All In: An Autobiography

Billie Jean Moffitt was ten years old when she first picked up a tennis racket and she instantly loved the game. She could run, jump, and hit balls: everything she liked to do. Only a few years later, she vowed to become number one and, as Billie Jean King, she did—racking up thirty-nine grand slam singles and doubles championships, including a record twenty wins at Wimbledon. She had to overcome physical pain and many obstacles placed in front of her by officials who penalized her for everything from not wearing a skirt to simply being a girl.

King’s autobiography is the story of how she and others elevated women’s tennis to an immensely popular sport, with hard-fought gains in the purses that these professional athletes could finally earn. But she wasn’t only “all in” on the tennis courts: she has also pursued equality throughout her life, for female athletes of all ages, for players of color, for abortion rights, and for LGBTQ people.

This book will interest tennis fans, of course, but also anyone interested in feminism and women’s history, and in learning how activists play the “long game” using strategy, tactic, and determination. The book is illustrated with photos from her career and personal life, and it’s told in the forthright and clear way you would expect from this champion.