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All In: An Autobiography
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. She recounts her groundbreaking tennis career -- six years as the top-ranked woman in the world, twenty Wimbledon championships, thirty-nine grand-slam titles, and her watershed defeat of Bobby Riggs in the famous "Battle of the Sexes." She poignantly recalls the cultural backdrop of those years and the profound impact on her worldview from the women's movement, the assassinations and anti-war protests of the 1960s, the civil rights movement, and, eventually, the LGBTQ+ rights movement.
She describes the myriad challenges she's hurdled -- entrenched sexism, an eating disorder, near financial ruin after being outed -- on her path to publicly and unequivocally acknowledging her sexual identity at the age of fifty-one. And she talks about how her life today remains one of indefatigable service. She offers insights and advice on leadership, business, activism, sports, politics, marriage equality, parenting, sexuality, and love. She shows how living honestly and openly has had a transformative effect on her relationships and happiness. Hers is the story of a pathbreaking feminist, a world-class athlete, and an indomitable spirit whose impact has transcended even her spectacular achievements in sports.
In this spirited account, Billie Jean King details her life's journey to find her true self. She recounts her groundbreaking tennis career -- six years as the top-ranked woman in the world, twenty Wimbledon championships, thirty-nine grand-slam titles, and her watershed defeat of Bobby Riggs in the famous "Battle of the Sexes." She poignantly recalls the cultural backdrop of those years and the profound impact on her worldview from the women's movement, the assassinations and anti-war protests of the 1960s, the civil rights movement, and, eventually, the LGBTQ+ rights movement.
She describes the myriad challenges she's hurdled -- entrenched sexism, an eating disorder, near financial ruin after being outed -- on her path to publicly and unequivocally acknowledging her sexual identity at the age of fifty-one. And she talks about how her life today remains one of indefatigable service. She offers insights and advice on leadership, business, activism, sports, politics, marriage equality, parenting, sexuality, and love. She shows how living honestly and openly has had a transformative effect on her relationships and happiness. Hers is the story of a pathbreaking feminist, a world-class athlete, and an indomitable spirit whose impact has transcended even her spectacular achievements in sports.
482 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2021
About the author
Billie Jean King
48 books125 followersAs one of the 20th century's most respected and influential people, Billie Jean King has long been a champion for social change and equality. She created new inroads for both genders in and out of sports during her legendary career and she continues to make her mark today. King was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 690 reviews
October 6, 2021
Audiobook …. read by Billie Jean King
….18 hours and 6 minutes
Library overdrive ….
Much of this audiobook is heartwarming—it has that “Billie Jean King is talking directly to ‘you’ feeling”
Most interesting parts for me was learning how much Billie Jean King did for ….equality — (a generation on the cusp of change)
….the ‘Me-Too movement before there was a name for it,
….for women, civil rights justice,
and —
….and scholarship funds for women’s sports.
I remember when scholarships were zelch for women’s competitive sports but overflowing for men.
Infuriating sabotage and injustice went on for way too many years for women athletes. Triggered my own anger, as well!!
I could see just how much Billie Jean did…(we can all thank her for this)…
I applaud her on many accounts.
That said….
I couldn’t help but compare “All In”
to “Open”….
by Andre Agassi.
[another tennis memoir I listened to this year].
Of course comparing the two books is like comparing apples and oranges—-
but most of the time people know which fruit they prefer.
So, for pure voyeuristic pleasures,
I’ll just say straight out — I preferred Agassi’s book.
Perhaps my preference says something about me.… Because where Billie Jean King’s ‘love theme’ for the game/tennis—-was sincere passion - and - was - ALL IN…..
Andre Agassi HATED tennis — he often wanted ALL OUT.
Both ex-tennis professionals are International household names— both champions—-but I found it more interesting to read the journey of HATING TENNIS than LOVING IT.
I never was tired of the details in Agassi’s book —
I often felt details in Billie Jean King’s book were trivial.
I am not an ‘editor-police-reader’
— but once in a while even I can say…”where were the editors?”
That said — I ENJOYED this book — (tolerated the pimples)…
….tennis stories
….family stories
….gay lifestyle stories
….travel,
….education,
….sport injuries
….historical social issues
…. eating disorders (binge/diet/ soul depletion)
…. Residential treatment for her eating disorder [same resident center our daughter went to]
….depression-disconnected from self- and others…
….Wimbledon and other pro matches.
….obstacles, loneliness gratefulness, set-backs, and courage.
….healing, happiness, and putting yourself out there!
etc…..
Note: Billie Jean King (a forever almost 80-year-old dreamer-heroine-role model)
has a childish voice.
It surprised me. Her young and meekness way of speaking, was very noticeable.
Often a sad sound of unworthiness —
Though….
her humbleness- mixed with straight talk surpassed those unworthy sounds.
….18 hours and 6 minutes
Library overdrive ….
Much of this audiobook is heartwarming—it has that “Billie Jean King is talking directly to ‘you’ feeling”
Most interesting parts for me was learning how much Billie Jean King did for ….equality — (a generation on the cusp of change)
….the ‘Me-Too movement before there was a name for it,
….for women, civil rights justice,
and —
….and scholarship funds for women’s sports.
I remember when scholarships were zelch for women’s competitive sports but overflowing for men.
Infuriating sabotage and injustice went on for way too many years for women athletes. Triggered my own anger, as well!!
I could see just how much Billie Jean did…(we can all thank her for this)…
I applaud her on many accounts.
That said….
I couldn’t help but compare “All In”
to “Open”….
by Andre Agassi.
[another tennis memoir I listened to this year].
Of course comparing the two books is like comparing apples and oranges—-
but most of the time people know which fruit they prefer.
So, for pure voyeuristic pleasures,
I’ll just say straight out — I preferred Agassi’s book.
Perhaps my preference says something about me.… Because where Billie Jean King’s ‘love theme’ for the game/tennis—-was sincere passion - and - was - ALL IN…..
Andre Agassi HATED tennis — he often wanted ALL OUT.
Both ex-tennis professionals are International household names— both champions—-but I found it more interesting to read the journey of HATING TENNIS than LOVING IT.
I never was tired of the details in Agassi’s book —
I often felt details in Billie Jean King’s book were trivial.
I am not an ‘editor-police-reader’
— but once in a while even I can say…”where were the editors?”
That said — I ENJOYED this book — (tolerated the pimples)…
….tennis stories
….family stories
….gay lifestyle stories
….travel,
….education,
….sport injuries
….historical social issues
…. eating disorders (binge/diet/ soul depletion)
…. Residential treatment for her eating disorder [same resident center our daughter went to]
….depression-disconnected from self- and others…
….Wimbledon and other pro matches.
….obstacles, loneliness gratefulness, set-backs, and courage.
….healing, happiness, and putting yourself out there!
etc…..
Note: Billie Jean King (a forever almost 80-year-old dreamer-heroine-role model)
has a childish voice.
It surprised me. Her young and meekness way of speaking, was very noticeable.
Often a sad sound of unworthiness —
Though….
her humbleness- mixed with straight talk surpassed those unworthy sounds.
September 20, 2021
While reading tennis legend Billie Jean King’s unflinchingly honest new autobiography, “All In: An Autobiography,” one message becomes clear: To inspire change, you have to first make a racket. Now in her late 70s, the former No. 1 women’s tennis player in the world, who long ago proved her reach extends far beyond the tennis court, doesn’t hold back, declaring, “Even if you’re not a born activist, life can damn sure make you one.”
Click here to read the rest of my review in the Christian Science Monitor!
Click here to read the rest of my review in the Christian Science Monitor!
August 27, 2021
(Left to right: Carole Caldwell Graebner, Julie Heldman and Billie Jean King in Turin, Italy, holding the Federations Cup 1966 won against West-Germany national women's tennis team. First published in the Italian newspaper Stampa Sera on 16 May 1966.)
"Don't let anyone define you. You define yourself." ~Billie Jean King
An autobiography of an athlete isn't something I would normally read. I'm not interested in sports. Walking through the sporting goods section on my way to books, crafts, or groceries is the most involvement I have with sports -- and even that is boring.
I watch the occasional gymnastics or figure skating (maybe once every few years), enamored by the beauty and aching as I imagine doing any of it myself.
I was a bit surprised that I wanted to read Billie Jean King's autobio. My partner loves sports as much as I dislike them and I watched "Battle of the Sexes" (about BJK) with her, surprised by how much I enjoyed it.
