Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
"Lottie Dod is one of the world's great unsung sporting heroes. There wasn't a glass ceiling she didn't succeed in breaking, and in Little Wonder, Sasha Abramsky takes readers on an amazing journey across continents and decades as she shattered records and destroyed stereotypes along the way."
--Billie Jean King
"It's so important to remember the past champions, especially the women who tend to be forgotten in the history books."
--Martina Navratilova
Little Wonder: The Fabulous Story of Lottie Dod, the World's First Female Sports Superstar is a biography of a truly extraordinary sports figure who blazed trails of glory in the last decades of the nineteenth and first decade of the twentieth centuries. Dod was the third woman to win the Ladies' Championships at the Wimbledon tennis tournament. She did so for the first time in 1887, at the ludicrously young age of fifteen. She remains today the youngest person ever to have won a singles trophy in what would come to be known as the big-four Grand Slam tennis tournaments.
Dod won Wimbledon five times, grew bored with competitive tennis, and moved on to myriad other sports. She became the world's leading female ice skater and tobogganist, perfecting her talents in St. Moritz, Switzerland; befriended Elizabeth Main, the most skilled female mountaineer of the age, and joined her in summiting many of Switzerland's and Norway's most difficult mountains; became an endurance bicyclist; played hockey for England; won the British ladies' golf championship in 1904; and finally, in 1908, took the Olympic silver medal in archery in the London Olympics.
In her time, she had a huge following, with fans coming out by the thousands to cheer her on. She was feted by the media, and repeatedly profiled by the top sports journals of the day. Had Dod lived in a different age, this fame would have followed her throughout her life. But Dod's years of glory occurred just before the rise of cinema, radio, and other electronic media. By the outset of World War I, she was largely a forgotten figure; she died alone and without fanfare in 1960.
Little Wonder brings this remarkable woman's story to life, contextualizing it against a backdrop of rapid social change and tectonic shifts in the status of women in society. Dod was born into a world in which even upper-class women such as herself could not vote, were restricted in owning property, and were assumed to be fragile and delicate. True, the monarch was a queen, Victoria; but Victoria's reign was hardly a bastion of feminist progress. Women of Lottie Dod's class were expected not to work and to definitely get married. Dod turned that equation on its head; she never married and never had children, instead putting heart and soul into training to be the best athlete she could possibly be.
Dod was one of the pioneers who paved the way for the likes of Billie Jean King, Serena Williams, and the top female athletes of today. She accepted no limits, no glass ceilings, believed she could compete with the top men in whatever sport she set her sights on, and always refused to compromise.
Synopsis
"In this comprehensive and highly detailed account of Dod's life, freelance journalist Abramsky chronicles her interests and winnings in each of the sports to which she devoted her attention...Even though Dod was a phenom in her day, she was largely forgotten without TV, movies, or social media to carry her name forward. Fortunately for sports fans and students of women's studies, Dod won't be overlooked thanks to Abramsky's thorough biography. The author's historical portrait helps readers appreciate Dod's amazing feats long before Title IX was ever conceived. A welcome resurrection of a true pioneer."
--Kirkus Reviews
"Lottie Dod is one of the world's great unsung sporting heroes. There wasn't a glass ceiling she didn't succeed in breaking, and in Little Wonder, Sasha Abramsky takes readers on an amazing journey across continents and decades as she shattered records and destroyed stereotypes along the way."
--Billie Jean King
"It's so important to remember the past champions, especially the women who tend to be forgotten in the history books."
--Martina Navratilova
Little Wonder: The Fabulous Story of Lottie Dod, the World's First Female Sports Superstar is a biography of a truly extraordinary sports figure who blazed trails of glory in the last decades of the nineteenth and first decade of the twentieth centuries. Dod was the third woman to win the Ladies' Championships at the Wimbledon tennis tournament. She did so for the first time in 1887, at the ludicrously young age of fifteen. She remains today the youngest person ever to have won a singles trophy in what would come to be known as the big-four Grand Slam tennis tournaments.
