In 1988, Billie Jean King, in collaboration with Cynthia Starr, published We Have Come a Long Way: The Story of Women’s Tennis. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Women’s Tennis Association, the two authors recently collaborated to reimagine that original work. The result of those revisions is Trailblazers: The Unmatched Story of Women’s Tennis. Over 250 photographs were added to illustrate the history.
Trailblazers can be categorized as a coffee table book. The hardcover edition is 10 inches wide and 12 inches tall, and the pictures are very glossy. However, since it was originally derived from a full-length text-only book, it still packs a literary punch. Kindle format is available for this title, but I opted for the hardcover version. If I am going to have a coffee table book, this is the one that is the best reflection of who I am.
Trailblazers is organized by era. Each generation confronted challenges and paved the way for the women that came next. In addition to the story of the long and difficult journey toward gender equality in tennis, each section includes profiles of the key prominent figures of the times.
I particularly appreciated the profiles of the historically significant players who were never featured in their own biography. The descriptions of those players provide a more comprehensive sense of who they were as people both on and off the court.
Women’s tennis wouldn’t be what it is today if not for the courage and determination of these amazing athletes. In fact, the book outlines a case for how tennis built the foundation from which opportunities for women in other sports emerged.
There are books that every tennis fan should read. There are also books that every tennis fan should own. Trailblazers: The Unmatched Story of Women’s Tennis is both.
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