Wonder Girl

Babe Didrikson Zaharias was one of the most gifted athletes the United States has ever known. She was outrageously talented in sports as wide-ranging as basketball, swimming and diving, track and field (where she was a three-time Olympic medalist), and golf, where she really left her mark for posterity by playing a central role in the founding of the LPGA. She was also a total asshole, vain and often dishonest and not especially smart. Author Don Van Natta, Jr, is much more interested in Zaharias's life and legacy in sports rather than her personal life, so while he touches on her personality, particularly as she weaponized it against competitors, he doesn't go into depth about her marriage, her close relationship with fellow golfer Betty Dodd near the end of her life, or her gender identity. What emerges is a portrait of a relentless competitor, always seeking more: more wins, more glory, more money. But honestly as a person without particular interest in the sports in which Zaharias was involved, I found it often rather boring, especially when going into detailed descriptions of golf games. While I do think Zaharias should be better known, it'll take a more engaging book than this one to raise her profile.