Babe Conquers the World

Babe Conquers the World: The Legendary Life of Babe Didrikson Zaharias by Rich Wallace and Sandra Neil Wallace

Before this book, I had no idea that Babe Didrikson Zaharias even existed.

I've said it before in past blogs where sports have come up in books and I just don't know what's going on because my attention span for sports has never extended beyond trying to learn the basic rules of said sport.

....don't worry, it still hasn't much. I know a couple more names of famous athletes now. ....I feel like this is okay.

So anyways, this book served to try and expand my knowledge. An amazon summary, "Babe Didrikson Zaharias had one driving goal: to become the greatest athlete who ever lived. And she made good on that promise with a meteoric rise to famed basketball player, Olympic medalist, and top female golfer. But there was more to Babe than just sports. Noted novelists and sportswriters Rich and Sandra Wallace expose the many controversies surrounding this famous female athlete—her upbringing, personality, marriage, and even her early death. This action-packed story of a womanESPN ranks as #10 of the top North American athletes of the twentieth century also includes personal and professional photographs, quotes, a bibliography, and an index." AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE

For those of you who might not know (for those of you who do, bear with me while we catch up) Babe Didrikson Zaharias was a courageous female athlete who played sports against anyone. Male, female, didn't matter; Babe was in it for the thrill to compete.

With such an attitude, it was almost inevitable before Babe started breaking gender stereotypes and carving her own way in the name of sports.

However, I caution readers of this book because it's not a biography. The story is all about Babe, but it touches on different rumors that swirled around her life and herself.

There seemed to be a back and forth struggle in the book as the authors acknowledged what was said about Babe, but also made a point to state her accomplishments and the difficulties she faced to get to that point.

On the other hand, it seemed to be a bit of a sexist book as the book seemed to carry the view point of the nay sayers back in the day when Babe was alive.

I'm on the fence about this book.

I'm not entirely sure if it was unbiased enough to present the facts (as far as I know this is being toted as a non-fiction book).

I did appreciate how the book portrayed periodic moments that made Babe's personality seem dazzling, but there were plenty of bleak moments as well.

There were also little tidbits thrown in here and there throughout the story that were never really expanded on and seemed pointless; almost like a brief interlude of 'Did you know?' moments.

So....


....

I'm very on the fence about this book. I mean, Babe Didrikson Zaharias sounded like she was AMAZING but I'm not sure if this is the right book to read to find out more about her.

This is the qualm.

...

Happy reading!