So I guess it's not that weird that I wanted to read her bio. There's a lot about sports and individual matches. That got tedious. However, there's also a lot about how Ms. King fought for women's equality in tennis and that I enjoyed. I also loved reading about her activism and support for transgender and intersex athletes.
I was also very interested in what she wrote about her sexuality and how she felt she had to stay in the closet in order to have a career in tennis. I ached for her, knowing how lonely that is, and terrifying. Worrying what would happen if people knew - if she lived true to herself - took its toll on her health and relationships.
Eventually she was outed by a past lover and, though I wasn't surprised, I was saddened and angered by how this affected her career and endorsements (this was in 1994).
Throughout the years, Billie Jean King has been outspoken on social justice issues. She has lent her support to the Civil Rights movement, LGBTIQQ2+ equality, anti-war efforts, and equal rights for women. I appreciated her pointing out that women's rights has to include ALL women, not just straight white cisgender women.
The last section of the book has a lot about her activism, and how she continues to be involved with human rights and social justice. Along with reading about her sexuality, I found this to be the most interesting part of the book.
Through it all, Billie Jean speaks openly and engagingly about her life, her struggles, her wins, her hope for a better future for all. I admire her strength and fortitude, her willingness to speak out when others would remain silent, her compassion.
I am glad I decided to read this book, and wonder if now I might even be interested in watching a tennis match. Maybe I will.... after I read another chapter of my book.
July 21, 2022
We've come a long way baby. And King is here to tell the story. It's a good one told through the lens of King's life playing tennis.
I grew up in the same place and time as Billie Jean King and so was drawn to this book. I listened to it on audio but felt having the book close at hand was necessary in order to get the book's full effect. There are many sets of photos that add so much to the story told. If you are interested in the history of woman's professional tennis or even just the growth and change in women's athletics this is a book that should not be missed.
I always feel there is an element of memoir and autobiography that is outside critical comments. How an author chooses to describe their life and what they feel is important and must be included in their story is impossible for me to evaluate. I will say at times I felt like King was trying to tell two different stories, one her life in tennis and second her life as an activist. It became clear in the reading that the two aspects of her life were so intertwined that there was no way to separate them. It did feel at times it made for too many elements to be packed into one volume and made the book seem longer than its 400+ pages.
What I loved most was the early 1/3 of the book where King describes her youth growing up in the 50's in Southern California. Her early commitment to becoming the best in tennis and how luck, perseverance and determination took a young girl from humble beginnings to the top of her sport (a sport played primarily at that time by elite white and mostly male amateurs). It is a great story. Once King reaches the top, the story slowed a little for me as it reviewed individual matches and victories. It picked up again as King became more active is pushing the limits of professional tennis for women and working to make it pay for the women who had excelled. It's a many faceted story to get from the days in the 60's there were few outlets for women athletes in any sport to Title 9 and the advancement of equal treatment for women. I found it very enlightening to see how far things have come in just one lifetime and the part King played in helping to make that happen.
Yet I did feel at times that there was almost too much information for one book as I started to get overwhelmed with all King chose to include about herself. There is also quite a bit about King's coming out as a lesbian and how difficult that was in the atmosphere of the 70's. There is a lot here and towards the end I was saturated and the book started to seem over long.
Billie Jean King reads the audio and does an amazing job. Her voice still sounds young and the emotions cause her to almost break down at times. This brings an added element to the text. I'm not sure I would have made it to the end with only the print. King's is an amazing life and is a great woman's story of how far things have changed and still how much there is to strive for. I am very glad to have read it. If you have any interest in women's sports I would encourage you to read it too. Even with its flaws it is a 5 star read of one life and a great overview of history in the making.
I grew up in the same place and time as Billie Jean King and so was drawn to this book. I listened to it on audio but felt having the book close at hand was necessary in order to get the book's full effect. There are many sets of photos that add so much to the story told. If you are interested in the history of woman's professional tennis or even just the growth and change in women's athletics this is a book that should not be missed.
I always feel there is an element of memoir and autobiography that is outside critical comments. How an author chooses to describe their life and what they feel is important and must be included in their story is impossible for me to evaluate. I will say at times I felt like King was trying to tell two different stories, one her life in tennis and second her life as an activist. It became clear in the reading that the two aspects of her life were so intertwined that there was no way to separate them. It did feel at times it made for too many elements to be packed into one volume and made the book seem longer than its 400+ pages.
What I loved most was the early 1/3 of the book where King describes her youth growing up in the 50's in Southern California. Her early commitment to becoming the best in tennis and how luck, perseverance and determination took a young girl from humble beginnings to the top of her sport (a sport played primarily at that time by elite white and mostly male amateurs). It is a great story. Once King reaches the top, the story slowed a little for me as it reviewed individual matches and victories. It picked up again as King became more active is pushing the limits of professional tennis for women and working to make it pay for the women who had excelled. It's a many faceted story to get from the days in the 60's there were few outlets for women athletes in any sport to Title 9 and the advancement of equal treatment for women. I found it very enlightening to see how far things have come in just one lifetime and the part King played in helping to make that happen.
Yet I did feel at times that there was almost too much information for one book as I started to get overwhelmed with all King chose to include about herself. There is also quite a bit about King's coming out as a lesbian and how difficult that was in the atmosphere of the 70's. There is a lot here and towards the end I was saturated and the book started to seem over long.
Billie Jean King reads the audio and does an amazing job. Her voice still sounds young and the emotions cause her to almost break down at times. This brings an added element to the text. I'm not sure I would have made it to the end with only the print. King's is an amazing life and is a great woman's story of how far things have changed and still how much there is to strive for. I am very glad to have read it. If you have any interest in women's sports I would encourage you to read it too. Even with its flaws it is a 5 star read of one life and a great overview of history in the making.
September 5, 2021
Oh, Philadelphia freedom
Shine on me
I love you
Shine a light
Through the eyes of the ones left behind
Shine a light shine a light
Shine a light won't you shine a light
Philadelphia freedom
I lo o ove you
Yes I do
Philadelphia Freedom by Elton John/Bernard Taupin
Hobnobbing with famous musicians was not something Billie Jean Moffitt ever dreamed of as a girl growing up in Long Beach, California. She was the oldest of Betty and Bill Moffitt’s two children. Her parents were conservative Methodists, and both parents were athletic. Her younger brother, Randy, Moffitt, went on to pitch professionally for three Major League teams in a 12-year career. As a young girl, Billie Jean played softball, but once she realized that there the only “acceptable” sports for females were tennis and golf, she found a local tennis instructor. And the rest, as they say, is history.
In her autobiography, All In: An Autobiography, Billie Jean King describes the ups and downs of her tennis career. She recounts in great detail her many years of learning to play the game, and she credits so many mentors who encouraged her, pushed her, and helped motivate her to improve her skills and her understanding of the game and its strategies. In the beginning, there were many more downs, than ups, of course. It was a battle just to raise the money for tournaments, and even at an early age, she became all too aware of the inequities between men and women’s tennis. Males had far more opportunities and fewer restrictions than females, not to mention prize money. Equality is one of the central themes of the book – and of Billie Jean King’s life.
If you followed tennis in the late sixties and early seventies, you will love Ms. King’s recap of the players she faced and some of the key events she played and won, or lost. It’s a lot of detail, even for a sports fan. If you’re not a tennis fan, I would encourage you to stick with the book anyway because mixed in with the serves and volleys is a lot of Billie Jean’s personal history and her outlook on life. She has referred to several women in this book as “sheroes” – well, Billie Jean King, I hope you know that you are a shero to many, many people too.
She led the fight for fairness in pay and to access to tennis events for women. Male tennis players, many of them stars, were adamantly opposed. Yet, she persisted. She eventually helped found the first women’s professional tennis tour. She pushed for a women’s players union and became its first president. With her husband Larry and other backers, she helped found World Team Tennis. It is her team, the Philadelphia Freedoms, for which Elton John wrote his song. They met not long after her famous “Battle of the Sexes” and became fast and lifelong friends.
About that “battle.” I remember it. I was beginning my sophomore year in college, and the TV lounge in my dorm was packed with members of my volleyball team, other women whom I knew to be physical education majors, and a bunch of guys. What a fun party that was! I wasn’t aware of all the national hype that had been happening for weeks before this match, but I certainly did not want to see Billie Jean King lose to that bold, brash, chauvinist Bobby Riggs! The women in that room were not disappointed! Billie Jean writes a lot about the weeks leading up to that extravaganza, her thoughts, her preparation, and her strategy. I really enjoyed her replay of the match too.
