gave this book a shot.
kpierce94010's review against another edition
5.0
Though I love playing tennis, I didn’t really know the history of women’s tennis before about 1980, so I found this book very informative. Of course, Billie Jean King is a remarkable woman, and though I knew some of her later history, I didn’t know anything about her childhood or her early days playing tennis. I listened to the audio book, narrated by Billie Jean, and there were several times where you could just hear the emotion in her voice. It was very touching. The one note I will make is that I typically listen to books at 1.2 speed, but Billie Jean spoke quite slowly, so I listened at 1.65 speed.