Zina Garrison : Ace

School Library Journal

Gr 4-8-- This short biography chronicles the life of the first African-American women's tennis player to reach the finals at Wimbleton since Althea Gibson. The story of Garrison's struggles to develop from a playground tennis player to a finalist in 1990 in spite of difficult times, discrimination, insecurities, the deaths of her parents, and bulimia is written in a factual, unbiased manner. The people and events that influenced this plucky woman's rise to fame are presented in short, lively paragraphs with accurate quotes. However, while the paragraphs are brief, the sentences are often long and complex. Only two paragraphs describe Garrison's bronze medal in singles play and gold medal in doubles play in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Korea. The lack of depth may leave readers wanting more information. Every double-page spread has high-quality black-and-white photographs of Garrison and the people and many significant events in her life. The book will appeal to those who want to know about successful contemporary African-American women, tennis stars, or female athletes. --Janice C. Hayes, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro

Kay Weisman

Porter chronicles the life of tennis star Garrison, who, in 1990, became the first African American woman since 1958 to play in a singles final at Wimbledon. He relates her early struggles (she was the youngest of seven children, and her father died before she was a year old) and describes how her natural athletic ability led to her discovery, at the age of 10, by tennis coach John Wilkerson. The author acknowledges that Garrison's early career inconsistencies were the result of her volatile temper and some emotional problems, including bulimia. For the most part Porter offers straightforward (although sometimes chatty) biographical information; however, the emphasis on Garrison's clairvoyant abilities seems a bit out of place. Nevertheless, this will be popular with young fans eager to learn more about this current sports figure.