Babe Didrikson Zaharias: The Making of a Champion [Hardcover]

Russell Freedman (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

When Babe Didrikson Zaharias was a child, her goal was to be the greatest athlete who ever lived. Few people come as close to their childhood goals as Babe did. She was an All-American basketball player, an Olympic gold medalist in track and field, and a championship golfer who won eighty-two amateur and professional tournaments. She also mastered tennis, played exhibition baseball, and was an accomplished diver and bowler. The Associated Press elected her Woman Athlete of the Year six times and in 1950 named her Woman Athlete of the Half Century. Babe accomplished all of this at a time when most girls and women didn't take part in these sports. This insightful and well-researched biography from Newbery medalist Russell Freedman brings to life the woman who changed the world's perception of female athletes forever-Babe Didrikson Zaharias.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In another exemplary biography, Newbery Medalist Freedman (Martha Graham) turns to Mildred "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias (1911-1956), arguably the preeminent woman athlete of the 20th century. He pays ample attention to Babe's extraordinary achievementsAe.g., her three world records in track and field at the 1932 Olympics; her record-setting golf career in the '40s and '50sAbut his book's greatest strength lies in his portrait of the person behind the athlete, a portrait that hums with the energy and vibrancy of Babe herself. A bold tomboy Texan from a poor family, Babe saw sports as a way to earn recognition, respect and a living, something almost unheard of for a woman at the time. Using quotations from friends, rivals and Zaharias herself, as well as a bounty of period photographs, Freedman brings her irrepressible personality leaping from the page. At a golf championship in Scotland, she egged on the polite and quiet crowd to cheer for her; playing a bit part in the movie Pat and Mike, she obliged the screenwriters to change the script so she wouldn't have to lose to the Katharine Hepburn character. Freedman tiptoes around the issue of Zaharias's sexuality, especially when describing her troubled marriage to a former wrestler and her close association with another female athlete. By paying attention, however, to the times in which she lived, Freedman demonstrates Zaharias's role as a challenger not only of sporting records, but of cultural assumptions about class and gender as well. This celebratory work gives readers a chance to cheer Zaharias's legendary life. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5 Up-Freedman is on top of his game with this engaging profile of one of this century's most remarkable athletes and larger-than-life personalities. The Michael Jordan of her day, Didrikson not only excelled at every sport she tried, but she also became a darling of the media. This attractive, oversized photo-biography recounts her life story and sets it into the larger context of the evolving role of women's athletics, and the development of professional sports in the U.S. The account could have been overwhelmed with statistics-Didrikson was responsible for the rewriting of the record books (several times over) and was, more than once, the impetus behind the reworking of the rules. However, the narrative transcends her various fields of play and is essentially a powerful personal story. Freedman delves into the psyche of the fierce competitor, whose natural abilities belied her single-minded drive and obsessive training regimes, and enlivens the text with quotes by the charismatic sports star and many other primary sources. The book includes a wonderful array of black-and-white photos that reveal much about the public and private Didrikson-her agile grace, her intense concentration, and her love of the limelight-even in the face of tragedy. Befitting a champion, this superbly crafted, impeccably documented biography ranks head and shoulders above its peers.
Luann Toth, School Library Journal
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Clarion Books; First Printing edition (August 23, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395633672
• ISBN-13: 978-0395633670
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #654,178 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and Compelling, May 20, 2000

By 

Laura Lynn Walsh "gt-teacher" (Fairbanks, AK USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Babe Didrikson Zaharias: The Making of a Champion (Hardcover)

This book is an interesting, yet honest look at the life of Babe Didrikson Zaharias. There are parts of the book that are necessarily a bit dry, e.g., the explanation of how and why she tried to regain her amateur status after playing as a professional. Most of the book, however, does an excellent job of getting the reader to feel her seemingly boundless energy and determination. It also does a good job of portraying the limitations of the era on female athletes. It doesn't make them into tragedies, but it does point out that they were more "hurdles" that Babe had to overcome.

For those interested in biographies of famous women, this book and Freedman's book about Eleanor Roosevelt are both excellent additions to the young adult library.

5.0 out of 5 stars very informative, July 20, 2008

By 

Lisa (Georgia) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Babe Didrikson Zaharias: The Making of a Champion (Hardcover)

My daughter needed a biography on a female for a school book report. This one was very informative and we learned a lot about someone who honestly we had not heard of before I found this book. It would be good for third grade and up.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great autobiography on a female athletic phenom, February 10, 2008

By 

Alison C. Soule "AliCS" (MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Babe Didrikson Zaharias: The Making of a Champion (Hardcover)

I bought this book for a public speaking my 7th grade students were doing. The book is detailed in her athletic achievements, despite harsh critics. It also delves into her personal life and life with cancer. Babe Didrikson was an intriguing person and Russell Freedman captured her life very nicely.