Babe Didrikson Zaharias

Title: Babe Didrikson Zaharias: The Making of a Champion
Author: Russell Freedman
Publisher: Clarion Books
Publication City: New York, New York
Publication Date: 1999
ISBN: 0-395-63367-2

Summary

Mildred Ella Didrikson was born on June 26, 1911 in Beaumont, TX, the sixth of seven children born to Norwegian immigrants Ole and Hannah Didriksen. As a baby, she was called "Baby" until her younger brother Arthur was born in 1915, when the family shortened it to "Babe." The nickname really stuck when she began to hit home runs in the sandlot games with the neighborhood boys. From an early age Babe knew that she was talented in the sports arena, and from an early age she made it her goal to become the greatest athlete ever.

While she is not considered the best athlete ever now, she is defintely considered to be the greatest female athlete ever. Babe battled many odds in her career. She lived and played sports at a time when women were considered too weak to do sports well. Every sport she tried she mastered, whether it was natural talent or through determination. When she was told she was not able to do something, it only made her work harder. She co-founded the LPGA to give more women a chance to earn money as pro-golfers.

Babe wanted to live a larger-than-life life. She added to that desire in her own life when she fudged on some of the details of her life. For example, she listed her date of birth as 1913, instead of 1911 for the Olympics so that the sports writers would think that she was still a teen instead of 21. In her autobiography she listed her year of birth at 1914. Babe won three medals at the 1932 Olympics: a silver in the running high jump in a controversial ruling, a gold in the javelin, and another gold in the 80-meter hurdles. Babe also holds a controversial record of 17 straight golf tournament victories, but some people believe there is a buried loss after 13 tournaments. Babe herself said she has 17.

Babe had to endure the ridicule of many people in her life. From fellow women athletes to the press, Babe was called every name in the book, and even had a few made-up names like "Muscle Moll" that stuck. Babe did not always take the names in stride, but was determined to be the best athlete no matter what.

By the time Babe died of cancer at the age of 45 in 1956, Babe had won the Woman Athlete of the Year awards 6 times, and the AP Female Athlete of the Half-century in 1950. No other woman has won the awards more times.

Review

Russell Freeman tackles another larger-than-life person in his biography of Babe Didrikson Zaharias. Babe was a determined woman in an era when women were not yet making their voices heard ian areas that were considered "men only" areas. Babe did her best to conquer the world of women's sports and conquered it she did. Freedman discusses the bumps, the brusies, and the victories of Babe's life. He frankly discusses the ego problems that Babe had, and how she was not well-liked among many of the other female athletes of the time. Freedman also discusses the fame that Babe had as she tackled sports records head on, and how that fame affected her and her family.

Freedman tackles most of the issues that surrounded Babe's life, but sidestepped the issues Babe had with her husband, wrestler George Zaharias and the close relationship Babe had with another female golfer, Betty Dodd. But Freedman can be excused for side-stepping when Babe herself did not mention Dodd in her autobiography until the last pages, and only listed Dodd as a close friend.
Despite Babe's ability to trump up her achievements and her awards, Freedman does not and mentions in the biography that Babe touted her own achievements. Freedman acknowledges he does not know the complete truth of some parts of Babe's life in his bibliography.


Professional Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
In another exemplary biography, Newbery Medalist Freedman (Martha Graham) turns to Mildred "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias (1911-1956), arguably the preeminent woman athlete of the 20th century. He pays ample attention to Babe's extraordinary achievementsAe.g., her three world records in track and field at the 1932 Olympics; her record-setting golf career in the '40s and '50sAbut his book's greatest strength lies in his portrait of the person behind the athlete, a portrait that hums with the energy and vibrancy of Babe herself. A bold tomboy Texan from a poor family, Babe saw sports as a way to earn recognition, respect and a living, something almost unheard of for a woman at the time. Using quotations from friends, rivals and Zaharias herself, as well as a bounty of period photographs, Freedman brings her irrepressible personality leaping from the page. At a golf championship in Scotland, she egged on the polite and quiet crowd to cheer for her; playing a bit part in the movie Pat and Mike, she obliged the screenwriters to change the script so she wouldn't have to lose to the Katharine Hepburn character. Freedman tiptoes around the issue of Zaharias's sexuality, especially when describing her troubled marriage to a former wrestler and her close association with another female athlete. By paying attention, however, to the times in which she lived, Freedman demonstrates Zaharias's role as a challenger not only of sporting records, but of cultural assumptions about class and gender as well. This celebratory work gives readers a chance to cheer Zaharias's legendary life. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 5 Up-Freedman is on top of his game with this engaging profile of one of this century's most remarkable athletes and larger-than-life personalities. The Michael Jordan of her day, Didrikson not only excelled at every sport she tried, but she also became a darling of the media. This attractive, oversized photo-biography recounts her life story and sets it into the larger context of the evolving role of women's athletics, and the development of professional sports in the U.S. The account could have been overwhelmed with statistics-Didrikson was responsible for the rewriting of the record books (several times over) and was, more than once, the impetus behind the reworking of the rules. However, the narrative transcends her various fields of play and is essentially a powerful personal story. Freedman delves into the psyche of the fierce competitor, whose natural abilities belied her single-minded drive and obsessive training regimes, and enlivens the text with quotes by the charismatic sports star and many other primary sources. The book includes a wonderful array of black-and-white photos that reveal much about the public and private Didrikson-her agile grace, her intense concentration, and her love of the limelight-even in the face of tragedy. Befitting a champion, this superbly crafted, impeccably documented biography ranks head and shoulders above its peers.
Luann Toth, School Library Journal
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Connections

Have students look at other female athletes like Wilma Rudolph or Nadia Comaneci to compare their achievements and background. How did their lives shape who they were?

Babe was not truthful in her own autobiography. Have students talk about how lying in your own autobiography can affect the perception of people years down the road. Would they be tempted to lie to make themselves look better? How do they feel about Babe's accomplishments?

Have the students write a theatre play based on Babe's life. Break up into two groups. The first group will concentrate on birth-the olympics. The other group will focus on the olympics-death. This will focus on two of Babe's major sports: track which she competed in, in the olympics, and golf which was her sport of choice after the Olympics. Have the students perform the plays.