I Always Wanted To Be Somebody is the intimate and candid story of a girl who grew up in the asphalt environs of Harlem, skipping school, drinking hard liquor, stealing and fist-fighting, but went on to break the color barrier in tennis and achieving the pinnacle of the sport by winning Wimbledon and the U.S. Open and becoming an inspiration for many future champions such as Billie Jean King, Arthur Ashe, Venus Williams, and Serena Williams, among many others.
Reviews
"This absorbing story of Althea Gibson's rise from the streets of Harlem to acceptance in the highest social circles, bearing the authentic stamp of herself on every page, might be judged a valuable social document." -- New York Times
"Frank and inspiring ... well written" -- Chicago Tribune
"A most heartening story" -- Dallas Morning News
"The candid story of a crude, brassy tomboy who rose from the streets of Harlem to become a lady like queen of the tennis courts" -- Seventeen Magazine
"Althea Gibson, queen of tennis, has a true Cinderella story to tell and she does it well" -- Stars and Stripes
"There are pathos, humor and great perceptiveness in Miss Gibson's book." -- Pittsburgh Courier
"It isn't pretty but it is honest and frank and intimate and very much worth reading." -- Quentin Reynolds, Saturday Review
"A frank and modest story of one of America's finest women athletes." -- Worcester Sunday Telegram



Book Information
ISBN 9781937559977
Author Althea Gibson
Format Paperback
Page Count 200
Imprint New Chapter Press,U.S.
Publisher New Chapter Press,U.S.
Weight(grams) 258g