It’s evident that she is quite proud of her many accomplishments on the tennis court: 12 Grand Slam Singles titles, 11 Grand Slam Mixed Doubles titles, and 16 Grand Slam Doubles titles. This is only the four major tennis events: French Open, Australian Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open. There were many other victories, plus team tennis. She had to overcome a number of knee surgeries, illnesses, and other injuries, much as other athletes contend with throughout their careers. She also struggled with her sexuality throughout her marriage, and she writes very openly and honestly about that. She acknowledges that her concern about the backlash against her would not just take its toll on her tennis game, but that it would also destroy all the gains women had fought so hard for in tennis. So she basically took one for the team – until finally the ball was no longer in her court. She writes of the torment she went through during the infamous palimony suit. It’s easy to think, ���if only... She went through a lot, and so did her husband. To his credit, he was able to stick by her, and throughout the book, she credits him for assisting her with legal and business affairs as well as support in many other facets of their relationship.
The most interesting parts of the book to me, however, were her impressions, viewpoints, and experiences with human rights issues. She was an early advocate in the tennis world for breaking the color barrier, welcoming Althea Gibson and later Arthur Ashe. She writes time and again about the privileges white players have from the time they are young, and she applauds the arrival of younger Black and Asian players in the game today. Her wife is a white South African, and Ms. King tells of her first trip to that country as being eye-opening to her. Later, her account of their meeting with the great Nelson Mandela is awe-inspiring. Another thrill was receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama in 2009. As a child, I’ll bet she never imagined meeting these magnificent leaders. Billie Jean has accomplished much in her 77 years. She writes of the physical, financial, and emotional struggles she’s gone through. She was known for her fiery demeanor on the court and her dogged pursuit of equity and justice off the court. With her hard-earned success and happiness, she’s paying it forward, generously. She’s an advocate for equality for people of all races, genders, sexual orientations, and nationalities. Billie Jean Moffitt King is a champion in every sense of the word.
4.5 stars rounded up
Shine on me
I love you
Shine a light
Through the eyes of the ones left behind
Shine a light shine a light
Shine a light won't you shine a light
Philadelphia freedom
I lo o ove you
Yes I do
Philadelphia Freedom by Elton John/Bernard Taupin
Hobnobbing with famous musicians was not something Billie Jean Moffitt ever dreamed of as a girl growing up in Long Beach, California. She was the oldest of Betty and Bill Moffitt’s two children. Her parents were conservative Methodists, and both parents were athletic. Her younger brother, Randy, Moffitt, went on to pitch professionally for three Major League teams in a 12-year career. As a young girl, Billie Jean played softball, but once she realized that there the only “acceptable” sports for females were tennis and golf, she found a local tennis instructor. And the rest, as they say, is history.
In her autobiography, All In: An Autobiography, Billie Jean King describes the ups and downs of her tennis career. She recounts in great detail her many years of learning to play the game, and she credits so many mentors who encouraged her, pushed her, and helped motivate her to improve her skills and her understanding of the game and its strategies. In the beginning, there were many more downs, than ups, of course. It was a battle just to raise the money for tournaments, and even at an early age, she became all too aware of the inequities between men and women’s tennis. Males had far more opportunities and fewer restrictions than females, not to mention prize money. Equality is one of the central themes of the book – and of Billie Jean King’s life.
If you followed tennis in the late sixties and early seventies, you will love Ms. King’s recap of the players she faced and some of the key events she played and won, or lost. It’s a lot of detail, even for a sports fan. If you’re not a tennis fan, I would encourage you to stick with the book anyway because mixed in with the serves and volleys is a lot of Billie Jean’s personal history and her outlook on life. She has referred to several women in this book as “sheroes” – well, Billie Jean King, I hope you know that you are a shero to many, many people too.
She led the fight for fairness in pay and to access to tennis events for women. Male tennis players, many of them stars, were adamantly opposed. Yet, she persisted. She eventually helped found the first women’s professional tennis tour. She pushed for a women’s players union and became its first president. With her husband Larry and other backers, she helped found World Team Tennis. It is her team, the Philadelphia Freedoms, for which Elton John wrote his song. They met not long after her famous “Battle of the Sexes” and became fast and lifelong friends.
About that “battle.” I remember it. I was beginning my sophomore year in college, and the TV lounge in my dorm was packed with members of my volleyball team, other women whom I knew to be physical education majors, and a bunch of guys. What a fun party that was! I wasn’t aware of all the national hype that had been happening for weeks before this match, but I certainly did not want to see Billie Jean King lose to that bold, brash, chauvinist Bobby Riggs! The women in that room were not disappointed! Billie Jean writes a lot about the weeks leading up to that extravaganza, her thoughts, her preparation, and her strategy. I really enjoyed her replay of the match too.
It’s evident that she is quite proud of her many accomplishments on the tennis court: 12 Grand Slam Singles titles, 11 Grand Slam Mixed Doubles titles, and 16 Grand Slam Doubles titles. This is only the four major tennis events: French Open, Australian Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open. There were many other victories, plus team tennis. She had to overcome a number of knee surgeries, illnesses, and other injuries, much as other athletes contend with throughout their careers. She also struggled with her sexuality throughout her marriage, and she writes very openly and honestly about that. She acknowledges that her concern about the backlash against her would not just take its toll on her tennis game, but that it would also destroy all the gains women had fought so hard for in tennis. So she basically took one for the team – until finally the ball was no longer in her court. She writes of the torment she went through during the infamous palimony suit. It’s easy to think, ���if only... She went through a lot, and so did her husband. To his credit, he was able to stick by her, and throughout the book, she credits him for assisting her with legal and business affairs as well as support in many other facets of their relationship.
The most interesting parts of the book to me, however, were her impressions, viewpoints, and experiences with human rights issues. She was an early advocate in the tennis world for breaking the color barrier, welcoming Althea Gibson and later Arthur Ashe. She writes time and again about the privileges white players have from the time they are young, and she applauds the arrival of younger Black and Asian players in the game today. Her wife is a white South African, and Ms. King tells of her first trip to that country as being eye-opening to her. Later, her account of their meeting with the great Nelson Mandela is awe-inspiring. Another thrill was receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama in 2009. As a child, I’ll bet she never imagined meeting these magnificent leaders. Billie Jean has accomplished much in her 77 years. She writes of the physical, financial, and emotional struggles she’s gone through. She was known for her fiery demeanor on the court and her dogged pursuit of equity and justice off the court. With her hard-earned success and happiness, she’s paying it forward, generously. She’s an advocate for equality for people of all races, genders, sexual orientations, and nationalities. Billie Jean Moffitt King is a champion in every sense of the word.
4.5 stars rounded up
August 18, 2021
For tennis lovers, athletes, sports fans, equal rights activists and history buffs...this one is for you! So many wonderful stories - I needed tissues - was overwhelmed with emotion....Loved it! Full review to come on Book Nation by Jen.
September 22, 2021
To me, this is not a book about tennis, although tennis is in it. This is not a book about Billie Jean King, although she wrote it. This book is about Women, and the people around them.
March 7, 2022
There are books, and then there’s this: the autobiography of an icon that will be read for generations. I passed—perhaps foolishly—on a review copy, because I was afraid there would be large passages of minutiae about tennis, which doesn’t interest me. I was mistaken in my concern, but it worked out well, because I borrowed an audio version from Seattle Bibliocommons, and the author reads her own book. She is an old woman now, and hearing her detail her own remarkable life is a matchless experience. It’s hard to imagine there will be a more important, or more enjoyable book published in the coming year.
Billie Jean Moffitt King is born in 1943 and grows up in Southern California in a conservative working class family; her dad is a firefighter, and her mother stays home, as most mothers did back then. There is Billie, and there is her brother, and the family are devoted Methodists. Who is to know that both children will be famous one day? Brother Randy becomes a professional baseball player, and Billie Jean becomes a record-breaking tennis star and a passionate social justice activist. If you, reader, are younger than sixty, you probably don’t even know how much you owe Billie Jean.
Growing up, King enjoys all sorts of sports, but when she is introduced to tennis, a light comes on.
The problem is, tennis is a sport for the elite, even more so back then than now. To find a tennis court, you needed to either have a private court built on your palatial estate, or belong to a country club, and of course, to do that, you also have to be Caucasian. Billie Jean’s family is nowhere near affluent enough to belong. And so, early on, her passion and her obvious talent draw support from people with enough pull, or enough money, to give her access. She takes the time to thank them, but doesn’t let this bog the story down.
