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4.33 AVERAGE
4.33 AVERAGE
inspiring
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Abortion
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
What a truly remarkable woman! I would 100% recommend the audiobook with Billie Jean King as the narrator for a more personal connection. She tears up a few times and it is so powerful. I knew almost nothing about her and even less about tennis, yet still was captivated by her story (tennis techniques and all).
This is more than an autobiography about Billie Jean King or a story about her tennis career. It is a reminder that women’s rights to self determination are in their infancy and are still on a shaky foundation. In the next 4 years, we will see even more successful attempts to roll back the progress Billie Jean helped make possible. But, like her we need to remember to play the long game and to never give up, to keep the light of her legacy alive in all of us.
This is more than an autobiography about Billie Jean King or a story about her tennis career. It is a reminder that women’s rights to self determination are in their infancy and are still on a shaky foundation. In the next 4 years, we will see even more successful attempts to roll back the progress Billie Jean helped make possible. But, like her we need to remember to play the long game and to never give up, to keep the light of her legacy alive in all of us.
I’m not a big tennis fan but wanted to read this book to learn more about how BJK influenced women’s rights and the LQBTQA+ community.
Her contributions to women’s sports (like Title 9) and overall equality are astounding. She sacrificed motherhood and other traditional life goals to work towards organizations that changed the world.
It was fun to hear about her stories and intersections with other icons like Elton John and the Williams sisters. It was interesting to learn more about her dedication to religion in her younger years and her choose to be a teetotaler, or someone who doesn’t drink alcohol.
If I’m being honest, the writing felt a little long handed and overly detailed but if you are a big BJK fan I’m sure you won’t mind.
Her contributions to women’s sports (like Title 9) and overall equality are astounding. She sacrificed motherhood and other traditional life goals to work towards organizations that changed the world.
It was fun to hear about her stories and intersections with other icons like Elton John and the Williams sisters. It was interesting to learn more about her dedication to religion in her younger years and her choose to be a teetotaler, or someone who doesn’t drink alcohol.
If I’m being honest, the writing felt a little long handed and overly detailed but if you are a big BJK fan I’m sure you won’t mind.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
AUDREY'S ONE-SENTENCE BOOK REVIEWS
Every policy Billie Jean fought for (Title IX, equal pay, trans rights, abortion/birth control access, racial equality, gay liberation, among others) is young enough to be conceived within living memory, old enough to be taken for granted, and radical enough to be threatened again today. Will be thinking about this book for a long time.
Every policy Billie Jean fought for (Title IX, equal pay, trans rights, abortion/birth control access, racial equality, gay liberation, among others) is young enough to be conceived within living memory, old enough to be taken for granted, and radical enough to be threatened again today. Will be thinking about this book for a long time.
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
What an amazing life! I am officially a BJK fan for life. I guess I like tennis now?
Lengthy, but didn't usually feel like it. Lots of great historical context. Good primer in womens history especially. She's a badass.
Billie Jean King is genuinely a keystone person of the 20th century. She's a personal hero to me ever since the "Battle of the Sexes" in 1973, when I was 9 years old. In the 80s, I became disappointed in her for denying (as I saw it) her sexuality. All of these things are more are explored in her memoir. It's amazing to me how much she has done. She is as important to the cause for women's rights as Gloria Steinem for the change she was able to enact through sports. It's fascinating to hear her talk about how tennis and society changed from the 50s thru today. She was instrumental in making it possible for women to become pro in tennis and to make money. Before she and a small group of players started the Women's Tennis Association, women weren't even given the same perks the amateur men players were given. I love how BJK puts her life in greater historic context, by stopping to explain about Althea Gibson, Arthur Ashe, Renee Richards, Margaret Court, or Nelson Mandela. It makes her book so much richer and also demonstrates to me the importance to her of connection and how one's life is about so much more than one's accomplishments. She also speaks honestly of the mistakes she made, how very very hard it was to "come out" as a public figure and the many things standing in her way. I highly recommend listening to this on audio because you get to hear her speak...and giggle...and choke up. What an amazing woman. What an icon. What a civil rights hero
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
This is an open and honest read by a woman who originally just wanted to play tennis, but found some huge obstacles put in her way. From being kicked out of the picture because she did not have a skirt on, to discovering the inequitable pay at professional levels between men and women tennis players, to being outed against her desire and comfort, Billie Jean King became an icon in the sports world and beyond. I found the book a little long in places, but she is unflinchingly honest about her comfort and place in the world. A good read.