When high jumper Alice Coachman won the high jump title at the 1941 national championships with "a spectacular leap;" African American women had been participating in competitive sport for close to twenty-five years. Yet it would be another twenty years before they would experience something akin to the national fame and recognition that African American men had known since the 1930s; the days of Joe Louis and Jesse Owens. From the 1920s; when black women athletes were confined to competing within the black community; through the heady days of the late twentieth century when they ruled the world of women's track and field; African American women found sport opened the door to a better life. However; they also discovered that success meant challenging perceptions that many Americans--both black and white--held of them. Through the stories of six athletes--Coachman; Ora Washington; Althea Gibson; Wilma Rudloph; Wyomia Tyus; and Jackie Joyner-Kersee--Jennifer H. Lansbury deftly follows the emergence of black women athletes from the African American community; their confrontations with contemporary attitudes of race; class; and gender; and their encounters with the civil rights movement. Uncovering the various strategies the athletes use to beat back stereotypes; Lansbury explores the fullness of African American women's relationship with sport in the twentieth century.
#3089551 in Books 2001-08-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 10.00 x .58 x 7.99l; 1.41 #File Name: 1555715524250 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Very InterestingBy Thomas OdellVery intresting ; Some things were left out But all in all it ws very good I ws their in both bttles and at he prisioner exchnge . He did a very good job an d should be used as a history book. Many of the things I seen were left out I ws machine gunner attched to all the units with 17th 31st 32 losts of confusen. He did excellent job. Tom D Odell 6o5745 3815 Was very surprised he could bring bck memories As Ilied bout my age and ws only 15 yrs old Thanks God Bless would like to ttalk to the authot by phone. 208 589 1836 my cell0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. He said it was one of the best books on the Korean War that he has readBy William F.A gift to my Korean Veteran Father. He said it was one of the best books on the Korean War that he has read.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Interesting readingBy Sharon LindHusband is enjoying reading this. He was stationed along the 38th as a 18 year old in 1961. Never saw maps of where he was; so is finding this interesting.