Over and over, however, she is shut out on account of her gender. Prize money typically pays enough to help an athlete pay their own travel expenses and buy equipment, but when women are allowed to compete in competitions prestigious enough to offer prize money, it’s only for the men. Women are expected to be grateful that they are included at all. And as King gets better at her sport and her confidence grows, she begins to push back. Nobody wants to watch women play tennis? Since when? And since when should people of color be shut out?
Although she doesn’t say so, it becomes obvious to me that in addition to athletic talent, confidence, intelligence, and almost endless energy, King has one more talent, one that isn’t recognized as such in the mid-twentieth century: she has amazing people skills. Over and over, she is able to reach compromises, make deals, and shorten the gap between conservative perceptions of women athletes, and what all athletes deserve. She discusses the various battles (though she doesn’t use this word) and how they are resolved, and I am amazed at the grace and dignity she demonstrates. Perhaps the most telling moment is when she befriends Bobby Riggs, the obnoxious bastard that she has defeated in front of the world, and later, when he is on his deathbed, takes a call from his wife. Riggs is asking for her, and he doesn’t have much time left. She is too far away to get to him in time, but she tells him on the phone that she loves him. Wow.
If you are or were a girl that participated in high school sports, or if you or your loved ones have benefited from Title IX, thank Billie Jean, who testified before Congress. She also started the first professional tennis circuit for women.
Over the years, King wins 39 Wimbledon Grand Slam titles and a host of others as well. I am a child when she plays Bobby Riggs in “The Battle of the Sexes,” and she beats him squarely. What I don’t know (and would still not have known if I’d been paying attention,) is that she does her very best not to play this tournament. Riggs is much older than she, and he hounds her—in fact, today his behavior would violate anti-stalking laws. But she calmly tells him, over and over, that she isn’t interested, and then she ignores his calls and turns away from his in-person visits. But when a fellow women’s tennis champion plays him and loses, Billie turns to her husband and manager, Larry King, and with a sigh, says, “Okay. You’d better set it up.”
At this point, I turn away from the audio book and head to YouTube to watch The Battle of the Sexes. This trip back to the society in which I grew up is hair-raising. The ways that men talk about women, in public forums! The remarks by Howard Cosell, who was the most liberal of sportscasters, about her physical appearance, and the patronizing remarks of others are appalling. I wouldn’t go back for anything in this world! But when she is asked antagonizing questions, Billie Jean comments, briefly, calmly, and without showing even the slightest offence. Her coolness on the court is mirrored in her cool public appearances. It’s remarkable.
When Gloria Steinem starts Ms. Magazine, King supports her, but she is always either asleep or busy, so husband Larry handles the mail. When he sees the request to add her name to a list of famous women that support a woman’s right to choose, as the controversy over Roe v. Wade heats up, he signs for her and then forgets to mention it to her; had he read more carefully, he would have noted the line, “I had an abortion!” King doesn’t know it’s about to be public knowledge, and her parents didn’t know she’d terminated a pregnancy. It’s not a good moment.
Later, when her feelings for other women grow stronger, she and Larry separate, but not completely. For years, she stays with him when they both show up in town at the same time, and they continue a romantic relationship, though infrequently. It is when she grows close to South African tennis player Ilana, and Ilana makes her choose, that she divorces Larry; again, they remain friends.
I could carry on all day about this woman, a champion on the court and off, but if you are interested enough to read this entire review, then you’re interested enough to get this book. I’m sure the print version is lovely, but the audio book—which sounds like a garrulous old lady telling her story, like Forrest Gump, but authentic and more accomplished—and hearing her voice wobble when she speaks of her most moving experiences, is simply unmissable.
Go get it.
Billie Jean Moffitt King is born in 1943 and grows up in Southern California in a conservative working class family; her dad is a firefighter, and her mother stays home, as most mothers did back then. There is Billie, and there is her brother, and the family are devoted Methodists. Who is to know that both children will be famous one day? Brother Randy becomes a professional baseball player, and Billie Jean becomes a record-breaking tennis star and a passionate social justice activist. If you, reader, are younger than sixty, you probably don’t even know how much you owe Billie Jean.
Growing up, King enjoys all sorts of sports, but when she is introduced to tennis, a light comes on.
The problem is, tennis is a sport for the elite, even more so back then than now. To find a tennis court, you needed to either have a private court built on your palatial estate, or belong to a country club, and of course, to do that, you also have to be Caucasian. Billie Jean’s family is nowhere near affluent enough to belong. And so, early on, her passion and her obvious talent draw support from people with enough pull, or enough money, to give her access. She takes the time to thank them, but doesn’t let this bog the story down.
Over and over, however, she is shut out on account of her gender. Prize money typically pays enough to help an athlete pay their own travel expenses and buy equipment, but when women are allowed to compete in competitions prestigious enough to offer prize money, it’s only for the men. Women are expected to be grateful that they are included at all. And as King gets better at her sport and her confidence grows, she begins to push back. Nobody wants to watch women play tennis? Since when? And since when should people of color be shut out?
Although she doesn’t say so, it becomes obvious to me that in addition to athletic talent, confidence, intelligence, and almost endless energy, King has one more talent, one that isn’t recognized as such in the mid-twentieth century: she has amazing people skills. Over and over, she is able to reach compromises, make deals, and shorten the gap between conservative perceptions of women athletes, and what all athletes deserve. She discusses the various battles (though she doesn’t use this word) and how they are resolved, and I am amazed at the grace and dignity she demonstrates. Perhaps the most telling moment is when she befriends Bobby Riggs, the obnoxious bastard that she has defeated in front of the world, and later, when he is on his deathbed, takes a call from his wife. Riggs is asking for her, and he doesn’t have much time left. She is too far away to get to him in time, but she tells him on the phone that she loves him. Wow.
If you are or were a girl that participated in high school sports, or if you or your loved ones have benefited from Title IX, thank Billie Jean, who testified before Congress. She also started the first professional tennis circuit for women.
Over the years, King wins 39 Wimbledon Grand Slam titles and a host of others as well. I am a child when she plays Bobby Riggs in “The Battle of the Sexes,” and she beats him squarely. What I don’t know (and would still not have known if I’d been paying attention,) is that she does her very best not to play this tournament. Riggs is much older than she, and he hounds her—in fact, today his behavior would violate anti-stalking laws. But she calmly tells him, over and over, that she isn’t interested, and then she ignores his calls and turns away from his in-person visits. But when a fellow women’s tennis champion plays him and loses, Billie turns to her husband and manager, Larry King, and with a sigh, says, “Okay. You’d better set it up.”
At this point, I turn away from the audio book and head to YouTube to watch The Battle of the Sexes. This trip back to the society in which I grew up is hair-raising. The ways that men talk about women, in public forums! The remarks by Howard Cosell, who was the most liberal of sportscasters, about her physical appearance, and the patronizing remarks of others are appalling. I wouldn’t go back for anything in this world! But when she is asked antagonizing questions, Billie Jean comments, briefly, calmly, and without showing even the slightest offence. Her coolness on the court is mirrored in her cool public appearances. It’s remarkable.
When Gloria Steinem starts Ms. Magazine, King supports her, but she is always either asleep or busy, so husband Larry handles the mail. When he sees the request to add her name to a list of famous women that support a woman’s right to choose, as the controversy over Roe v. Wade heats up, he signs for her and then forgets to mention it to her; had he read more carefully, he would have noted the line, “I had an abortion!” King doesn’t know it’s about to be public knowledge, and her parents didn’t know she’d terminated a pregnancy. It’s not a good moment.
Later, when her feelings for other women grow stronger, she and Larry separate, but not completely. For years, she stays with him when they both show up in town at the same time, and they continue a romantic relationship, though infrequently. It is when she grows close to South African tennis player Ilana, and Ilana makes her choose, that she divorces Larry; again, they remain friends.
I could carry on all day about this woman, a champion on the court and off, but if you are interested enough to read this entire review, then you’re interested enough to get this book. I’m sure the print version is lovely, but the audio book—which sounds like a garrulous old lady telling her story, like Forrest Gump, but authentic and more accomplished—and hearing her voice wobble when she speaks of her most moving experiences, is simply unmissable.
Go get it.
February 1, 2022
I find books like this very difficult to rate.
As a work of writing, it is overly long and plainly written, as would be expected.
As a memoir, it is honest and sincere, but not always insightful.
