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All in : an autobiography

King, Billie Jean2021
Books, Manuscripts
An intimate self-portrait encompassing the life, times, and career of one of the most transformative individuals -- let alone athletes -- of recent times. Journeying from a blue-collar childhood to shatter tennis's exclusive country-club culture, Billie Jean King paved the way for a more open, inclusive, and equal sports environment. In her memoir, she takes us behind the scenes of the pro tennis tour, through her five years as the top-ranked woman in the world, her twenty Wimbledon championships, her thirty-nine grand-slam titles, and her watershed defeat of Bobby Riggs in the famous "Battle of the Sexes." With her ever-present candour, King also describes the high personal price of public greatness. We see how she struggled to live authentically and the challenges she grappled with beneath the mask of fame, including entrenched sexism, an eating disorder and struggles with her sexual identity until her "outing" by a former lover led her to embrace her true self. We come to understand how, through it all, her unshakeable integrity, resilience, and sense of purpose allowed her time and again to overcome her obstacles, and, at a few dire moments, to rebound from near ruin. Hers is the story of a pathbreaking fighter for equality, world-class athlete, and an indomitable spirit.
Main title:
All in : an autobiography / Billie Jean King, with Johnette Howard and Maryanne Vollers.
Imprint:
London : Viking, an imprint of Penguin Books, 2021.
Collation:
481 pages, 32 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some colour), portraits (some colour) ; 23 cm.
Notes:
'First published in the USA by Alfred A. Knopf, 2021" --Title page verso.Includes index.
ISBN:
97802419884599780241430552
Dewey class:
796.342 KIN796.342
Language:
English
BRN:
36825
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