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A review by bickleyhouse
Out at the Plate: The Dot Wilkinson Story by Lynn Ames
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
4.5
This is a wonderful book. I had never heard of Dot Wilkinson before, but found this book on our new book display at the library. The title caught my eye, but then when I read that the subject of the bio excelled in both softball and bowling, I had to check it out. And I'm glad I did.
Dot Wilkinson started playing softball at the age of eleven. Raised in the Phoenix, AZ area, she played on a girls'/women's softball team. And we're talking fastpitch softball, not the wimpy stuff that middle-aged men play. We're talking heat. Dot started out playing outfield, but moved to be the catcher when something happened to the team's full-time catcher. She never left that position. At one point, she was called "The greatest catcher ever to play women's softball."
But it wasn't just softball. She was also the first person of any gender to be elected to the Hall of Fame in two different sports. Dot excelled at every sport she tried. Her and some of her teammates started bowling during the offseason, and she was great at that, as well. At one point, she finally entered the WIBC (Women's International Bowling Congress) Queen's tournament. She got all the way to the final match and upset Marion Ladewig, one of the best female bowlers of all time. My wife works for the United States Bowling Congress, and they have a conference room named after Marion Ladewig. Dot also excelled at swimming and tennis.
But this is more than just a biography. Lynn Ames became very close friends with Dot Wilkinson, during the course of writing this book. And this book is about a life lived, not just sports. One of the things I really like about this book is how much of it is presented in Dot's own voice. I would venture to say that more than 80% of the book is quotes from Dot, herself. There are also a number of citings from local newspaper articles, as well, and quotes from other people who knew Dot along the way.
At one point, Dot and her partners were even flipping houses, way back before that was even a thing. She was an incredible, amazing person.
I'm glad I read this book. Lynn Ames did an incredible job of presenting the life of this remarkable person. I would recommend this to anyone who likes biographies, whether they are into sports or not. It helps, though to be a fan of baseball and similar sports, such as softball. I have an understanding of the game that enhanced my enjoyment of it.
Dot Wilkinson started playing softball at the age of eleven. Raised in the Phoenix, AZ area, she played on a girls'/women's softball team. And we're talking fastpitch softball, not the wimpy stuff that middle-aged men play. We're talking heat. Dot started out playing outfield, but moved to be the catcher when something happened to the team's full-time catcher. She never left that position. At one point, she was called "The greatest catcher ever to play women's softball."
But it wasn't just softball. She was also the first person of any gender to be elected to the Hall of Fame in two different sports. Dot excelled at every sport she tried. Her and some of her teammates started bowling during the offseason, and she was great at that, as well. At one point, she finally entered the WIBC (Women's International Bowling Congress) Queen's tournament. She got all the way to the final match and upset Marion Ladewig, one of the best female bowlers of all time. My wife works for the United States Bowling Congress, and they have a conference room named after Marion Ladewig. Dot also excelled at swimming and tennis.
But this is more than just a biography. Lynn Ames became very close friends with Dot Wilkinson, during the course of writing this book. And this book is about a life lived, not just sports. One of the things I really like about this book is how much of it is presented in Dot's own voice. I would venture to say that more than 80% of the book is quotes from Dot, herself. There are also a number of citings from local newspaper articles, as well, and quotes from other people who knew Dot along the way.
At one point, Dot and her partners were even flipping houses, way back before that was even a thing. She was an incredible, amazing person.
I'm glad I read this book. Lynn Ames did an incredible job of presenting the life of this remarkable person. I would recommend this to anyone who likes biographies, whether they are into sports or not. It helps, though to be a fan of baseball and similar sports, such as softball. I have an understanding of the game that enhanced my enjoyment of it.