As a history it is filled with fascinating accounts. I particularly valued the stories of the difficulties she faced pursuing an athletic career, the lack of support, both financially and in getting training, she had as a female athlete, the challenges of the womens' tennis circuit, the fight for equal prize money, the fight to pursue a professional career versus the amateur establishment, and her various tennis business ventures. The first hand stories of the Battle of the Sexes Match with Bobby Riggs, her struggles with her sexuality and her dispute with her first girlfriend were also well worth reading.
In the end I read a work like this because of who Billie Jean King is and the story she tells, not how well her autobiography is written, but I still rate it based on the latter.
As a work of writing, it is overly long and plainly written, as would be expected.
As a memoir, it is honest and sincere, but not always insightful.
As a history it is filled with fascinating accounts. I particularly valued the stories of the difficulties she faced pursuing an athletic career, the lack of support, both financially and in getting training, she had as a female athlete, the challenges of the womens' tennis circuit, the fight for equal prize money, the fight to pursue a professional career versus the amateur establishment, and her various tennis business ventures. The first hand stories of the Battle of the Sexes Match with Bobby Riggs, her struggles with her sexuality and her dispute with her first girlfriend were also well worth reading.
In the end I read a work like this because of who Billie Jean King is and the story she tells, not how well her autobiography is written, but I still rate it based on the latter.
August 9, 2023
In her autobiography, Billie Jean King covers her career as a tennis player and her activism as a feminist and coming out as a lesbian. She covers everything she finds necessary and does so with authenticity and honesty. As a feminist, she expresses her views as an egalitarian feminist that believes in complete equality that includes all genders supporting the effort to success rather than a more separatist brand of feminism that works toward gender superiority and the exclusion of males from these efforts. King brings up the challenges that came with being a tennis player and a female and how she overcome them. There is also statistical information that covers her entire career as a tennis player.
If you are looking to learn everything you would want to know about Billie Jean King from her perspective, be it as a tennis player, an activist, and as a person, this is the book for you.
If you are looking to learn everything you would want to know about Billie Jean King from her perspective, be it as a tennis player, an activist, and as a person, this is the book for you.
September 20, 2021
The best book I’ve read so far this year. Two reasons: 1) Her life is a truly incredible story for what she accomplished on and, more importantly, off the court
, and 2) This self-reflection is well done with moments of brutal honesty. Also, enjoyed the little and little-known details, such as Elton John dedicating ‘Philadelphia Freedom’ to her. BJK is making my top 5 dream dinner party guest list after this book (:
, and 2) This self-reflection is well done with moments of brutal honesty. Also, enjoyed the little and little-known details, such as Elton John dedicating ‘Philadelphia Freedom’ to her. BJK is making my top 5 dream dinner party guest list after this book (:
July 26, 2023
I feel so empowered… seriously, what an absolute legend. Billie Jean King really demonstrates how outwardly living and fighting for your truth can have such a big impact on the world. Her existence as a female, lesbian professional athlete was trailblazing just because people weren’t aware that you could be apart of all those communities at once. I hugely recommend reading her autobiography, as it is incredibly moving and emotional.
November 9, 2021
This book could have been 250 pages, half of its size. There was too much detail that we could do without in the beginning of the book. The end was more of political commentary than autobiography. I still learned a lot about 70s and got to know Billie Jean contribution.
August 21, 2021
Billie Jean King is only about 10 years older than me and I vividly remember her contributions to tennis and culture. She was and is an advocate for fairness and inclusion and I looked forward to reading her biography.
With celebrity memoirs, I like to listen to the audiobooks version if they narrate as I feel the story is more personal so I preordered this title when it was available; what a mistake. She may be a wonderful person but she’s an awful narrator.
I’d read somewhere that the book required heavy editing as she’d noted nearly every person she’d ever met. At nearly 500 pages, it requires even more editing to eliminate much of the minutia like who pushed an elevator button simultaneously.
Much of the book is quite interesting, particularly the areas where she covers the fight for women players to be recognized and paid appropriately and the mistreatment and harassment they faced. However, some chapters are so bogged down with details that I skipped ahead and scanned only those that seemed more exacting.
Her uneven tone and poor narration makes what could have been an exemplary memoir all the worse and would have been better with significant further editing. What a missed opportunity.
With celebrity memoirs, I like to listen to the audiobooks version if they narrate as I feel the story is more personal so I preordered this title when it was available; what a mistake. She may be a wonderful person but she’s an awful narrator.
I’d read somewhere that the book required heavy editing as she’d noted nearly every person she’d ever met. At nearly 500 pages, it requires even more editing to eliminate much of the minutia like who pushed an elevator button simultaneously.
Much of the book is quite interesting, particularly the areas where she covers the fight for women players to be recognized and paid appropriately and the mistreatment and harassment they faced. However, some chapters are so bogged down with details that I skipped ahead and scanned only those that seemed more exacting.
Her uneven tone and poor narration makes what could have been an exemplary memoir all the worse and would have been better with significant further editing. What a missed opportunity.
January 7, 2022
There is so much I enjoyed about this book.
She did an excellent job describing the mindset of a professional athlete.
Too often, biographies, by athletes, gloss much of the physical and mental work it takes to be a professional.
Billie Jean brings you into the game of tennis and the preparation need for competition.
"Feminists like fun."
Billie Jean provides a description of feminism that I can get behind.
She did an excellent job describing the mindset of a professional athlete.
Too often, biographies, by athletes, gloss much of the physical and mental work it takes to be a professional.
Billie Jean brings you into the game of tennis and the preparation need for competition.
"Feminists like fun."
Billie Jean provides a description of feminism that I can get behind.
May 2, 2022
Outstanding autobiography that intimately shares the behind-the-scenes challenges that Billie Jean King faced. She is an incredible advocate for equality and inclusion for all.
Highly recommend!
Highly recommend!
June 21, 2022
Thank you to my overheated flight for finally finishing this. On a more serious note, this was really fascinating and I appreciate Billie Jean King so much. Being this open and brave and continuing to evolve throughout your life is really the goal.
March 31, 2022
Another tough look for Phil Knight of Nike, which was one of the many companies that dropped BJK when she was outed as gay in the 1980s. This is a great audiobook. She gets choked up sometimes reading it. Wow has tennis changed for women. Fun to imagine her meeting Venus and Serena when they were just 6 and 7.
August 22, 2021
I don't think you can appreciate Billie Jean King unless you grew up in the 1950s and 60s when girls didn't play sports, and being queer was such an alien concept it didn't even register as a possibility. Although that was BJK's reality, she revolutionized women's tennis and women's sports in general, fighting centuries of tradition and male privilege for equal treatment and equal pay.
All In is a very enjoyable if slightly long-winded autobiography, and King is brutally honest about the mistakes she made largely because of the homophobic 1970s when she was at her professional peak. She continued to deny being a lesbian, even when she became the target of an infamous "galimony" suit by her former lover. I didn't even realize that she has been in a committed relationship for 40 years, but I'm glad she has found the love and happiness she deserves.
King is very gracious about most of the people she has dealt with in her life, even the ones that openly opposed her efforts to have women's tennis be taken as seriously as men's. The book is strongest when she discussed her personal life, including the revelation that she was treated for an eating disorder. I'm not a tennis fan, but I appreciated the interesting play-by-play of her most notable matches. At times she provides unnecessary history lessons about civil rights and other major events that have taken place in the 70+ years of her life. And although the ending drags as she lists all of the organizations she has founded or contributed to that support athletics for girls and youth from low-income families, I don't begrudge her the opportunity to claim her legacy.
Best of all, she describes her relationship with Elton John and the story of "Philadelphia Freedom," surely the only number one hit inspired by a professional tennis team. If I were BJK, that would be my proudest accomplishment.
All In is a very enjoyable if slightly long-winded autobiography, and King is brutally honest about the mistakes she made largely because of the homophobic 1970s when she was at her professional peak. She continued to deny being a lesbian, even when she became the target of an infamous "galimony" suit by her former lover. I didn't even realize that she has been in a committed relationship for 40 years, but I'm glad she has found the love and happiness she deserves.
King is very gracious about most of the people she has dealt with in her life, even the ones that openly opposed her efforts to have women's tennis be taken as seriously as men's. The book is strongest when she discussed her personal life, including the revelation that she was treated for an eating disorder. I'm not a tennis fan, but I appreciated the interesting play-by-play of her most notable matches. At times she provides unnecessary history lessons about civil rights and other major events that have taken place in the 70+ years of her life. And although the ending drags as she lists all of the organizations she has founded or contributed to that support athletics for girls and youth from low-income families, I don't begrudge her the opportunity to claim her legacy.
