Babe: The Life and Legend of Babe Didrikson Zaharias (Sport and Society) [Paperback]

Susan E. Cayleff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1996 | ISBN-10: 025206593X | ISBN-13: 978-0252065934

One of the most gifted athletes of all time, Babe Didrikson Zaharias dominated track and field, winning two Olympic gold medals and a controversial silver in 1932 before going on to compete in baseball, bowling, basketball, tennis, and particularly in golf. An American public smitten with her wit, frankness, and "unladylike" bravado helped her become an American legend. In Babe, Susan Cayleff offers a comprehensive, in-depth biography of a woman who was a great athlete at a time when women's roles and opportunities were severely limited. Through interviews with Babe's friends and family, golf peers, and medical personnel, Cayleff sensitively reveals the life and probes the legend of this unusual American hero. Included is a for-the-record discussion of the remarkable love Babe shared with Betty Dodd, the young golfer who was her constant companion in her last years. Stricken with cancer in her prime, Babe went public as a self-help role model able to beat the disease. Her bravery further endeared her to the American public.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Babe Didrikson Zaharias was the premier female athlete of her era, beginning with two gold medals in the 1932 Olympics and extending through a professional golf career that ended just before her death in 1956. Cayleff, professor of women's studies at San Diego State, examines this unique life from three perspectives: Babe's life as she lived it; the public persona Babe created in order to cope with the attitudes and mores of the times; and, finally, Babe's lesbianism. Unable to acknowledge her sexuality, Babe was forced to manufacture a palatable lifestyle for public consumption; hence, her marriage to professional wrestler George Zaharias. In researching her subject, Cayleff relies on Didrikson's sanitized autobiography, subsequent biographies, newspaper accounts, and interviews with family and friends, including the woman with whom Babe shared an intimate relationship, fellow golfer Betty Dodd. The result is a groundbreaking portrait of an astute, gifted woman forced to cope with a society that grudgingly approved of her athleticism but wasn't willing to deal with her sexuality. Wes Lukowsky --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Supremely gifted, [Zaharias] was brash, coarse, and loud, and this biography tells her story wonderfully." -- Library Journal. "A masterful portrait of a complex woman whose innate sense of showmanship allowed her to use her athletic gifts to create a mythic self. She always played in two games: the athletic contest and the mythic drama that made the contest matter." -- Sport History Review

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press (May 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 025206593X
• ISBN-13: 978-0252065934
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,047,548 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great analysis of Babe's life, times, & women's sports, January 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Babe: The Life and Legend of Babe Didrikson Zaharias (Sport and Society) (Paperback)

Cayleff has thoroughly researched and documented Babe's life and times. She conducted extensive interviews with surviving members of Babe's family, friends, and partner (Betty Dodd). Cayleff also incorporated massive amounts of journalistic accounts--sports writers, magazines accounts, etc. This is not a fluff biography--the book will teach you about what it meant to be a woman in Babe's time, what it meant to be a female athlete, and how Babe managed--and manipulated--these things. Babe fans will learn more about her, and scholars will be able to follow up on Cayleff's work through her extensive endnotes. This is the first book to tell of Babe's relationship with Betty Dodd, but Cayleff does not label it "lesbian." That is because Babe herself never did. Remember that this was the 1950s. They were life partners, spouses. The loved each other. Cayleff's book is important for bringing this relationship to light, as well as many other hidden realities of Didrikson's life--her heroism as an "out" cancer patient (when it was taboo to talk about it), as well as how Babe manipulated the press. As dozens of published book review has stated (see quotes above at this cite), this is absolutely THE most extensive research ever done on Babe. I've seen rave reviews of the book in SOJOURNER, WEST COAST WOMAN, WOMEN'S REVIEW OF BOOKS, and SPORTS HISTORY REVIEW, among many others.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well written,sensitive book about superb athlete, July 4, 2003

By 

Dr. L. Johnson "Aging Shakespeare buff" (san marino., ca United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Babe: The Life and Legend of Babe Didrikson Zaharias (Sport and Society) (Paperback)

THis is one of the best sports biographies I have read.Its very well written, very unbiased,sensitive and portrays an accurate picture of this amazing human being. Its also a fun read and reveals a side of the Babe,her pranks,egocentric often annoying style, that few knew.In my mind she surely was the greatest woman,s athlete and this book truly does her justice.You won,t be disappointed

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting subject, Mediocre writing, October 20, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Babe: The Life and Legend of Babe Didrikson Zaharias (Sport and Society) (Paperback)

Anybody interested in the history of women in sport should read up on Babe Didrikson. "The Babe" was truly an amazing athlete and interesting character, unparalleled in both competitive excellence and chutzpah. While this book contains an abundance of colorful information, Cayleff's writing doesn't quite do Babe justice.

Besides being way too long, the book contains more than a few statements bordering on the ridiculous, way too many distracting footnotes, and at LEAST one factual error. In the last chapter, Suzy Favor is cited as the 'outstanding swimmer' from University of Wisconsin who won a Babe-inspired award. In fact, Ms. Favor (now Mrs. Hamilton) is a nine-time NCAA champion RUNNER.

This error did not inspire confidence in the book's other assertions-foremost being that Babe's efforts to be more outwardly feminine in her later years were a facade to conceal her lesbianism. By the end of the book, I couldn't help thinking that perhaps Babe actually LIKED lipstick, skirts and perhaps even marriage.