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4.33 AVERAGE
4.33 AVERAGE
informative
reflective
slow-paced
I read this book for the Booktube Prize 2022, non-fiction category, quarterfinals. I ranked it 3rd in its group of 6. My fellow judges didn't agree though, and this book has not moved forward to the semifinals.
When faced with the prospect of a sports memoir, I was about as enthusiastic as I'd have been if told to read a lawn mower manual from start to finish. I'm not interested in sports, and tennis is one of those ones I dislike most of all given the coverage and attention it gets. And I'd never even heard of Billie Jean King, so I didn't even have a familiarity on which to at least try to get excited about.
However, this is not just a sports memoir and Billie Jean King is not just a tennis player. And thankfully, the other things she did and the other things this memoir deals with are far more up my street - feminism, equal rights, LGBTQ+ history, eating disorders. And those are the things that hooked me in to this book, even to the point where I found myself caring about the outcome of the tennis matches she recounts playing. That's got to say something about the strength of her story.
Although at times I wondered if King was retrofitting activism and a liberal, equality-focused mindset to her earlier life experiences, I think her track record of what she has achieved and championed still amounts to an incredibly driven and inspiring woman. Although I'm not interested in sports, the fight for equality is something I am passionate about and that has to encompass all walks of life. The battle tennis players who were not white, straight men was a huge one, and there's no denying that she played a monumental role in the progress that has been made. That she has gone on to expand on that with her foundations and activism is just so admirable.
This memoir is honest and insightful, and although it's quite a tome it actually didn't feel like it was something that was tough work to get through. We need more Billie Jean Kings in this world.
When faced with the prospect of a sports memoir, I was about as enthusiastic as I'd have been if told to read a lawn mower manual from start to finish. I'm not interested in sports, and tennis is one of those ones I dislike most of all given the coverage and attention it gets. And I'd never even heard of Billie Jean King, so I didn't even have a familiarity on which to at least try to get excited about.
However, this is not just a sports memoir and Billie Jean King is not just a tennis player. And thankfully, the other things she did and the other things this memoir deals with are far more up my street - feminism, equal rights, LGBTQ+ history, eating disorders. And those are the things that hooked me in to this book, even to the point where I found myself caring about the outcome of the tennis matches she recounts playing. That's got to say something about the strength of her story.
Although at times I wondered if King was retrofitting activism and a liberal, equality-focused mindset to her earlier life experiences, I think her track record of what she has achieved and championed still amounts to an incredibly driven and inspiring woman. Although I'm not interested in sports, the fight for equality is something I am passionate about and that has to encompass all walks of life. The battle tennis players who were not white, straight men was a huge one, and there's no denying that she played a monumental role in the progress that has been made. That she has gone on to expand on that with her foundations and activism is just so admirable.
This memoir is honest and insightful, and although it's quite a tome it actually didn't feel like it was something that was tough work to get through. We need more Billie Jean Kings in this world.
I'm not normally much of a fan of autobiographies, but then again, most people haven't lived a life like Billie Jean King. Not only is she a world-class athlete and one of the greatest female tennis players of all time, but she is also a tireless campaigner for social justice and played a key role in making women's tennis the hugely popular sport it is today. King (rightly) spends plenty of time on her sporting achievements but it seems clear that the accomplishments that she is most proud of are the ones that took place off the tennis court. Whether it was setting up the first professional women's tennis tour, being a founding member of the Women's Tennis Association, her triumph over Bobby Riggs in the infamous 'Battle of the Sexes' or her activism around LGBT+ rights after she was forcibly outed by an ex-lover, it seems like there is no challenge that King couldn't conquer. She is an absolute inspiration and I would recommend this book to anyone, even if you aren't a big tennis fan.
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
I listened to the audiobook with Billie’s narration, which really added to the emotion of hearing her tell her story. I appreciate how throughly she contextualizes her story in the activism and social turmoil she had live through. I like that she didn’t shy away from discussing her own shortcomings. the ending felt a little unfocused apart from the very last part, but still i great telling of tennis history, women’s liberation, civil rights, lgbtq+ activism, and women’s sports, among other topics.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Outing
Moderate: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Racism, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Suicide attempt, Lesbophobia, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Biphobia, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, Suicide, Medical content, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Dysphoria
I liked this book a lot. Billie Jean King used this book to tell her story and share her thoughts on current issues of the day. I loved the parts of the book where she described the development of a women's tennis tour and the battle of the sexes match with Bobby Rigg. I also appreciated her willingness to discuss her struggles with coming out.
Although I liked the book a lot, I felt the book was too long. She goes into great detail into areas that I felt were a bit of an over-reach or just too minor to be included in the book. Plus there is one factual error that I wish the editor had caught before publication.
Yet it is a good book and if you are a tennis fan or a person interested in learning about a women who has played a key role in the fight for women's equal rights... this is a must read.
Although I liked the book a lot, I felt the book was too long. She goes into great detail into areas that I felt were a bit of an over-reach or just too minor to be included in the book. Plus there is one factual error that I wish the editor had caught before publication.
Yet it is a good book and if you are a tennis fan or a person interested in learning about a women who has played a key role in the fight for women's equal rights... this is a must read.
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Another book that took me months to read, thanks grad school!! This book was fantastic! Numerous parts in the last quarter of the book made me tear up. Thanks for all your hard work, BJK! Several of your comments about gun violence and women’s reproductive health rights brought up the drastic back-stepping that wasn’t visible until this last month. It feels absurd how outdated your book felt already was just a year (ish) after it was published. (Supreme court leak and Uvalde)
It was fantastic to read about all the positive change you helped make with Title IX. All I knew about you before this book was that you won women the right to play sports in schools, which is what my mom told me, who was around 14 for the Battle of the Sexes. Now I better understand what it was like not that long ago (!!!!) for women athletes and how far we have come…
The beginning was super name-heavy and a typical biography, which was a bit more boring. Once things started happening (starting all the leagues, etc) it felt a bit less biography-y, even though it still visibly was but it was much more eventful to read about it all! The momentum didn’t slow down at all after describing the Bobby Riggs match. It was especially fun for me to recognize the names near the end, because I grew up with my mom always watching women’s tennis (and hearing her frequent complaints, rightly so, that not enough women sports (mainly tennis) was aired). I loved reading about the US womens national soccer team, too!
The pictures at the end were great! I loved the litter photo, to carry you into Houston Astrodome
It was fantastic to read about all the positive change you helped make with Title IX. All I knew about you before this book was that you won women the right to play sports in schools, which is what my mom told me, who was around 14 for the Battle of the Sexes. Now I better understand what it was like not that long ago (!!!!) for women athletes and how far we have come…
The beginning was super name-heavy and a typical biography, which was a bit more boring. Once things started happening (starting all the leagues, etc) it felt a bit less biography-y, even though it still visibly was but it was much more eventful to read about it all! The momentum didn’t slow down at all after describing the Bobby Riggs match. It was especially fun for me to recognize the names near the end, because I grew up with my mom always watching women’s tennis (and hearing her frequent complaints, rightly so, that not enough women sports (mainly tennis) was aired). I loved reading about the US womens national soccer team, too!
The pictures at the end were great! I loved the litter photo, to carry you into Houston Astrodome
informative
inspiring
medium-paced