Best of all, she describes her relationship with Elton John and the story of "Philadelphia Freedom," surely the only number one hit inspired by a professional tennis team. If I were BJK, that would be my proudest accomplishment.
September 22, 2021
Audiobook narrated by BJK herself. Like a lot of memoirs, the early chapters about her childhood were pretty boring. And even the stuff about some of her biggest matches wasn’t that interesting. Where her passion shined through was when she started reflecting on her activism, her mental/weight/identity struggles, and eventually her legacy. There are several moments in the back half of the audiobook where you can hear how choked up she gets. I am glad they went with those takes; they add so much to underscoring what she’s accomplished for women everywhere.
September 30, 2021
Quite good! I didn't know anything about Billie Jean King, but this autobiography shows her as someone who for her whole life has battled both in tennis matches, and for women's sports and LGBT rights. Her demons include binge-eating and her societally condemned sexuality. She shows poor judgement, not infrequently lies, and has multiple simultaneous affairs. Her openness about her mistakes helps make this a worthwhile story—and there is a lot to tell! (Certainly in comparison to the other tennis biography I've recently read, Clarey's "The Master" about solipsistic billionaire Roger Federer.)
King's "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match with Bobby Riggs was ridiculous. What I didn't understand before reading this is how ridiculous the context was, in particular the pervasive sexism battled by athletes like King. I still don't know that the match shows quite what King thinks. It is not surprising that the world's best female tennis player can defeat a washed-up huckster who (at least in King's portrayal) can barely even run. King took the match very seriously because she saw it as her duty to protect and grow women's tennis.
> When my parents took Randy and me to Los Angeles to watch our first Pacific Coast League baseball game between the L.A. Angels and the Hollywood Stars when I was nine I expected it to be a thrilling day—until I looked down on the field and it dawned on me for the first time that all the pro players were men. Before that day I had heard about the American Dream and thought it applied unconditionally to me.
> I’d be holding a glass of water in my hand, chatting with club members who were drinking highballs. One of the older men or women would inevitably lean over toward fifteen-year-old me and say, “So, tell me young lady, what are you really going to do with your life? Or are you going to be a tennis bum?” I am doing what I want with my life, was what I wanted to say. Instead, I’d smile politely and say nothing, or assure them that I planned to attend college and marry because I knew that’s what they wanted to hear.
> Althea [Gibson] quit amateur tennis in 1959 at the pinnacle of her career after having swept the singles titles at Wimbledon and Forest Hills in back-to-back years. As she memorably explained it, “You can’t eat trophies.” I would sometimes repeat her line later. Althea went on to break the color line in women’s golf, too, and chase the small purses on the fledgling LPGA tour. To make a living, she even played tennis as the opening act at Harlem Globetrotters’ games, a sight that was as painful to me as Jesse Owens racing a horse for money late in his career, or a broke Joe Louis—another African American icon—working as a casino greeter in Vegas.
> Arthur Ashe, the first president of the ATP, but he was backward on gender issues before he married his wife, Jeanne Moutoussamy, an exceptional photographer and strong professional woman. Arthur told The Boston Globe, “The women are going to disappear because they don’t draw flies.” Clark Graebner said, “I’m just as happy to never see the girls. They’re not very attractive. I wouldn’t want my daughter playing on tour.” The American star Stan Smith told The Daily Mirror of London, “These girls would be much happier if they settled down, got married, and had a family. Tennis is a rough life and it really isn’t good for them. It de-feminizes them…[They become] too independent and they can’t adapt to anyone else, they won’t be dependent on a man. They want to take charge, not only on the courts but at home.”
> The USLTA was the Establishment trying to flick us off before we got traction. I was the only multiple Grand Slam singles winner on the Slims tour. If a kid like Chrissie [Evert] ran away with the crown against our best player and then went back to playing against Margaret, Virginia Wade, and Evonne Goolagong on their rival tour, our circuit could be endangered. Evonne was only nineteen years old herself then, and she had just won Roland-Garros and Wimbledon. So, as much as I already liked Chrissie personally, I knew it was up to me to stop her. Now. After warming up for our semifinal, I felt so much pressure that I went into a shower in the women’s dressing room, blasted the water as high as it would go so no one would hear me, and began sobbing uncontrollably as I contemplated the stakes.
> I steamed off. Rosie was right behind me, her jaw clamped shut in anger too. I’m not proud of it—but it was hysterical when she blinked and told me that she forgot we weren’t playing doubles and she left because she was thinking we were a team. The crowd booed us on our way off and we deserved it. The press massacred us too. We were fined by the USLTA. And that’s how Rosie and I became an infamous footnote in tennis history: We’re still the only two singles players to default after we both took the court.
> In the five decades since, it is not an exaggeration to say not a day has gone by without someone talking to me about the Battle of the Sexes match. Women still tell me about where they were when they saw it, how happy and empowered they felt when I won. … the men who approach me often have tears in their eyes too. They say, “Billie Jean, I was very young when I saw that match and now I have a daughter. It changed me.” One of those men was Barack Obama. When I met him for the first time in the Oval Office after he became president, he told me, “You don’t realize it, but I saw that match at twelve. Now I have two daughters and it has made a difference in how I raise them.”
> To show Sir Brian how much leverage and unity we had, Jerry produced a contract that was signed by more than eighty women players, obligating us to compete the following summer in another tournament to be held the same time as Wimbledon. We told Sir Brian the contract for us to skip Wimbledon and play elsewhere would be binding only if the women didn’t receive at least 70 percent of the prize money the men were paid at Wimbledon in 1976. The second condition: Our percentage would have to be negotiated upward each succeeding year, until equal prize money was achieved.
> tennis remains the leader in women’s sports. Tennis has shown what’s possible, and remains a model that other sports emulate.
> I can’t remember dining in a restaurant until I was eleven years old. Even then, Mom and Dad wouldn’t let us order a milkshake and fries with our burgers; we had to choose one or the other because of the cost. Even at home, it wasn’t uncommon for my father to remark, “Boy, you kids really eat a lot,” or for my mother to shoot us a disapproving look when we reached for another portion. To this day, going to a restaurant and having everyone order whatever they want secretly thrills me.
> Once I held my own in softball games, my father’s coworkers always wanted me to play shortstop or third base on their teams at their fire department picnics. There, I learned an important lesson that applied later in life, in other contexts: Men and boys will accept you more easily when you excel at something they value.
> After I stopped competing, I wasn’t working out regularly and my weight occasionally hit 200 pounds. I became detached, almost remote, which isn’t like me at all. I couldn’t stop overeating, no matter how hard I tried.
King's "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match with Bobby Riggs was ridiculous. What I didn't understand before reading this is how ridiculous the context was, in particular the pervasive sexism battled by athletes like King. I still don't know that the match shows quite what King thinks. It is not surprising that the world's best female tennis player can defeat a washed-up huckster who (at least in King's portrayal) can barely even run. King took the match very seriously because she saw it as her duty to protect and grow women's tennis.
> When my parents took Randy and me to Los Angeles to watch our first Pacific Coast League baseball game between the L.A. Angels and the Hollywood Stars when I was nine I expected it to be a thrilling day—until I looked down on the field and it dawned on me for the first time that all the pro players were men. Before that day I had heard about the American Dream and thought it applied unconditionally to me.
> I’d be holding a glass of water in my hand, chatting with club members who were drinking highballs. One of the older men or women would inevitably lean over toward fifteen-year-old me and say, “So, tell me young lady, what are you really going to do with your life? Or are you going to be a tennis bum?” I am doing what I want with my life, was what I wanted to say. Instead, I’d smile politely and say nothing, or assure them that I planned to attend college and marry because I knew that’s what they wanted to hear.
> Althea [Gibson] quit amateur tennis in 1959 at the pinnacle of her career after having swept the singles titles at Wimbledon and Forest Hills in back-to-back years. As she memorably explained it, “You can’t eat trophies.” I would sometimes repeat her line later. Althea went on to break the color line in women’s golf, too, and chase the small purses on the fledgling LPGA tour. To make a living, she even played tennis as the opening act at Harlem Globetrotters’ games, a sight that was as painful to me as Jesse Owens racing a horse for money late in his career, or a broke Joe Louis—another African American icon—working as a casino greeter in Vegas.
