Arthur Ashe
A Life
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Narrated by:
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Desean Terry
About this listen
The first comprehensive, authoritative biography of American icon Arthur Ashe - the Jackie Robinson of men’s tennis, a pioneering athlete who, after breaking the color barrier, went on to become an influential civil rights activist and public intellectual.
Born in Richmond, Virginia, in 1943, by the age of 11 Arthur Ashe was one of the state's most talented Black tennis players. Jim Crow restrictions barred Ashe from competing with Whites. Still, in 1960 he won the National Junior Indoor singles title, which led to a tennis scholarship at UCLA. He became the first African American to play for the US Davis Cup team in 1963, and two years later he won the NCAA singles championship. In 1968, he won both the US Amateur title and the first US Open title, rising to a number-one national ranking. Turning professional in 1969, he soon became one of the world’s most successful tennis stars, winning the Australian Open in 1970 and Wimbledon in 1975. After retiring in 1980, he served four years as the US Davis Cup captain and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1985.
In this revelatory biography, Raymond Arsenault chronicles Ashe’s rise to stardom on the court. But much of the book explores his off-court career as a human rights activist, philanthropist, broadcaster, writer, businessman, and celebrity. In the 1970s and 1980s, Ashe gained renown as an advocate for sportsmanship, education, racial equality, and the elimination of apartheid in South Africa. But from 1979 on, he was forced to deal with a serious heart condition that led to multiple surgeries and blood transfusions, one of which left him HIV positive. In 1988, after completing a three-volume history of African American athletes, he was diagnosed with AIDS, a condition he revealed only four years later. After devoting the last 10 months of his life to AIDS activism, he died in February 1993 at the age of 49, leaving an inspiring legacy of dignity, integrity, and active citizenship.
Based on prodigious research, including more than 100 interviews, Raymond Arsenault’s insightful and compelling biography puts Ashe in the context of both his time and the long struggle of African-American athletes seeking equal opportunity and respect.
©2018 Raymond Arsenault (P)2018 Simon & SchusterListeners also enjoyed...
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In 1936, against a backdrop of swastikas flying and storm troopers looming, an African-American son of sharecroppers set three world records and won an unprecedented four gold medals, single-handedly crushing Hitler's myth of Aryan supremacy. The story of Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympics Games is that of a high-profile athlete giving a performance that transcends sports. But it is also the intimate and complex tale of the courage of one remarkable man.
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race headwinds
- By Andy on 04-26-07
By: Jeremy Schaap
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Attitude
- Develop a Winning Mindset on and off the Court
- By: Jay Wright, Michael Sheridan, Mark Dagostino, and others
- Narrated by: Michael Sheridan
- Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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In this behind-the-scenes look at the making of a champion, the coach of the Villanova University men's basketball team shares his competitive and cooperative philosophy along with lessons from his coaching career and the story of his personal road to success.
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Nova Nation !
- By Anonymous on 11-16-17
By: Jay Wright, and others
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Boys Among Men
- How the Prep-to-Pro Generation Redefined the NBA and Sparked a Basketball Revolution
- By: Jonathan Abrams
- Narrated by: Mirron Willis
- Length: 11 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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When Kevin Garnett shocked the world by announcing that he would not be attending college - as young basketball prodigies were expected to do - but instead would enter the 1995 NBA draft directly from high school, he blazed a trail for a generation of teenage basketball players to head straight for the pros. That trend would continue until the NBA instituted an age limit in 2005, requiring all players to attend college or another developmental program for at least one year.
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Bad pronunciation
- By K. Spearman on 07-03-16
By: Jonathan Abrams
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Wins, Losses, and Lessons
- An Autobiography
- By: Lou Holtz
- Narrated by: Lou Holtz
- Length: 5 hrs and 42 mins
- Abridged
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Few people in the history of college sports have been more influential or had a bigger impact than Lou Holtz. Winner of the three national Coach of the Year honors, the only coach ever to lead six different schools to season-ending bowl games, and the ninth-winningest coach in college football history, Holtz is still teaching and coaching, although he is no longer on the gridiron.
