Babe: The Life and Legend of Babe Didrikson Zaharias

by Susan E. Cayleff

An extraordinarily gifted athlete, Babe Didrikson Zaharias starred in track and field and won three Olympic medals in 1932. She picked up golf late yet quickly dominated the women's sport. She also competed in baseball, bowling, basketball, and tennis.  Interviews with members of Babe's family, peers, and others inform Susan E. Cayleff’s story of the athlete and the difficulties she faced as a woman trying to be her own person. The American public was smitten with Babe’s wit, frankness, and "unladylike" bravado. But members of the press insinuated that her femininity, even her femaleness, were suspect. Cayleff looks at how Babe used her androgyny and athleticism to promote herself before crafting a more marketable female persona for golf. She also explores Babe’s role as a cofounder of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA); her marriage to George Zaharias and their partnership in shaping her career; her romantic relationship with fellow golfer Betty Dodd; and her courageous public fight against cancer.

Genres: Biography, Sports

368 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1995

Reviews

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

What an amazing athlete. I found the writing to be a bit repetitive. The author repeated so many times the same behavior or struggles that Babe endured. Also I am not into golf, so maybe that's part of why I didn't care for the way the story was written. Towards the end of the book, I did like the statement, "Didrikson remains carefully constructed yet controversial". As a female athlete myself, I can certainly relate to the egregious way our society, in general, treats strong (mentally and physically) women. Of course, it is better now than 40 years ago. But still...

[MariKate E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, very well-researched and well-written. I have so much more knowledge about and respect for Babe after reading this book. However, I do think that there were points in the book where the author forces her opinions about Babe onto the reader, although that is somewhat inevitable when writing a biography.

[Leslie Goddard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellently researched and beautifully insightful biography. Cayleff doesn't just focus on the details of Zaharias's life (although she does that well), she also thoughtfully explores the impact of cultural ideals of masculinity, femininity, lesbianism, and sport on that life. In Cayleff's expert hands, Zaharias occupies an important space between newly emerging ideals of womanliness and established realms of male power. What emerges are two equally "true" life stories -- one the story of a woman who succeeded exceptionally well in positioning herself as the greatest female athlete and top moneymaker of the LPGA, and the other the story of a tough, powerful, tomboy who hid, negated, and pushed down the masculine/boyish/bisexual side of herself. I found myself at the end feeling that her life was one of equal parts triumph and sadness. This book might be too scholarly for those looking for an entertaining and easy-to-read biography of Zaharias, but for those willing to spend time with Cayleff, her care and intelligence pay off handsomely.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amazing athlete, Babe Didrickson, excelled in so many sports.