> Arthur Ashe, the first president of the ATP, but he was backward on gender issues before he married his wife, Jeanne Moutoussamy, an exceptional photographer and strong professional woman. Arthur told The Boston Globe, “The women are going to disappear because they don’t draw flies.” Clark Graebner said, “I’m just as happy to never see the girls. They’re not very attractive. I wouldn’t want my daughter playing on tour.” The American star Stan Smith told The Daily Mirror of London, “These girls would be much happier if they settled down, got married, and had a family. Tennis is a rough life and it really isn’t good for them. It de-feminizes them…[They become] too independent and they can’t adapt to anyone else, they won’t be dependent on a man. They want to take charge, not only on the courts but at home.”
> The USLTA was the Establishment trying to flick us off before we got traction. I was the only multiple Grand Slam singles winner on the Slims tour. If a kid like Chrissie [Evert] ran away with the crown against our best player and then went back to playing against Margaret, Virginia Wade, and Evonne Goolagong on their rival tour, our circuit could be endangered. Evonne was only nineteen years old herself then, and she had just won Roland-Garros and Wimbledon. So, as much as I already liked Chrissie personally, I knew it was up to me to stop her. Now. After warming up for our semifinal, I felt so much pressure that I went into a shower in the women’s dressing room, blasted the water as high as it would go so no one would hear me, and began sobbing uncontrollably as I contemplated the stakes.
> I steamed off. Rosie was right behind me, her jaw clamped shut in anger too. I’m not proud of it—but it was hysterical when she blinked and told me that she forgot we weren’t playing doubles and she left because she was thinking we were a team. The crowd booed us on our way off and we deserved it. The press massacred us too. We were fined by the USLTA. And that’s how Rosie and I became an infamous footnote in tennis history: We’re still the only two singles players to default after we both took the court.
> In the five decades since, it is not an exaggeration to say not a day has gone by without someone talking to me about the Battle of the Sexes match. Women still tell me about where they were when they saw it, how happy and empowered they felt when I won. … the men who approach me often have tears in their eyes too. They say, “Billie Jean, I was very young when I saw that match and now I have a daughter. It changed me.” One of those men was Barack Obama. When I met him for the first time in the Oval Office after he became president, he told me, “You don’t realize it, but I saw that match at twelve. Now I have two daughters and it has made a difference in how I raise them.”
> To show Sir Brian how much leverage and unity we had, Jerry produced a contract that was signed by more than eighty women players, obligating us to compete the following summer in another tournament to be held the same time as Wimbledon. We told Sir Brian the contract for us to skip Wimbledon and play elsewhere would be binding only if the women didn’t receive at least 70 percent of the prize money the men were paid at Wimbledon in 1976. The second condition: Our percentage would have to be negotiated upward each succeeding year, until equal prize money was achieved.
> tennis remains the leader in women’s sports. Tennis has shown what’s possible, and remains a model that other sports emulate.
> I can’t remember dining in a restaurant until I was eleven years old. Even then, Mom and Dad wouldn’t let us order a milkshake and fries with our burgers; we had to choose one or the other because of the cost. Even at home, it wasn’t uncommon for my father to remark, “Boy, you kids really eat a lot,” or for my mother to shoot us a disapproving look when we reached for another portion. To this day, going to a restaurant and having everyone order whatever they want secretly thrills me.
> Once I held my own in softball games, my father’s coworkers always wanted me to play shortstop or third base on their teams at their fire department picnics. There, I learned an important lesson that applied later in life, in other contexts: Men and boys will accept you more easily when you excel at something they value.
> After I stopped competing, I wasn’t working out regularly and my weight occasionally hit 200 pounds. I became detached, almost remote, which isn’t like me at all. I couldn’t stop overeating, no matter how hard I tried.
October 31, 2021
BOOK OF THE YEAR!!! This book was incredible. Thank u bill and Haley for the Rec
Great audiobook that BJK reads
Great audiobook that BJK reads
April 16, 2022
I learned so much about Billie Jean King and the fight for women’s equality in pay and respect in sports. But she also shares an incredible amount about her personal journey to live an authentic life. I think as a woman it can be easy to forget the battles those who came before us fought to help us have equal (or at least better) opportunities than they did. Dense book but fascinating!
December 18, 2021
Amazing story. The world has come a long way in her lifetime. Could have been shorter but she earned the five stars anyway
October 21, 2021
This is 97% a sports book and a social reform book championing women's rights . She writes with clarity , compassion and well chosen words. She is a lover of all humility and jot just women .It is in every ones interest that women's rights are protected and everyone should protect them.
The book touches on sex change operations and the rights of born males who had sex change operations and as a surat shabd yogi I would like to offer a spiritual perspective on that. For thsoe who dont know surat shabd yoga is a science that enables practitioners to attain ONENESS with God during this life and thus to know all that God knows .
First of all reincarnation is real . At the end of every life we receive a new body according to our predominating desires and actions in our pervious life. It is not al all uncommon for a male to be reborn as a female and vice versa .Nor it is at all uncommon for a human to be born as an animal and vice versa .So if a person desires a sex change they will get they corrected in the next life.
Secondly it is harmful to think of sexual experiences . It is beneficial to think of spiritual experiences such a seeing light at the eye center and merging in that light and traveling on it to higher planes up to the ultimate bliss of God realization .By thinking of and engaging in sex we are descending and retreating from the light of who we really are >we are descending deeper into matter away from spirit which is our true self .So it really si better to think of other things .
However it is also true that if we are having sexual thoughts and desires for some one other our legally marred spouse that we can not eliminate by staying buzy in higher pure nobles things that we tell a kind compassionate MATURE human being who is also struggling to stay pure and who understands the danger of keeping "shameful" bottled up. Just by telling them we will often get the strength to get them out of our head . We should NEVER be all alone in our struggle to move form downward outward (yang) to upward inward ( yin) tendencies
and no it is not moral or judgmental to say that a person whose hobby is sexual desires is of bad character and should be avoided and a person whose hobby is self or God realization (where self is ones pure essence not its coverings) is of good character and is a keeper.
It is also true that we acquire the form we think about so a man who is constantly thinking about a woman's body will get one even fi he has no desire to become a woman .There is also a law of karma which says that we must under go what we have caused others to under go. So if , as a man , we thought often of women a sex objects and used them as such we may likely be born as women and sued as sex objects .
The best form to dwell on is the form of a human who had merged into God
In light of the above those who are 60 and over and are retiring thinking that they will now jet and drive all around since global warming will not get bad before they die better rethink that .Since They will be among the new generation who has face climate crisis.
The book touches on sex change operations and the rights of born males who had sex change operations and as a surat shabd yogi I would like to offer a spiritual perspective on that. For thsoe who dont know surat shabd yoga is a science that enables practitioners to attain ONENESS with God during this life and thus to know all that God knows .
First of all reincarnation is real . At the end of every life we receive a new body according to our predominating desires and actions in our pervious life. It is not al all uncommon for a male to be reborn as a female and vice versa .Nor it is at all uncommon for a human to be born as an animal and vice versa .So if a person desires a sex change they will get they corrected in the next life.
Secondly it is harmful to think of sexual experiences . It is beneficial to think of spiritual experiences such a seeing light at the eye center and merging in that light and traveling on it to higher planes up to the ultimate bliss of God realization .By thinking of and engaging in sex we are descending and retreating from the light of who we really are >we are descending deeper into matter away from spirit which is our true self .So it really si better to think of other things .
However it is also true that if we are having sexual thoughts and desires for some one other our legally marred spouse that we can not eliminate by staying buzy in higher pure nobles things that we tell a kind compassionate MATURE human being who is also struggling to stay pure and who understands the danger of keeping "shameful" bottled up. Just by telling them we will often get the strength to get them out of our head . We should NEVER be all alone in our struggle to move form downward outward (yang) to upward inward ( yin) tendencies
and no it is not moral or judgmental to say that a person whose hobby is sexual desires is of bad character and should be avoided and a person whose hobby is self or God realization (where self is ones pure essence not its coverings) is of good character and is a keeper.
It is also true that we acquire the form we think about so a man who is constantly thinking about a woman's body will get one even fi he has no desire to become a woman .There is also a law of karma which says that we must under go what we have caused others to under go. So if , as a man , we thought often of women a sex objects and used them as such we may likely be born as women and sued as sex objects .
The best form to dwell on is the form of a human who had merged into God
In light of the above those who are 60 and over and are retiring thinking that they will now jet and drive all around since global warming will not get bad before they die better rethink that .Since They will be among the new generation who has face climate crisis.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 30, 2021
Equality of all people.
An amazing life, with major, seismic changes in the world and in her personal and professional life, and in her social activism.
An amazing life, with major, seismic changes in the world and in her personal and professional life, and in her social activism.