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great story about an incredibly successful coach
- By James on 04-30-12
By: Lou Holtz
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Endgame
- Bobby Fischer’s Remarkable Rise and Fall—from America’s Brightest Prodigy to the Edge of Madness
- By: Frank Brady
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 13 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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From Frank Brady, who wrote one of the best-selling books on Bobby Fischer of all time and who was himself a friend of Fischer’s, comes an impressively researched biography that for the first time completely captures the remarkable arc of Bobby Fischer’s life. When Bobby Fischer passed away in January 2008, he left behind a confounding legacy. Everyone knew the basics of his life—he began as a brilliant youngster, then became the pride of American chess, then took a sharp turn, struggling with paranoia and mental illness. But nobody truly understood him.
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A Trajedy
- By Roy on 02-27-11
By: Frank Brady
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The League
- How Five Rivals Created the NFL and Launched a Sports Empire
- By: John Eisenberg
- Narrated by: Daniel Thomas May
- Length: 11 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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The National Football League's current dominance has obscured how professional football got its start. In The League, John Eisenberg reveals that Art Rooney, George Halas, Tim Mara, George Preston Marshall, and Bert Bell took an immense risk by investing in the professional game. At that time, the sport barely registered on the national scene. The five owners succeeded only because at critical junctures in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, each sacrificed the short-term success of his team for the longer-term good of the League.
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what a great book. loved it completely.
- By Daniel Mosca on 11-08-18
By: John Eisenberg
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Forty Million Dollar Slaves
- The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Black Athlete
- By: William C. Rhoden
- Narrated by: William C. Rhoden
- Length: 9 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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From Jackie Robinson to Muhammad Ali and Arthur Ashe, African American athletes have been at the center of modern culture, their on-the-field heroics admired and stratospheric earnings envied. But for all their money, fame, and achievement, says former New York Times columnist William C. Rhoden, Black athletes still find themselves on the periphery of true power in the multibillion-dollar industry their talent built. Provocative and controversial, Rhoden's Forty Million Dollar Slaves weaves a compelling narrative of Black athletes in the United States.
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Book and Narrator Review
- By Leonor on 12-26-17
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The Breaks of the Game
- By: David Halberstam
- Narrated by: Brian Troxell
- Length: 17 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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A New York Times best seller, David Halberstam's The Breaks of the Game focuses on one grim season (1979-80) in the life of the Bill Walton-led Portland Trail Blazers, a team that only three years before had been NBA champions. The tactile authenticity of Halberstam's knowledge of the basketball world is unrivaled. Yet he is writing here about far more than just basketball. This is a story about a place in our society where power, money, and talent collide and sometimes corrupt, a place where both national obsessions and naked greed are exposed.
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This book is a must read for all NBA junkies.
- By Kyle on 06-13-18
By: David Halberstam
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The Missing Ring
- How Bear Bryant and the 1966 Alabama Crimson Tide Were Denied College Football's Most Elusive Prize
- By: Keith Dunnavant
- Narrated by: Jay Snyder
- Length: 13 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Very few institutions in American sports can match the enduring excellence of the University of Alabama football program. Across a wide swath of the last century, the tradition-rich Crimson Tide has claimed twelve national championships, captured 25 conference titles, finished 34 times among the country's top ten, and played in 53 bowl games.
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Fantastic
- By John Rogers on 03-29-18
By: Keith Dunnavant
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Endzone
- The Rise, Fall, and Return of Michigan Football
- By: John U. Bacon
- Narrated by: Johnny Heller
- Length: 16 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Endzone tells the story of how college football's most successful and respected program nearly lost it all in less than a decade and entirely of its own doing. It is a story of hubris, greed, and betrayal, a tale more suited to Wall Street than the world's top public university.
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Outstanding!
- By Justin on 12-21-15
By: John U. Bacon
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Paterno
- By: Joe Posnanski
- Narrated by: Joe Mantegna
- Length: 13 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Joe Posnanski's biography of the late Penn State football coach Joe Paterno follows in the tradition of works by Richard Ben Cramer on Joe DiMaggio and David Maraniss on Vince Lombardi. Having gained unprecedented access to Paterno, as well as the coach's personal notes and files, Posnanski spent the last two years of Paterno's life covering the coach, on (and off) the field and through the scandal that ended Paterno's legendary career.
