Whatever It Takes : Women on Women's Sport

Rating:
Summary: Advance praise for WHATEVER IT TAKES:
Review: "An eloquent collection . . . Individually, the essays and poems are technically precise and revealing and passionate. Together, they form a much-needed resource that gives voice to female athletes, summarized by one sportswoman's call: 'The barriers fall. Now we can play.'" -- KIRKUS REVIEWS

"Thoughtful and though-provoking, this collection celebrates the power of sport in the lives of women. The voices you hear are fresh, funny, and triumphant." -- Lauren Kessler, author of FULL COURT PRESS

"Beautifully wrought narratives . . . the athletes' voices speak with clarity and authority." -- Margaret Carlisle Duncan, Department of Human Kinetics, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee

"For the growing ranks of women who will fulfill their dreams in the sport world, this insightful collection is a must read." -- Jean S. Cione, player for the Rockford Peaches in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League

"Finally! A book by women sharing their personal experiences of self-discovery through sports! From boxing to rowing, baseball to swimming, each story is told with passion and flair." -- Annie Nelson, three-year member, U.S. Women's World Sailing Team

"Deserves an honored place on the bookshelves of any woman who has ever won, lost, or simply learned something about herself by competing in sports." -- Susan Cahn, author of COMING ON STRONG: GENDER AND SEXUALITY IN TWENTIETH CENTURY WOMEN'S SPORT

"Of real value to female athletes and the people who encourage and support them." -- Ruth Wysocki, member, U.S. Track and Field Team in the 1984 Olympic Games

"For anyone who has dreams and aspirations to be the best at whatever they do." -- Kristine Lilly, gold medalist, U.S. Women's National Soccer Team in the 1996 Olympic Games

Rating:
Summary: great collection of short pieces!
Review: A wonderful anthology by women writing about their personal passions. Each piece stands by itself. The range of sports is wide--basketball, baseball, track, climbing, ice skating...each piece from a unique angle. I'm a woman and I love sports, but I was still surprised by the consistent high quality of the writing and by how much I enjoyed almost every piece.

Rating:
Summary: great collection of short pieces!
Review: A wonderful anthology by women writing about their personal passions. Each piece stands by itself. The range of sports is wide--basketball, baseball, track, climbing, ice skating...each piece from a unique angle. I'm a woman and I love sports, but I was still surprised by the consistent high quality of the writing and by how much I enjoyed almost every piece.

Rating:
Summary: A book about passion and struggle
Review: After reading this book, my first thought was of all the things that might have been, and weren't. There are no household names in this book; some, a few, are known to sports enthusiasts. But most of the stories are told by women whose names we don't know or remember. They write about the struggles and obstacles, about battles won and lost -- and always, about the passion that kept them coming back. What might have happened, I wondered, if these women had not had to fight so many battles just to be allowed to play? How far might they have gone if they hadn't had to carry those extra burdens?

The stories are sad, many of them, if only by implication. But the book is inspiring. To every athletic woman who ever felt alone or marginalized, who had to break the "gender line" to do what she loved, there is inspiration, and the knowledge that there are others like us. The sports represented are diverse, but the themes are common. Get this book for the woman athlete in your life -- or the woman athlete inside you.

Rating:
Summary: A book about passion and struggle
Review: After reading this book, my first thought was of all the things that might have been, and weren't. There are no household names in this book; some, a few, are known to sports enthusiasts. But most of the stories are told by women whose names we don't know or remember. They write about the struggles and obstacles, about battles won and lost -- and always, about the passion that kept them coming back. What might have happened, I wondered, if these women had not had to fight so many battles just to be allowed to play? How far might they have gone if they hadn't had to carry those extra burdens?

The stories are sad, many of them, if only by implication. But the book is inspiring. To every athletic woman who ever felt alone or marginalized, who had to break the "gender line" to do what she loved, there is inspiration, and the knowledge that there are others like us. The sports represented are diverse, but the themes are common. Get this book for the woman athlete in your life -- or the woman athlete inside you.

Rating:
Summary: Stunning, heartbreaking, and inspirational
Review: An awesome collection of essays about women and sports by women who play sports. The writing spans the century, and it is both bracing and shocking to read those turn-of-the-century comments...and realize how far we still have to go. I defy you to read this without crying at least once, and yet, somewhere else, laughing so hard your subway partners get jumpy. You may never look at a woman playing sports--or your own body--the same way again. I intend to give this to my 69-year-old Pacers freak mother, my 36-year-old sports t.v.-producing sister--AND my niece, 6, who, every time she leaps into the water, asks, "Do you want to see my grand finale?" Sure I do...and you'll want to see each of these women's grand finales.

Rating:
Summary: Stunning, heartbreaking, and inspirational
Review: An awesome collection of essays about women and sports by women who play sports. The writing spans the century, and it is both bracing and shocking to read those turn-of-the-century comments...and realize how far we still have to go. I defy you to read this without crying at least once, and yet, somewhere else, laughing so hard your subway partners get jumpy. You may never look at a woman playing sports--or your own body--the same way again. I intend to give this to my 69-year-old Pacers freak mother, my 36-year-old sports t.v.-producing sister--AND my niece, 6, who, every time she leaps into the water, asks, "Do you want to see my grand finale?" Sure I do...and you'll want to see each of these women's grand finales.