Dod won Wimbledon five times, grew bored with competitive tennis, and moved on to myriad other sports. She became the world's leading female ice skater and tobogganist, perfecting her talents in St. Moritz, Switzerland; befriended Elizabeth Main, the most skilled female mountaineer of the age, and joined her in summiting many of Switzerland's and Norway's most difficult mountains; became an endurance bicyclist; played hockey for England; won the British ladies' golf championship in 1904; and finally, in 1908, took the Olympic silver medal in archery in the London Olympics.
In her time, she had a huge following, with fans coming out by the thousands to cheer her on. She was feted by the media, and repeatedly profiled by the top sports journals of the day. Had Dod lived in a different age, this fame would have followed her throughout her life. But Dod's years of glory occurred just before the rise of cinema, radio, and other electronic media. By the outset of World War I, she was largely a forgotten figure; she died alone and without fanfare in 1960.
Little Wonder brings this remarkable woman's story to life, contextualizing it against a backdrop of rapid social change and tectonic shifts in the status of women in society. Dod was born into a world in which even upper-class women such as herself could not vote, were restricted in owning property, and were assumed to be fragile and delicate. True, the monarch was a queen, Victoria; but Victoria's reign was hardly a bastion of feminist progress. Women of Lottie Dod's class were expected not to work and to definitely get married. Dod turned that equation on its head; she never married and never had children, instead putting heart and soul into training to be the best athlete she could possibly be.
Dod was one of the pioneers who paved the way for the likes of Billie Jean King, Serena Williams, and the top female athletes of today. She accepted no limits, no glass ceilings, believed she could compete with the top men in whatever sport she set her sights on, and always refused to compromise.
Synopsis
"Abramsky documents in this engrossing page turner the inspiring life of forgotten sports phenomenon Lottie Dod (1871-1960), who blazed a trail for women sports superstars today...This astute history is a must read for sports fans and women's studies' students."
--Publishers Weekly
"In this comprehensive and highly detailed account of Dod's life, freelance journalist Abramsky chronicles her interests and winnings in each of the sports to which she devoted her attention...Even though Dod was a phenom in her day, she was largely forgotten without TV, movies, or social media to carry her name forward. Fortunately for sports fans and students of women's studies, Dod won't be overlooked thanks to Abramsky's thorough biography. The author's historical portrait helps readers appreciate Dod's amazing feats long before Title IX was ever conceived. A welcome resurrection of a true pioneer."
--Kirkus Reviews
"Lottie Dod is one of the world's great unsung sporting heroes. There wasn't a glass ceiling she didn't succeed in breaking, and in Little Wonder, Sasha Abramsky takes readers on an amazing journey across continents and decades as she shattered records and destroyed stereotypes along the way."
--Billie Jean King
"It's so important to remember the past champions, especially the women who tend to be forgotten in the history books."
--Martina Navratilova
Lottie Dod was a truly extraordinary sports figure who blazed trails of glory in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Dod won Wimbledon five times, and did so for the first time in 1887, at the ludicrously young age of fifteen. After she grew bored with competitive tennis, she moved on to and excelled in myriad other sports: she became a leading ice skater and tobogganist, a mountaineer, an endurance bicyclist, a hockey player, a British ladies' golf champion, and an Olympic silver medalist in archery.
In her time, Dod had a huge following, but her years of distinction occurred just before the rise of broadcast media. By the outset of World War I, she was largely a forgotten figure; she died alone and without fanfare in 1960.
Little Wonder brings this remarkable woman's story to life, contextualizing it against a backdrop of rapid social change and tectonic shifts in the status of women in society. Dod was born into a world in which even upper-class women such as herself could not vote, were restricted in owning property, and were assumed to be fragile and delicate.
Women of Lottie Dod's class were expected not to work and to definitely get married. Dod never married and never had children, instead putting heart and soul into training to be the best athlete she could possibly be. Paving the way for the likes of Billie Jean King, Serena Williams, and other top female athletes of today, Dod accepted no limits, no glass ceilings, and always refused to compromise.
Synopsis
"A book that brings well deserved attention to Dod...Abramsky has done a masterly job researching Dod's story and calling attention to the achievements of this pioneer who should be recognized by all interested in sports."