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WoWoWoWoW
- By JA Hartman on 08-27-12
By: Joe Posnanski
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Common Ground: Exclusive Edition
- By: Justin Trudeau
- Narrated by: Justin Trudeau, Colm Feore
- Length: 8 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Justin Trudeau has spent his life in the public eye. From the moment he was born, the first son of an iconic prime minister and his young wife, Canadians have witnessed the highs and the lows, sharing in his successes and mourning with him during tragic times. But few beyond Justin's closest circle have heard his side of his unique journey. Now, in Common Ground, Justin Trudeau reveals how the events of his life have influenced him and formed the ideals that drive him today.
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Mesmerizing
- By emilia on 05-04-18
By: Justin Trudeau
What listeners say about Arthur Ashe
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Anonymous User
- 11-17-20
A Story of Struggle and Triumph Intertwined
This was a fantastic story of a man who constantly tried to conduct himself in a manner of professionalism despite all the things the world threw at him. I really enjoyed hearing about his life in tennis, the struggles he faced both on and off the court, and the civil rights and other causes he fought for even to the very end.
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- Mike J.
- 10-27-24
Comprehensive history of the legend AA
Comprehensive history of the life of Arthur Ashe. I learned a lot and found the reading mostly enjoyable.
My only complaint was the cringeworthy mispronunciation of famous names and places.
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- Nadia
- 09-23-24
Written with meticulous care
The author left no stone unturned and deftly covered this legend’s life in great detail and meticulous care. Well done!
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- Tdavidii
- 01-17-21
Great story, detailed and complete
I took up this book in an effort to learn more of topics I had little exposure. I’m glad that I did.
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- tim renouard
- 07-02-19
Well written biography
Hard to get into, but once past the childhood chapters, a great story. Narrator misspronounced many names. Should have been proofed better
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1 person found this helpful
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- KindleUser808
- 03-26-19
Arthur Ashe: Amazing
This is an amazing Audible book and I enjoyed every moment of it. The narration is superb and brought life to the book.
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- B.S.Johnston
- 02-24-24
Sizing up a gentle hero
I’ll admit I was expecting something different, mostly because I only knew of Ashe as an athlete. I also struggled for a while because I thought the book might be aiming off towards other things…but I thankfully stuck with it and learned that Arthur was deeply involved in ALL those other things. I am astounded in all he accomplished, how big his heart was, how brave he stood against injustice around the world, and what strides he made toward changes we all benefit from.
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- Tee Jay 6
- 10-02-18
Great Story with Truly Awful Narration
As told in the book, Ashe was an articulate speaker and commentator on TV. Ashe would be horrified to hear how this narrator has butchered the reading of his biography. First of all, when the narrator speaks in Ashe’s voice, it is with a tentative, weak, warbling voice, with every sentence ending as if it was a question. I went back to listen to Ashe speak on youtube, and he was a strong, confident, articulate speaker. Why is the narrator making him sound like he is some kind of wimp?
Second, Ashe was an intellectual and avid reader of books. The narrator mispronounces a word every 4 or 5 minutes. The author of the book has a large vocabulary, and it appears that the narrator just decided to guess on some of the words instead of googling them and listening to the pronunciation. Was there no editor or producer that was listening to the performance before it was released?
Arthur Ashe was a boyhood hero of mine. The author of the book did a great job with the research and the story. But it is just painful to listen to this narrator. I find myself waiting for the next random interruption of the wimp Ashe voice and mispronunciations, which distracts me from the story.
This audiobook is a sad way to memorialize a truly great man. I would recommend that you remove this recording and start over.
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10 people found this helpful
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- BIGMAC
- 03-29-19
Power & Grace
This was a wonderful story of growth, love and true sacrifice. A man who was raised by loving mentors and gave back so much to the world.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Silvar
- 06-24-24
Arthur's integrity and sincere love
I liked hearing about Arthur's energy for serving others and the honest assessment of his tennis play.
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