A narrative of the trials and triumphs of tennis champion Althea Gibson, a key figure in the integration of American sports and, for a time, one of the most famous women in the world.
... a sprawling—and in many ways outstanding—biography of Gibson ... In the only glaring lapse in her book, Ms. Brown states that it is 'fitting' to describe Gibson’s 'gender nonconformity' as 'expansively queer,' even though she insists that her purpose in doing so is 'not to add to conjectures about her sexuality.' Her research for this book didn’t reveal that Gibson had 'intimate female partners.' So why the insistence on Gibson’s 'queerness'? These few paragraphs in the book’s introduction are, however, a mere blip in a biography that is otherwise honest, sympathetic and nuanced, a labor of love and respect.
Brown, befitting an academic, goes deep...into the archives ... Features...historical digressions ... Gibson’s brash, funny, exuberant personality leaps off the page, but so does the combination of naiveté and obstinacy.
This is a monumental, comprehensive biography that blends Gibson’s remarkable athletic accomplishments with the inspirational story of how she lived through the Jim Crow era and navigated segregation, racism, and gender discrimination, all the while fighting for the integration of sports.
