Babe: The Life And Legend Of Babe Didrikson Zaharias (Women, Gender, And Sexuality In American History)

Babe: The Life and Legend of Babe Didrikson Zaharias (Women, Gender, and Sexuality in American History)

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. Cayleffs story of the athlete and the difficulties she faced as a woman trying to be her own person. The American public was smitten with Babes 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 Babes 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.