The Match: Two Outsiders Forged a Friendship and Made Sports History

Description

When Althea Gibson first met Angela Buxton, she had no idea the journey on which she was embarking. Gibson was born in the American South, and raised in the heart of a vibrant Harlem. Amazingly, with the help of friends who recognized her extraordinary talent, Gibson rose from a childhood playing stickball on Harlem streets to claim victory at Wimbledon. Her sacrifices and the humiliations she suffered paving the way for the success of Venus and Serena Williams. But Althea's was a victory hard fought and hard won. Despite her athletic prowess, she was even shunned by the other female players at the Wimbledon game of 1956. Her falling being her skin colour. Angela Buxton, the granddaughter of Russian Jews was also shunned. Her failing was her religion. Finding themselves without doubles partners, the pair decided to join forces and together they triumphed. The two would become lifelong friends, and Buxton would prove to be Althea Gibson's greatest support during her darkest times. Althea Gibson died in 2003, but her life, and contributions to tennis and race relations in the United States is well preserved in this valuable book. Bruce Schoefeld delivers not only the true history of Gibson's life, but also an inspiring story of the underdog who refused to let bigotry win out-both on and off the court.

Bruce Schoenfeld is an acclaimed magazine and television journalist. He is a frequent contributor to national and international publications including The New York Times Magazine, Money, Fortune and Men's Health. He won an Emmy for his writing for NBC's coverage of both the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, and again the 1996 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain.

"Bruce Schoenfeld has written a terrific book...[that] limns the textured and unlikely relationship between Althea Gibson and Angela Buxton." - L. Jon Wetheim, Sports Illustrated "Terrific....An important contribution in spreading the legacy of Gibson, a woman worth remembering." - Publishers Weekly "A reminder of the best and worst in sports." - Robert Lipsyte "Heartwarming....Both the book and the women are to be valued and respected." - Lesley Visser, CBS Sportscaster "Schoenfeld captures the not-so-good-old days of...tennis that are virtually forgotten in these affluent times." - Bud Collins "Skillful....Schoenfeld blends the passion of an enraptured fan with the measured eye of a seasoned journalist." - Kirkus Reviews on The Last Serious Thing "Remarkable...an overdue portrait of Althea Gibson." - Chris Evert "It's surprising how little the...world knows about [Althea] Gibson...who broke tennis' color barrier..Schoenfeld...gives [Gibson]...[her]due." - Starred Booklist "Althea Gibson...belongs to the 'what ever happened to' school of athletes...this book...answer[s] with verve and style." - Library Journal "A remarkable tale of a friendship." - Jon Entine, author of Taboo: Why Black Athletes Dominate Sports and Why We're Afraid to Talk About It "A valuable book...[that] illuminates a vanished era of women's tennis." - Washington Post Book World "Schoenfeld is a true sportswriter--able to bring to life the sweat and intensity of Gibson's matches." - The Crisis "A detailed look at an era, a friendship and a sport." - Chicago Tribune