 |
 |
 |
|
by Frances Clayton Gray & Yanick Rice Lamb
Foreword by Bill Cosby
Afterword by Venus Williams
ISBN 0471471658
$24.95 Hardcover
John Wiley & Sons
Cowritten by Frances Clayton Gray, who was Althea Gibson’s confidante and is now executor of her estate, this authorized biography sheds new light on America’s first African-American tennis champion. It details her childhood in Harlem and her 10-year reign as champion of the all-black American Tennis Association to her historic 1950 debut at Wimbledon and her momentous victories of 1957 and 1958, when she swept both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.
Complete with 40 rare photographs, some of which are being presented for the first time, Born to Win is the essential biography for anyone interested in Gibson, tennis, or the struggle for civil rights.
|
|
On Althea Gibson
"It was the quiet dignity with which Althea carried herself during the turbulent days of the 1950s that was truly remarkable. . . . When she began playing, less than five percent of tennis newcomers were minorities. Today, some thirty percent are minorities, two-thirds of whom are African American. This is her legacy."
—Alan Schwartz, President, U.S. Tennis Association
"I am grateful to Althea Gibson for having the strength and courage to break through the racial barriers in tennis. She knocked down walls that gave us more freedom to concentrate on the game. . . . Althea’s accomplishments set the stage for my success, but she also made a difference for people of all backgrounds in all areas. Through beneficiaries like me, Serena, and many others to come, her legacy will live on."
—Venus Williams
"Althea built many bridges over her seventy-six years on this earth to ease our crossing. . . . She fought the good fight, she finished her course, she kept her faith, and she can rest—game, set, and match."
—David Dinkins, former mayor of New York City
|
|
|
