On the Line

by Serena Williams

Book Overview

As one of the biggest stars in tennis, Williams has captured every major title and earned the #1 world ranking in tennis three times during her illustrious career. In this compelling and poignant memoir, she takes an empowering look at her extraordinary life and what is still to come.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0446553662
• ISBN13: 9780446553667
• Release Date: September 2009
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.4" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

On The Line, Good Read of A Great Tennis Champion

If you want mess, drama, and gossip, watch The Wendy Williams Show (that's what I do, cause its funny)..."How U dou-ingg?" LOL This is a very very good book about Serena, her growing up with her family, and how she felt about tennis and things. I loved it. I felt her...I cried with her in places because she allowed us to feel her pain in certain places (something she didn't have to do). Because, the gift that God gave her to share with us is her tennis, and she has done and is doing that. But, we want more...why do we want to consume her life? It's not fair to any celeb to hold them to our standard, or to want to consume their entire life. This book told me things about Serena, her family, the tennis world, and the media that I often wondered about...what is she thinking about during this or that match?...how does she feel about the way the media, the WTA, ITF, and the fans treat her, especially the French at Roland Ghetto, and the racists Americans at Indian Hills, CA, & Flushing Meadows, NY?...(because I know that I feel really bad for her)...and so many other things that I didn't know. Serena is an alive loving, spoiled by her family baby sister, human being; someone with feelings, faults, loves, and desires, like all of us. She is not a "hole" or "window" that you look through to see what you can see or to see what you want to see. She is a person; and I appreciate her for the great tennis Champion that she is. I love this book and her dearly.

Another Story of a Courageous Athlete Beating All Odds

The first item of interest upon reading the story of Serena Williams rise to the the top of professional tennis, fashion and celebrity is that this book is best read by the tween segment, meaning perhaps 11-15 years old. I based this observation on style and content and the fact that it is an inspiring account of the hard road to success undertaken by Ms, Williams. Her move to Florida is an example of accounts in this wonderful book that are apart from the world of professional sports. Serena illustrates her tenacity and belief in herself that culminated into her unmitigated presence in professional tennis. This book is a tome citing the unimaginable odds that suggest that one billion to one that Serena had a chance or anybody else for that matter to become a pro star but she did it through sheer will. Jay Adler

Grand Slam Autobiography

The Williams sisters are tennis superstars, and their sports accomplishments are legendary. This delightful and compelling book puts a more intimate, personal side to the athletes of steel, and you will enjoy the trip. Serena Williams has crafted a compelling tale of her life in this inspirational book. She tells the story with self-deprecating wit, surprising tales of motivation, and behind-the scenes details that are illuminating. This story isn't for sports fans only- in fact, I can't even hit a tennis ball and the only shot I made (in basketball) was in the opposing team's basket! However, I quickly found myself enchanted with the tales of the Williams family; growing up in Compton, California, the leadership and drive modeled by her parents, humorous and poignant situations, and the grace and strength that their faith provides. As a little sister myself, I felt an instant kinship with her childhood tales and appreciated her frankness and honesty as she described the ongoing travails of maturing and finding your identity and passions. She discusses the challenges of competitive athletics in myriad ways, and in a clever twist, ends each chapter with an excerpt from her "match books", journals that she creates for motivation and inspiration before and during her games. In summary, this is a thought-provoking, memorable and inspiring story; well-written and cohesive. There are no titillating or scandalous stories; opinions are stated clearly and many of the stories have a strong moral component. You will know more about life, tennis, and Serena Williams when you have read this story, and you will be the better for it.

Step inside the mind of a tennis diva

Before reading this book I honestly didn't know much about Serena Williams. I knew she was a great tennis player who was into fashion, and I knew she had a sister, Venus, who also was a phenomenal tennis player. Beside that, I didn't really know much about her. For example, I had no idea that she had other siblings. (In fact, I didn't know anything about her family or upbringing.) I was surprised when reading this book at just how down to earth Serena seems to be.(Totally not what I expected of a high profile tennis diva.) Reading this book, you'll feel like she's telling your her life story over coffee. In this book, she takes us from her childhood in Compton to her life as a tennis champion. If you are a fan of Serena Williams, I would imagine that you will really enjoy this book. It is very possible if you are a fan that you may have already heard or read some of the stories Serena tells in this book, but perhaps you haven't heard them from her perspective. If you think that you don't like Serena or are maybe just lukewarm or indifferent towards her, you may find that you really like her after reading this book. I was in the indifferent category going into this book and now that I've finished reading this book I can't help but like her. The book is very well written in a style that is rather engaging. This book is more or less a memoir rather than a straight-up autobiography. Most of the time she hops around from one time period to another, so don't expect that you're going to read this book as a time line of her life. The time period hopping can be a little distracting, but not so much that it detracts from the story. Each chapter has a story or two that Serena feels was pivotal in her life. Essentially this book is an anecdotal memoir. In this book, she dispels rumors about herself and her family that have prevailed in the media, and she shares heartwarming and heart wrenching stories about herself and her family. I found the book to be entertaining and inspiring. It's one of those books that you'll feel good about having read.

Awesome - On Her Own!

Tennis Super Star Serena Williams has penned a great book, "On The Line". In this book she takes an empowering look at her life. She is candid about her opinions, thoughts and feelings. She lets the readers in on her childhood, rise in the tennis game and how she became a true fashionista. The way that she empowers herself is simple, yet bold. Each chapter starts with things that she wrote on a matchbook cover to empower herself. Her motivational writings reveal a lot about the lady which all add up to how awesome she is on her own. The chapter titles are: * Ride a Little, Bump a Little * The Greatest Love of All * Me and V * The Fiery Darts of Indian Wells * Faith, Family, Florida * Going It Alone * Fashion Statements * The So-and-So Slam * Tunde * Change It Up * Only the Strong Survive * Up from Down Under * Play On, Serena * U,S. Open, 2008 - My Tournament Journal She candidly talks about how she lived in the shadows of big sister Venus for so long. How reporters counted her out before the show was over. However, she was determined to step into the light. She proved those naysayers wrong. Big sister encouraged her to attend college when she had no thoughts of higher education. Each chapter contains specially picked stories from her life and career that are inspiring and motivational. However she is still a work in progress and has a lot of living left to do. So I imagine she will write another book after she gains more life experience, wisdom and venture away from the tennis court. This is a great book and I recommend it.