Customer Reviews

Venus and Serena: Serving From The Hip: 10 Rules for Living, Loving, and Winning

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Wow . . . I can't believe the haters who have weighed in on this book! And nothing in their "reviews" indicate they've even read it!
"Venus and Serena . . ." is a well-written but easy read, doling out lifestyle advice and guidance for young girls and giving insight to the motivations behind decisions made by Venus and Serena. It details why their parents decided to pull them out of certain tours (I was surprised and delighted by the explanations), and how those decisions led to other life decisions.
I bought the book for my 17-year-old daughter, but sat down and read the whole thing. Feeling guilty, I ran out and bought another copy for my daughter. <smile> This is a book that I didn't mind buying twice.
I LOVED their advice on dating, and how girls need to love themselves first. The book is BIG on the importance of self-esteem.
I found "Venus and Serena . . ." to be motivational and insightful, and I highly recommend it.

I'm not a tennis fan, but you don't have to be to enjoy this book.

While the target audience is teenage girls, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and I'm a middle-aged woman!

It's easy to read, full of insight into the lives and motivations of Serena and Venus, and has great advice for teenage girls on dating and other issues important to adolescents. I especially liked their emphasis on the need for self-esteem.

I agree with the reviewer who questioned the so-called reviewers who lambasted the book, since nothing in their "reviews" indicated they've read it!

I think Serena and Venus (and their co-author, Hilary Beard) did a wonderful job, and I encourage anyone with a teenage girl to run out and buy this book.

After seeing Venus and Serena on the Oprah show, I decided to get this book and I'm glad I did. The book talks about many of their on-court experiences so if you're a fan of Venus and Serena and have followed their careers since the mid 90's, you'll find out fascinating tidbits about their reactions to incidents on the WTA Tour. I also bought a copy for a friend's 11 yr. old daughter so as you can see this book is a great conversation-starter for parents and their daughters. All-around, well done.

Hilary Beard is a Philadelphia journalist who you can trust implicitly, she has a great even voice. Her previous book was the life story of enterpreneur Lisa Price, the woman who came back from financial ruin to found CAROL'S DAUGHTER the great herbal essence success story. Lisa got to meet many celebrities, in fact she knew them before they got big, and her cosmetic prescriptions, learned from her mother and Trinidadian family, helped Erykah Badu and Jada Pinkett among others,

Venus and Serena, who have collaborated with Hilary Beard on her new book, were famous when they were still girls, so their trajectory is somewhat different than that of Lisa Price, who struggled for artistic and commercial validation for many years and told the story in the fabulous SUCCESS NEVER SMELLED SO SWEET. Hilary Beard, who lost her father several years back, was drawn to the Williams sisters partly because of the strong guidance each received from their dad, a bittersweet association for Beard that accounts for some of the strongest writing in this book, SERVING FROM THE HIP. An avid tennis player, Beard knows what she's talking about, and she can help the Williams sisters structure a book and add depth to their insights about their own game.

Whether or not you're a Jehovah's Witness, this book has something for everyone, so don't shun the Williams girls just because their faith is a little bit different than yours! That's what America is all about--or it used to be!

This book is the best. It felt so down-to-earth. You feel like you know he williams sisters. I truly disagree with the person who talked about this book being about Jehovah's Witness. They don't encourage reades in any way to become a Jehovahs Witness. This is such a good book, I don't see how anyone could bad-mouth it. I had the good fortune to meet Venus, and I'm not lying i swear, and she is so nice and friendly. She gives off such a good vibe. THIS IS A GREAT BOOK!!!!!!!!!!! BUY IT PLEASE!!!!!!!

I haven't even finished the book yet, but it is obviously a bestseller 'in my book'. I have both Venus & Serena's more recent autobiographies, but this book is by far the best!!! If your looking for a straight to the point, why are they successful, how were they with siblings, and parented, this is the book for you! Very direct, yet entertaining, an enjoyable read for a parent. I highly recommend it & the price is great(a penny)!!!

Ignore Gail's review. She's a hater.

This book is designed for grades 5-8, but I'm a college freshman and have gotten a lot out of it! The Williams sisters are amazing, and so is their advice.

Chapters include advice on...

-The importance of finding a support system for your dreams
-The priceless value of a good education
-Respecting yourself
-Choosing your friends wisely
-Living to please yourself first, and others last
-Waiting on a relationship
-Loving and taking good care of your body
-Money management
-Dealing with setbacks
and
-Volunteerism

It's an awesome book. Buy it, and you won't regret it. It's for ALL races. ALL religions. ALL sexs. and ALL beliefs.

Wow! What a bunch of self-serving 'I'm the greatest' advice. Look at how the Williams sisters and family have set themselves apart from the ATP Women's tour. It's not their ability and talent that has alienated them, they have alienated themselves by their own behavior and attitude. Is this the role model of teamwork needed by teens? Perhaps the book espouses the concept of self-love, but it takes it to the extreme and fails to present the concept of respect for all persons - age, gender, ethnicity, religion or lack thereof...