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4.33 AVERAGE
4.33 AVERAGE
Enjoyed this one as an audiobook. Billie Jean King narrates, and while she's not as smooth as others, it was nice to hear the emotion in her voice as she re-lived certain parts of what she's achieved and fought for along the way.
It was a good book but it jumped around a lot. At times that made it hard to follow. I would recommend it though.
I was blown away by this book - it offers such an inspiring and powerful story of activism that needed to be told and recorded. Billie Jean King's clairvoyance, her sense of fairness and equity, is humbling and astonishing. Her pull to service and responsibility to others, to the exclusion of looking out for herself, is a story all too common among leaders of disadvantaged groups. Her drive, stamina, and urgency, sustained for decades, leaves me exhausted and pulled in all at that same time.
Perhaps my favorite part of the book is seeing how Billie Jean King came into her own, finding happiness and trailblazing in new ways, after turning 50. I just turned 50 and feel like I'm at the happiest point in my life so far. I am now so optimistic for what the next few decades of my life may bring.
Reading this book and listening Brandi Carlile's book at the same time was a surreal experience. So many parallels, even down to interactions with Elton John and Barack Obama. At times I even got confused between the two stories. Have these two individuals met? I certainly hope so. If not, I hope that they do, and that I get to be a fly on the wall.
Perhaps my favorite part of the book is seeing how Billie Jean King came into her own, finding happiness and trailblazing in new ways, after turning 50. I just turned 50 and feel like I'm at the happiest point in my life so far. I am now so optimistic for what the next few decades of my life may bring.
Reading this book and listening Brandi Carlile's book at the same time was a surreal experience. So many parallels, even down to interactions with Elton John and Barack Obama. At times I even got confused between the two stories. Have these two individuals met? I certainly hope so. If not, I hope that they do, and that I get to be a fly on the wall.
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
Wow, I’ve never heard a first person chronicle of the women’s movement like this. An important chronicle of the experience of being a woman and queer in her time, for younger generations who, thanks to bravery and work of BJK and others, won’t have as hard a path. Stay with it though the slow start for a solid pay off.
i didn’t realize what an absolute legend billie jean king is. i wanted to switch it up a bit and read something nonfiction for a break in between all the fantasy books i’ve been reading and landed on this since i’d heard her name before and love tennis. it was so so good.
it’s definitely long and there’s bits that i think could be taken out (lots of specific details about organizations and names of people i personally couldn’t keep track of. also got super political at the end, which i was pretty much expecting once i realized who bjk really was. also just long in general, some of the stories probably could’ve been cut). but i honestly didn’t mind it and i tore through all 420 pages in 3 days so it obviously wasn’t really a detriment to my enjoyment haha.
i loved how it was a mix of different “plot lines” of her life. kept it entertaining and i never got bogged down by having to read too much about one thing. obviously got some insight into her tennis career, but also her activism, entrepreneurship, sexuality crisis, and fun interactions with famous people both in and out of the tennis world.
she did so much for not only tennis and not only sports but women in general. i had no idea that she crusaded so many important causes like advocating for tennis players to turn pro, helping create the wta, closing the wage gap for female athletes (tennis was a leader in this compared to other sports because of her work), promoting lgbtq+ people, etc. etc. like i said. an absolute legend.
she’s super real in this and i feel like i got a good idea of her personality and inner psyche. she admits mistakes she made and faults she had while also showing off a bit at times. a lot of what she mentioned was scarily relatable to me haha.
i also loved her insight into the sport of tennis. the way she describes matches she played and the psychological warfare that tennis can sometimes be was so fun and accurate to my own experience (high school varsity is definitely equivalent to wimbledon haha). the description of the build up to and then playing of the bobby riggs match was obviously the best example of this. i also just loved her love for the sport. it shows in how long she stayed in the game and how she would describe it. makes me wanna go hit with somebody.
anyways. i could go on about this for awhile so i’ll stop here. i’ll just end by saying it made me feel a lot of different emotions (laughed and cried at several different points). definitely not only a 5 star but an all time favorite. gonna need this one on my bookshelf one day.
it’s definitely long and there’s bits that i think could be taken out (lots of specific details about organizations and names of people i personally couldn’t keep track of. also got super political at the end, which i was pretty much expecting once i realized who bjk really was. also just long in general, some of the stories probably could’ve been cut). but i honestly didn’t mind it and i tore through all 420 pages in 3 days so it obviously wasn’t really a detriment to my enjoyment haha.
i loved how it was a mix of different “plot lines” of her life. kept it entertaining and i never got bogged down by having to read too much about one thing. obviously got some insight into her tennis career, but also her activism, entrepreneurship, sexuality crisis, and fun interactions with famous people both in and out of the tennis world.
she did so much for not only tennis and not only sports but women in general. i had no idea that she crusaded so many important causes like advocating for tennis players to turn pro, helping create the wta, closing the wage gap for female athletes (tennis was a leader in this compared to other sports because of her work), promoting lgbtq+ people, etc. etc. like i said. an absolute legend.
she’s super real in this and i feel like i got a good idea of her personality and inner psyche. she admits mistakes she made and faults she had while also showing off a bit at times. a lot of what she mentioned was scarily relatable to me haha.
i also loved her insight into the sport of tennis. the way she describes matches she played and the psychological warfare that tennis can sometimes be was so fun and accurate to my own experience (high school varsity is definitely equivalent to wimbledon haha). the description of the build up to and then playing of the bobby riggs match was obviously the best example of this. i also just loved her love for the sport. it shows in how long she stayed in the game and how she would describe it. makes me wanna go hit with somebody.
anyways. i could go on about this for awhile so i’ll stop here. i’ll just end by saying it made me feel a lot of different emotions (laughed and cried at several different points). definitely not only a 5 star but an all time favorite. gonna need this one on my bookshelf one day.
“Life is a series of sprints - you get to start over and over again, always adapting to the long and winding road in front of you.”
Thank you for making the world a better place, BJK.
Thank you for making the world a better place, BJK.
This isn't really a book about Billie Jean King or tennis but rather a book about Women and the people around them. It's a really inspiring read. In Billie Jean King's words “Even if you’re not a born activist, life can damn sure make you one.”
Never once been interested in Tennis and really didn’t know who she was. After reading this, I’ve never been in more awe of somebody in my life. What she accomplished for women’s rights both in society and the tennis world is astounding. She truly knew what it meant to be a feminist and doesn’t hold back on her beliefs and truths. To read about someone who is regarded as one of the best athletes ever, she still shows her humanity and relates to so many people of all ages, genders, and color through her personal struggles. I’ve never became a huge fan of someone this quick.