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ashleyfleming4's review against another edition
5.0
I have no words to express how much this woman is my idol. Not only for what she's done for women in tennis but for equality all over the world.
rainehana's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
BILLIE JEAN QUEEN!!!! She's super inspiring and I learned so much about tennis and the fight for women's rights. Her tennis career is so interesting- 39 Grand Slam Titles what. But her activism in creating WTA and better LGBTQ+ rights is so moving. Her life is crazy and she's still living it. Billie Jean changed so much throughout her life.
loribeth1961's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
I know a little, but not a whole lot, about tennis as a sport -- the scoring, the different strokes, etc. I'm not very sports-minded to begin with, and tennis was certainly not something that was commonly played in the small, rural communities where I grew up on the Canadian Prairies. But the names of the games' most famous players are familiar to me. I remember watching some games in the early/mid-1970s with a cousin who had a huge crush on Bjorn Borg. ;)
Among the biggest stars of the game at that time was Billie Jean King. I don't really remember if I ever watched her play on TV, but I certainly knew who she was. I don't remember watching the infamous 1973 Battle of the Sexes in which King defeated the uber-sexist Bobby Riggs, but I sure heard about it, and witnessed the reverberations, including its impact on the feminist movement, and King's subsequent celebrity (which continues to this day).
So I was interested in reading King's recent memoir, "All In." Happily, it is the June pick for one of my online book clubs. It's long: the hardcover clocks in at almost 500 pages, and on my e-reader (with the print magnified, lol), it was more than 1,100. I'll admit it took me longer to get through than I expected.
I enjoyed learning a little more about King's early years and personal life. She was raised in Long Beach, California Her younger brother, Randy Moffitt, was a pro baseball player (a pitcher), including a stint with the Toronto Blue Jays. She married her college sweetheart, Larry King, who became her biggest supporter and business partner. They wanted and assumed they'd have children (someday...) -- but when confronted with a surprise pregnancy, knew it was not the right time to put Billie Jean's flourishing tennis career on hold, and she had an abortion. They spent a great deal of time apart -- she travelling and playing tennis, he pursuing their shared business interests -- and they gradually drifted apart, eventually divorced, but remain good friends. King also realized, early on, that she was attracted to women, but remained married and closeted until she was 51 years old, when she was outed by a vengeful ex-lover. She's known her partner/now wife, Ilana Kloss, since she was a promising young junior tennis player in South Africa, and they have been together for more than 40 years.
As I said, I don't follow tennis that closely -- and I'm not sure I needed to know all the details of what seemed like every tournament King ever entered ;) (you may feel differently!) -- but I did enjoy the memories evoked by the names of the best tennis players of the day: Evonne Goolagong, Chrissie Evert, Martina Navratilova, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Arthur Ashe... I really enjoyed her recounting of the historic Battle of the Sexes, and I thought the pace of the story picked up from that point on.
This book was an excellent reminder -- and a lesson for younger generations -- of how much progress women, as well as LGBTQ+ people and people of colour, have made during my lifetime. Not enough, to be sure (and sadly, some of that hard-won progress is threatened) -- but King's story really brings home just how much things have changed -- and the important role she played in making some of those changes happen. What a trailblazer she was (and is!) -- and not just in the world of tennis.
Inspired by the civil rights and social justice movements of the times, King fought one battle after another in pursuit of equal opportunities for female tennis players -- including equal prize money. She was instrumental in the creation of a women's professional tennis tour, which gave them the opportunity to actually make a living at playing the sport they loved. She led or helped create a number of different forums and organizations to promote equal opportunities for women in tennis, and in sport generally.
Now in her 80s (!), King continues to be a supporter of equality rights for women, LGBTQ+ and people of colour. She recently played a key role in helping to launch the new Professional Women's Hockey League: she announced the first pick at the league's first draft last fall, and dropped the puck at the league's first game between Toronto and New York on Jan. 1st this year. :)
She's an amazing woman and role model, and I'm glad I read this book and learned more about her and her life.
4.5 stars, rounded down to a solid 4 on Goodreads.
Among the biggest stars of the game at that time was Billie Jean King. I don't really remember if I ever watched her play on TV, but I certainly knew who she was. I don't remember watching the infamous 1973 Battle of the Sexes in which King defeated the uber-sexist Bobby Riggs, but I sure heard about it, and witnessed the reverberations, including its impact on the feminist movement, and King's subsequent celebrity (which continues to this day).
So I was interested in reading King's recent memoir, "All In." Happily, it is the June pick for one of my online book clubs. It's long: the hardcover clocks in at almost 500 pages, and on my e-reader (with the print magnified, lol), it was more than 1,100. I'll admit it took me longer to get through than I expected.
I enjoyed learning a little more about King's early years and personal life. She was raised in Long Beach, California Her younger brother, Randy Moffitt, was a pro baseball player (a pitcher), including a stint with the Toronto Blue Jays. She married her college sweetheart, Larry King, who became her biggest supporter and business partner. They wanted and assumed they'd have children (someday...) -- but when confronted with a surprise pregnancy, knew it was not the right time to put Billie Jean's flourishing tennis career on hold, and she had an abortion. They spent a great deal of time apart -- she travelling and playing tennis, he pursuing their shared business interests -- and they gradually drifted apart, eventually divorced, but remain good friends. King also realized, early on, that she was attracted to women, but remained married and closeted until she was 51 years old, when she was outed by a vengeful ex-lover. She's known her partner/now wife, Ilana Kloss, since she was a promising young junior tennis player in South Africa, and they have been together for more than 40 years.
As I said, I don't follow tennis that closely -- and I'm not sure I needed to know all the details of what seemed like every tournament King ever entered ;) (you may feel differently!) -- but I did enjoy the memories evoked by the names of the best tennis players of the day: Evonne Goolagong, Chrissie Evert, Martina Navratilova, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Arthur Ashe... I really enjoyed her recounting of the historic Battle of the Sexes, and I thought the pace of the story picked up from that point on.
This book was an excellent reminder -- and a lesson for younger generations -- of how much progress women, as well as LGBTQ+ people and people of colour, have made during my lifetime. Not enough, to be sure (and sadly, some of that hard-won progress is threatened) -- but King's story really brings home just how much things have changed -- and the important role she played in making some of those changes happen. What a trailblazer she was (and is!) -- and not just in the world of tennis.
Inspired by the civil rights and social justice movements of the times, King fought one battle after another in pursuit of equal opportunities for female tennis players -- including equal prize money. She was instrumental in the creation of a women's professional tennis tour, which gave them the opportunity to actually make a living at playing the sport they loved. She led or helped create a number of different forums and organizations to promote equal opportunities for women in tennis, and in sport generally.
Now in her 80s (!), King continues to be a supporter of equality rights for women, LGBTQ+ and people of colour. She recently played a key role in helping to launch the new Professional Women's Hockey League: she announced the first pick at the league's first draft last fall, and dropped the puck at the league's first game between Toronto and New York on Jan. 1st this year. :)
She's an amazing woman and role model, and I'm glad I read this book and learned more about her and her life.
4.5 stars, rounded down to a solid 4 on Goodreads.
zachnachazel's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing. I don't think I could have learned more. What an aspiring and amazing person.
ebc726's review against another edition
4.0
Despite the fact that this book was pretty long (18 hour long audiobook!), I really loved it. I learned so much about tennis history, and the fights for women’s equality and LGBTQ+ equality. Hearing the raw emotion in Billie Jean’s voice while she narrated the audio really added an extra layer as well.
danielljgp's review against another edition
Due back to library /mood reader problems
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.