All In: An Autobiography
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars | 1,403 ratings
Price: 21.66
Last update: 01-09-2025
About this item
An inspiring and intimate self-portrait of the champion of equality that encompasses her brilliant tennis career, unwavering activism, and an ongoing commitment to fairness and social justice.
In this spirited account, Billie Jean King details her life's journey to find her true self. She recounts her groundbreaking tennis career - six years as the top-ranked woman in the world, 20 Wimbledon championships, 39 grand-slam titles, and her watershed defeat of Bobby Riggs in the famous "Battle of the Sexes". She poignantly recalls the cultural backdrop of those years and the profound impact on her worldview from the women's movement, the assassinations and anti-war protests of the 1960s, the civil rights movement, and, eventually, the LGBTQ+ rights movement.
She describes the myriad challenges she's hurdled - entrenched sexism, an eating disorder, near financial peril after being outed - on her path to publicly and unequivocally acknowledging her sexual identity at the age of 51. And she talks about how her life today remains one of indefatigable service. She offers insights and advice on leadership, business, activism, sports, politics, marriage equality, parenting, sexuality, and love. She shows how living honestly and openly has had a transformative effect on her relationships and happiness. Hers is the story of a pathbreaking feminist, a world-class athlete, and an indomitable spirit whose impact has transcended even her spectacular achievements in sports.
*Includes a downloadable PDF of Appendices from the book
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
Top reviews from the United States
5.0 out of 5 stars This is a very good book.
5.0 out of 5 stars Billie Jean’s autobiography could have been named “All Out”
This book seems filled with bravery and honesty, as well as relative modesty such as when she describes her friendship with Elton John, or the lovely audiences she has with Nelson Mandela and BarackObama.She certainly has a lot to teach and inspire us, and I feel she does it so well.
4.0 out of 5 stars a well written book about a tennis icon
5.0 out of 5 stars An Honest, No-Holds-Barred Autobiography
She goes into great detail about her match with Bobby Riggs--a publicity stunt to be sure, but it was very successful, was one of the most-watched tennis matches ever, and put women's tennis on the map. My aunt watched that match on TV. She and I also had a chance to watch Billie Jean play in person, and she was a real powerhouse.
She is frank about her affair with Marilyn Barnett--that woman and her attorney basically blackmailed Billie Jean so she was forced to out herself in 1981, one of the first professional athletes to do so. That took a lot of guts on Billie Jean's part, and she lost millions of dollars of endorsements as a result. But Billie Jean wanted to live her life truthfully and honestly and without fear. She is a great storyteller; the book moves along at a good pace. You'll be amazed at her accomplishments, but not without life's ups and downs. She truly was a trailblazer for women's tennis, so I highly recommend her autobiography for anyone interested in the history of women's tennis and/or Billie Jean's life.
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most influential figures in sports history
Even if you aren't a tennis fan, Deford's opinion should motivate you to learn more about King, who was the first female athlete to earn more than $100,000 in a year (1971). While she excelled on the court, it's her work off the court that has left a lasting impact. Always outspoken, King has long advocated for women's rights and gender equality.
Authors Johnette Howard and Maryellen Vollers write that Billie Jean always wanted to live her life without limits, but the world presented numerous obstacles, many of them because she was female. There was a gap between what she thought she was capable of and the world that was.
She wondered how she could bridge the gap. Billie Jean was determined to change things and become a champ and No. 1 in the world. It wasn't an easy battle, nor a short one.
Billie Jean consistently lost to Margaret Court early in her career. She started to reverse that trend once she realized that champions have the ability to lift their game when the pressure is the greatest.
As an amateur, Billie Jean fought for many changes to the sport she said was 50 years behind the times.
The Open era began in 1968, and she pushed for gender equality and equal pay for men and women. In the 1970 Italian Open, the top prize for men was $7,400 for men and $600 for women. King got little support from her male counterparts.
In 1970, King established the Virginia Slims Tournament for women, sponsored by Phillip Morris. The tournament gave women an opportunity to control their destiny and elevated their status in the sport.
The Battle of the Sexes, which feature King vs. Bobby Riggs at the Astrodome on Sept. 20, 1973, receives a lot of attention. King, 30, was the top-rated female in the world, while Riggs, 55, had won Wimbledon in 1939. Riggs, a male chauvinist pig, had beaten Margaret Court three months earlier. He mocked women's tennis.
King, however, easily defeated Riggs in straight sets in front of a live crowd of 30,000 and a worldwide television audience of 90 million.
At times, Billie Jean's private life almost overshadowed her professional career. Her husband revealed she had had an abortion and years later, it was revealed she had a lesbian affair. She eventually embraced both abortion rights and gay rights. She divorced her husband and has had a long relationship with another woman.
The financial fallout and loss of sponsorships due to her being a lesbian forced Billie Jean to extend her tennis career.
Billie Jean King, a 20-time winner at Wimbledon, is a Mt. Rushmore figure in women's tennis. The meaningful, long-lasting and impactful changes she helped bring about rival her athletic achievements.