May 27, 2024
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.
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.
October 27, 2021
This memoir was recommended to me by someone who doesn't normally read memoirs. Combine that with my love for the genre and the love for tennis (played when I had younger knees, but still watch loyally on TV) pretty much sealed the deal with this one.
I'm not going to go into detail about BJK's life. Because really, is there a person on earth who DOESN'T know who she is? This woman is a phenomenon, and her story just proves it. I knew quite a bit about her going into this audio...her long and successful career in singles and doubles, her win at the Battle of the Sexes, her marriage to Larry King (not THAT Larry King) then coming out in the early 80's, her relationship with Elton John (Philadelphia Freedom, baby!), and her constant presence in the controversies of feminism and equal rights.
So what did I learn about her? She grew up just north of poor. She had an abortion. Her first affair with a woman ended in a publicly horrid and tragic way. She started the women's tennis program almost single-handedly. Her activism goes way beyond anything you could even imagine. She has spent over 40 years now with the love of her life. She really is an inspiration, and her voice in this book is raw and earnest and vulnerable.
So why only three stars? I often have a hard time separating my ratings between the brilliance of a person's life and the brilliance of how that life was revealed on the page. And here is my naked truth...I had to turn the speed up to 1.5 to get through it. I enjoyed the detail of the development of her tennis skills and career, but it was lengthy. (The audio itself was over 17 hours long, the book about 500 pages.) Her descriptions of the world's injustices were even longer, and were intense. And I get it...she has so much passion for these topics, but it made me antsy and agitated. I also heard some revisionist history as well. She's not the only person who seems to believe "if you say it, it is so", but it really bothers me.
And...she's not a great narrator. I'm really glad she DID narrate, because I think memoirs should be narrated by the person closest to the material, but not everyone floods the auditory senses with happiness LOL.
I'm not going to go into detail about BJK's life. Because really, is there a person on earth who DOESN'T know who she is? This woman is a phenomenon, and her story just proves it. I knew quite a bit about her going into this audio...her long and successful career in singles and doubles, her win at the Battle of the Sexes, her marriage to Larry King (not THAT Larry King) then coming out in the early 80's, her relationship with Elton John (Philadelphia Freedom, baby!), and her constant presence in the controversies of feminism and equal rights.
So what did I learn about her? She grew up just north of poor. She had an abortion. Her first affair with a woman ended in a publicly horrid and tragic way. She started the women's tennis program almost single-handedly. Her activism goes way beyond anything you could even imagine. She has spent over 40 years now with the love of her life. She really is an inspiration, and her voice in this book is raw and earnest and vulnerable.
So why only three stars? I often have a hard time separating my ratings between the brilliance of a person's life and the brilliance of how that life was revealed on the page. And here is my naked truth...I had to turn the speed up to 1.5 to get through it. I enjoyed the detail of the development of her tennis skills and career, but it was lengthy. (The audio itself was over 17 hours long, the book about 500 pages.) Her descriptions of the world's injustices were even longer, and were intense. And I get it...she has so much passion for these topics, but it made me antsy and agitated. I also heard some revisionist history as well. She's not the only person who seems to believe "if you say it, it is so", but it really bothers me.
And...she's not a great narrator. I'm really glad she DID narrate, because I think memoirs should be narrated by the person closest to the material, but not everyone floods the auditory senses with happiness LOL.
August 16, 2021
thank you SO MUCH @knopf — i was thrilled to receive this advance copy of:
ALL IN by billie jean king (autobiography) this honest, fascinating account chronicles king’s life and how she used her brilliant, well-honed tennis skills, her exceptional work ethic, and her dogged determination to be the best in the world, and how she parlayed her role as a champion on the court into a force of change in not only women’s tennis, but for the equality and inclusion of all people + if you are a female who plays/played high school sports (when i played high school tennis in the late 80s it never occurred to me that just a few years earlier i may not have had that opportunity!) or if you enjoy watching women’s college or pro sports (such as, i don’t know, like the american women winning more medals than the men at this summer’s olympics maybe) then you owe a debt of gratitude in no small part to @billiejeanking + i’ve played and loved tennis since i was 10 years old and won the first tournament i played in (swipe to see the look of pure joy on my face as i stared at my trophy 😆) and no one has done more for girls & women in tennis —and indeed any sport— than BJK. when i saw her some 15 years ago in the lobby of our hotel in disney world, i was stunned stupid. i somehow managed to approach her and ask for a photo (—>) yet was still awestruck enough that i couldn’t articulate to her my admiration and appreciation. i hope she reads this so at least now i can say ‘thank you’ @billiejeanking
🎾
“I told myself that day that I would spend my life fighting for equal rights and opportunities for everyone, so no one felt scorned or left out. I believed our church’s teaching that I was put on this earth to do good with my life. Now I had a better idea what my calling could be: I could bring people together through tennis. If I was good enough and fortunate enough to be No. 1 in the world, tennis would be my platform.”
🎾
you can grab your copy TOMORROW, august 17!
🎾
instagram book reviews @brettlikesbooks
ALL IN by billie jean king (autobiography) this honest, fascinating account chronicles king’s life and how she used her brilliant, well-honed tennis skills, her exceptional work ethic, and her dogged determination to be the best in the world, and how she parlayed her role as a champion on the court into a force of change in not only women’s tennis, but for the equality and inclusion of all people + if you are a female who plays/played high school sports (when i played high school tennis in the late 80s it never occurred to me that just a few years earlier i may not have had that opportunity!) or if you enjoy watching women’s college or pro sports (such as, i don’t know, like the american women winning more medals than the men at this summer’s olympics maybe) then you owe a debt of gratitude in no small part to @billiejeanking + i’ve played and loved tennis since i was 10 years old and won the first tournament i played in (swipe to see the look of pure joy on my face as i stared at my trophy 😆) and no one has done more for girls & women in tennis —and indeed any sport— than BJK. when i saw her some 15 years ago in the lobby of our hotel in disney world, i was stunned stupid. i somehow managed to approach her and ask for a photo (—>) yet was still awestruck enough that i couldn’t articulate to her my admiration and appreciation. i hope she reads this so at least now i can say ‘thank you’ @billiejeanking
🎾
“I told myself that day that I would spend my life fighting for equal rights and opportunities for everyone, so no one felt scorned or left out. I believed our church’s teaching that I was put on this earth to do good with my life. Now I had a better idea what my calling could be: I could bring people together through tennis. If I was good enough and fortunate enough to be No. 1 in the world, tennis would be my platform.”
🎾
you can grab your copy TOMORROW, august 17!
🎾
instagram book reviews @brettlikesbooks
October 24, 2021
Described as "an inspiring and intimate self-portrait", Bille Jean King does just that - inspires. I was deeply moved by King's life (especially her positive, can-do spirit) as she sought to conquer obstacles that seemed beyond her reach, power, or ability. I'm not much of a self-help kind of person, but life stories like King's help me shift my perspective - Maybe I can do that thing that seems impossible or Hard work does pay off .
Much has recently been made about athletes’ mental health, but as King points out, these issues are nothing new. Thanks to trailblazers like King, we're just maybe more comfortable talking about them. And that didn't happen overnight. It took years and athletes like King to shift our perspective. Billie Jean King was told she couldn't wear shorts, shouldn't eat too much, wasn't pretty, would ruin her career and legacy if she came out, and all this to her face. I'm not suggesting it's easier to hear these things online, but there was a time when it was acceptable and reasonable to say these kind of things to a young girl and expect little to no retort.
Billie Jean King paved the way for all athletes and made our society better. Her life, while not perfect, is an example of what can be done when influence and success is leveraged for good. I'm truly honored to have read this book and imbibed the details of a life lived to the fullest in success and servitude. Thank you, Goodreads.
Much has recently been made about athletes’ mental health, but as King points out, these issues are nothing new. Thanks to trailblazers like King, we're just maybe more comfortable talking about them. And that didn't happen overnight. It took years and athletes like King to shift our perspective. Billie Jean King was told she couldn't wear shorts, shouldn't eat too much, wasn't pretty, would ruin her career and legacy if she came out, and all this to her face. I'm not suggesting it's easier to hear these things online, but there was a time when it was acceptable and reasonable to say these kind of things to a young girl and expect little to no retort.
Billie Jean King paved the way for all athletes and made our society better. Her life, while not perfect, is an example of what can be done when influence and success is leveraged for good. I'm truly honored to have read this book and imbibed the details of a life lived to the fullest in success and servitude. Thank you, Goodreads.
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