--Library Journal
"Abramsky documents in this engrossing page turner the inspiring life of forgotten sports phenomenon Lottie Dod (1871-1960), who blazed a trail for women sports superstars today...This astute history is a must read for sports fans and women's studies' students."
--Publishers Weekly
"In this comprehensive and highly detailed account of Dod's life, freelance journalist Abramsky chronicles her interests and winnings in each of the sports to which she devoted her attention...Even though Dod was a phenom in her day, she was largely forgotten without TV, movies, or social media to carry her name forward. Fortunately for sports fans and students of women's studies, Dod won't be overlooked thanks to Abramsky's thorough biography. The author's historical portrait helps readers appreciate Dod's amazing feats long before Title IX was ever conceived. A welcome resurrection of a true pioneer."
--Kirkus Reviews
"Lottie Dod is one of the world's great unsung sporting heroes. There wasn't a glass ceiling she didn't succeed in breaking, and in Little Wonder, Sasha Abramsky takes readers on an amazing journey across continents and decades as she shattered records and destroyed stereotypes along the way."
--Billie Jean King
"It's so important to remember the past champions, especially the women who tend to be forgotten in the history books."
--Martina Navratilova
Lottie Dod was a truly extraordinary sports figure who blazed trails of glory in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Dod won Wimbledon five times, and did so for the first time in 1887, at the ludicrously young age of fifteen. After she grew bored with competitive tennis, she moved on to and excelled in myriad other sports: she became a leading ice skater and tobogganist, a mountaineer, an endurance bicyclist, a hockey player, a British ladies' golf champion, and an Olympic silver medalist in archery.
In her time, Dod had a huge following, but her years of distinction occurred just before the rise of broadcast media. By the outset of World War I, she was largely a forgotten figure; she died alone and without fanfare in 1960.
Little Wonder brings this remarkable woman's story to life, contextualizing it against a backdrop of rapid social change and tectonic shifts in the status of women in society. Dod was born into a world in which even upper-class women such as herself could not vote, were restricted in owning property, and were assumed to be fragile and delicate.
Women of Lottie Dod's class were expected not to work and to definitely get married. Dod never married and never had children, instead putting heart and soul into training to be the best athlete she could possibly be. Paving the way for the likes of Billie Jean King, Serena Williams, and other top female athletes of today, Dod accepted no limits, no glass ceilings, and always refused to compromise.
Synopsis
"Abramsky...masterfully captures the life of this little-known sportswoman, a versatile female athlete comparable to Babe Didrikson Zaharias. In an eloquently written narrative, spiced with vivid descriptions of the Victorian era and the early twentieth century, he shines a light on Dod...This fine biography makes a significant contribution to sports history and women's studies and should go a long way to bringing Dod's inspirational story to a new audience."
--Booklist, Starred review
"A book that brings well deserved attention to Dod...Abramsky has done a masterly job researching Dod's story and calling attention to the achievements of this pioneer who should be recognized by all interested in sports."
--Library Journal
"Abramsky documents in this engrossing page turner the inspiring life of forgotten sports phenomenon Lottie Dod (1871-1960), who blazed a trail for women sports superstars today...This astute history is a must read for sports fans and women's studies' students."
--Publishers Weekly
"In this comprehensive and highly detailed account of Dod's life, freelance journalist Abramsky chronicles her interests and winnings in each of the sports to which she devoted her attention...Even though Dod was a phenom in her day, she was largely forgotten without TV, movies, or social media to carry her name forward. Fortunately for sports fans and students of women's studies, Dod won't be overlooked thanks to Abramsky's thorough biography. The author's historical portrait helps readers appreciate Dod's amazing feats long before Title IX was ever conceived. A welcome resurrection of a true pioneer."
--Kirkus Reviews
"Lottie Dod is one of the world's great unsung sporting heroes. There wasn't a glass ceiling she didn't succeed in breaking, and in Little Wonder, Sasha Abramsky takes readers on an amazing journey across continents and decades as she shattered records and destroyed stereotypes along the way."
