BOOK REVIEWS
Autobiography
All In
Billie Jean King
We Rate:
BOOK SYNOPSIS
An inspiring and intimate self-portrait of the champion of equality that encompasses her brilliant tennis career, unwavering activism, and an ongoing commitment to fairness and social justice. In this spirited account, Billie Jean King details her life's journey to find her true self.
Billie Jean King was the first of her kind, a women athlete that became a global cultural icon, as much for her pioneering activism as her spectacular playing career. She was the first female athlete to outwardly rebel and then carry the fight for women as a group. Her watershed "Battle of the Sexes" match against Bobby Riggs in 1973, was watched by an estimated 90 million people worldwide. What started for King as a young girl's request for individual freedom expanded into broader issues over time.
In this spirited account, King describes the rollicking early days of the pro tennis world she pushed to create, and her evolution into a thirty-nine time Grand Slam champion, an activist, a feminist, a political influencer and a public figure who was at first so fearful of admitting her sexual identity, and then so closeted once she did, that her physical and emotional health suffered. Against a vivid cultural backdrop of these years, she poignantly describes her often submerged struggle to be her "authentic self" - the hard won place where her public and private lives converged, though not until the age of fifty-one, after she narrowly averted financial peril when she was outed and sought treatment for an eating disorder fourteen years later.
All In, is a bracingly candid and complex biography of an athlete-activist that reminds us of the scale her challenges and triumphs, vision and courage. All In situates King in a new context - the here and now - looking backward (and forward) with the benefit of her newly accumulated wisdom and grace. The result is the story of a women with an indomitable spirit who continues to advocate for equity and inclusion today.
OUR REVIEW
This is a monumental read first off. However, it was one that was able to keep me engaged throughout and that's not always been the case when looking back at a career that was way before my time. What makes this book unique though, is the influence that Billie Jean has had on the game and how she fought for many of the advantages that we see in the game today.
As with any autobiography, we look back on their start within their chosen sport and its fascinating to hear about how the Tennis world used to be, particularly its unprofessionalism that BJK ultimately fought to modernise. This was more so the case as a women, where gender equality was not quite where we see it in todays modern sports landscape.
It also delves into the personal relationships she developed in her life, her realisation of her sexuality and how she fought to make it acceptable both in the mainstream world but also in sport and how she remains a huge advocate for both women and sexuality in the game today.
Whilst much of this is about fighting for what she believes is right, BJK is able to balance this book with those issues, by talking about her game experiences and how she was able to win an unbelievable 39 Grand Slam titles, including 12 singles titles, her famous Battle of the Sexes match with Bobby Riggs and how she adjusted her game into the modern era as a icon for the sport, women and the LGBT community.
A really enjoyable read that has so much more than just Tennis. Get this book on your list today, its a modern great and a superb story that very much needed telling!
