Arthur Ashe : tennis and justice in the civil rights era

Summary: ... explains how this iconic African American tennis player overcame racial and class barriers to reach the top of the tennis world in the 1960s and 1970s. But more important, it follows Ashe's evolution as an activist who had to contend with the shift from civil rights to Black Power. Off the court, and in the arena of international politics, Ashe positioned himself at the center of the black freedom movement, negotiating the poles of black nationalism and assimilation into white society. Fiercely independent and protective of his public image, he navigated the thin line between conservatives and liberals, reactionaries and radicals, the sports establishment and the black cause. ... Drawing on coverage of Ashe?s athletic career and social activism in domestic and international publications, archives including the Ashe Papers, and a variety of published memoirs and interviews, Hall has created an intimate, nuanced portrait of a great athlete who stood at the crossroads of sports and equal justice.

Record details

ISBN: 9781421413945 (hardcover : alk. paper)
ISBN: 9781421413952 (electronic)
ISBN: 1421413949 (hardcover : alk. paper)
ISBN: 1421413957 (electronic)
Physical Description: print
x, 331 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
Publisher: Baltimore : Johns Hopkins University Press, 2014.
Copyright: ©2014

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:	Includes bibliographical references (pages 274-313) and index.
Formatted Contents Note:	1. Richmond -- 2. UCLA -- 3. An emerging activist -- 4. Bright lights and civil rights -- 5. Tennis wars -- 6. Defeat and victory in South Africa -- 7. Transitions -- 8. The comeback -- 9. Triumph and tragedy -- Conclusion.