With the help of friends who recognized her extraordinary talent, Althea Gibson rose from a childhood of playing stickball on Harlem streets to claim victory at Wimbledon. It is widely recognized that her sacrifices along the way paved the road for the successes of Venus and Serena Williams. But Althea's was a victory hard fought and painfully won.She had no idea the turn her life would take when she met Angela Buxton at the French Indoor Championships. Despite her athletic prowess, Althea was shunned by the other female players. Her failing was her skin color. Angela, the granddaughter of Russian Jews, was also shunned. Her failing was her religion. Finding themselves without doubles partners, the pair decided to join forces, and together they triumphed, going on to win the 1956 championship at Wimbledon. The two women would become lifelong friends, and Angela would prove to be among Althea's greatest supports during her darkest times.Gibson died in 2003, but her life and her contributions to tennis and race relations in the United States are well preserved in this valuable book. Bruce Schoenfeld delivers not only the true story of Gibson's life but also an inspiring account of two underdogs who refused to let bigotry win -- both on and off the courts.
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The Match Althea Gibson and a Portrait of a Friendship
von Bruce Schoenfeld
With the help of friends who recognized her extraordinary talent, Althea Gibson rose from a childhood of playing stickball on Harlem streets to claim victory at Wimbledon. It is widely recognized that her sacrifices along the way paved the road for the successes of Venus and Serena Williams. But Althea's was a victory hard fought and painfully won.She had no idea the turn her life would take when she met Angela Buxton at the French Indoor Championships. Despite her athletic prowess, Althea was shunned by the other female players. Her failing was her skin color. Angela, the granddaughter of Russian Jews, was also shunned. Her failing was her religion. Finding themselves without doubles partners, the pair decided to join forces, and together they triumphed, going on to win the 1956 championship at Wimbledon. The two women would become lifelong friends, and Angela would prove to be among Althea's greatest supports during her darkest times.Gibson died in 2003, but her life and her contributions to tennis and race relations in the United States are well preserved in this valuable book. Bruce Schoenfeld delivers not only the true story of Gibson's life but also an inspiring account of two underdogs who refused to let bigotry win -- both on and off the courts.
Aktuelle Rezensionen(1)
Rezension von ChristinaIch muss leider sagen, dass mir das Buch überhaupt nicht gefallen hat. Auch wenn ich die Idee dahinter gut fand und gerne über Althea Gibson lernen wollte, so enttäuschte mich dieses Buch doch sehr. Zunächst einmal sei anzumerken, dass die Gestaltung des Buches doch recht notdürftig und "billig" wirkt. Man hat nicht den Eindruck, dass sich dabei besonderes viel Mühe gegeben wurde. Wenn es um den Text bzw. die Handlung geht, fehlt definitiv ein roter Faden. Irgendwie wird alles rund um Altheas Leben erzählt, aber ich hatte oft das Gefühl, der Fokus liegt eher auf den Personen, die mit Althea zu tun hatten, als auf Althea selbst. Und so wirklich wichtige Geschichten wurden dabei auch nur ab und an erzählt. Der Schreibstil ist auch etwas träge, sodass es sich schwer lesen lässt. Alles in allem also definitiv nicht meins und meiner Meinung nach auch nicht empfehlenswert.