Title/Author:
“Different Strokes: Serena,
Venus and the Unfinished Black Tennis Revolution” by Cecil Harris
Tags:
Tennis, professional, race,
politics
Publish date:
February 1, 2020
Length:
256 pages
Rating:
5 of 5 stars (outstanding)
Review:
An entire generation of tennis fans
have seen sisters Venus and Serena Williams dominate the sport like few others
have done in the past. While their accomplishments,
most notably Serena’s, are remarkable, their struggles to be accepted and
recognized for their greatness within their sport because of racial issues
highlight this book by Cecil Harris.
Harris not only writes about the two
sisters and their careers, but also educates readers about the larger struggle
African-Americans have faced in tennis. Starting with Althea Gibson, the woman
credited with breaking the color barrier in the sport, Harris writes with
knowledge and passion about her, the Williams sisters, Arthur Ashe, Sloane
Stephens and many other black players who have achieved greatness. While the Williams sisters, Gibson and Ashe
have the most pages written about them, Harris touches on many different
players. He also writes not only about their
achievements on the court, but their achievements and struggles off the court
as well. A particularly well written
piece was about the unprovoked attack by police on former player James Blake in
a case of mistaken identity.
Another aspect of the book that is
very important to Harris’ message is that he not only writes about players
gaining in acceptance and accomplishments, but also the struggles and
inequality suffered by African-Americans wishing to seek jobs in the sport in
areas such as coaching or umpiring. The
inequality in the latter profession, especially in terms of assignments for
major tournaments and in moving up in rankings. Umpires are provided a colored
card based on experience and merit, ranging from white to gold, with the latter
receiving the highest salaries and best assignments.
The writing clearly shows that
Harris is not only knowledgeable about the sport, but that he is passionate
about both the game and the issues surrounding blacks in tennis. This book will provide much needed insight
into the matter of race in tennis and illustrates that while there has been
much progress in that area, especially given the professional and social
presence of Serena Williams, there is still much work to do to address the
inequalities still in existence.
I wish to thank University of
Nebraska Press for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest
review.
Book Format Read:
E-book (hardcover)
Buying Links:
No comments:
Post a Comment