--Billie Jean King
"It's so important to remember the past champions, especially the women who tend to be forgotten in the history books."
--Martina Navratilova
Lottie Dod was a truly extraordinary sports figure who blazed trails of glory in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Dod won Wimbledon five times, and did so for the first time in 1887, at the ludicrously young age of fifteen. After she grew bored with competitive tennis, she moved on to and excelled in myriad other sports: she became a leading ice skater and tobogganist, a mountaineer, an endurance bicyclist, a hockey player, a British ladies' golf champion, and an Olympic silver medalist in archery.
In her time, Dod had a huge following, but her years of distinction occurred just before the rise of broadcast media. By the outset of World War I, she was largely a forgotten figure; she died alone and without fanfare in 1960.
Little Wonder brings this remarkable woman's story to life, contextualizing it against a backdrop of rapid social change and tectonic shifts in the status of women in society. Dod was born into a world in which even upper-class women such as herself could not vote, were restricted in owning property, and were assumed to be fragile and delicate.
Women of Lottie Dod's class were expected not to work and to definitely get married. Dod never married and never had children, instead putting heart and soul into training to be the best athlete she could possibly be. Paving the way for the likes of Billie Jean King, Serena Williams, and other top female athletes of today, Dod accepted no limits, no glass ceilings, and always refused to compromise.
Synopsis
A groundbreaking biography of the world's first female sports superstar, the pioneering and uncompromising Lottie Dod
"Abramsky's reclamation of Dod's] story is a welcome addition that reminds us that women have long struggled for an equitable place in sports and that women athletes do have predecessors to look toward for encouragement in their contemporary fights for pay equity, TV coverage and respect."
--Ms. Magazine
"An adroitly written biography...Abramsky offers a fascinating portrait of the life of this forgotten sports heroine in fluid prose. Little Wonder is a worthy addition to the sports literature."
--New York Journal of Books
"Abramsky...masterfully captures the life of this little-known sportswoman, a versatile female athlete comparable to Babe Didrikson Zaharias. In an eloquently written narrative, spiced with vivid descriptions of the Victorian era and the early twentieth century, he shines a light on Dod...This fine biography makes a significant contribution to sports history and women's studies and should go a long way to bringing Dod's inspirational story to a new audience."
--Booklist, Starred review
"Abramsky combines descriptive writing with research that pulls back the curtain to reveal an athlete whose feats remain stunning 60 years after her death and more than a century after her glory days."
--New Books in History (podcast)
"A book that brings well deserved attention to Dod...Abramsky has done a masterly job researching Dod's story and calling attention to the achievements of this pioneer who should be recognized by all interested in sports."
--Library Journal
"Abramsky documents in this engrossing page turner the inspiring life of forgotten sports phenomenon Lottie Dod (1871-1960), who blazed a trail for women sports superstars today...This astute history is a must read for sports fans and women's studies' students."
--Publishers Weekly
Lottie Dod was a truly extraordinary sports figure who blazed trails of glory in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Dod won Wimbledon five times, and did so for the first time in 1887, at the ludicrously young age of fifteen. After she grew bored with competitive tennis, she moved on to and excelled in myriad other sports: she became a leading ice skater and tobogganist, a mountaineer, an endurance bicyclist, a hockey player, a British ladies' golf champion, and an Olympic silver medalist in archery.
In her time, Dod had a huge following, but her years of distinction occurred just before the rise of broadcast media. By the outset of World War I, she was largely a forgotten figure; she died alone and without fanfare in 1960.
Little Wonder brings this remarkable woman's story to life, contextualizing it against a backdrop of rapid social change and tectonic shifts in the status of women in society. Dod was born into a world in which even upper-class women such as herself could not vote, were restricted in owning property, and were assumed to be fragile and delicate.
Women of Lottie Dod's class were expected not to work and to definitely get married. Dod never married and never had children, instead putting heart and soul into training to be the best athlete she could possibly be. Paving the way for the likes of Billie Jean King, Serena Williams, and other top female athletes of today, Dod accepted no limits, no glass ceilings, and always refused to compromise.
Synopsis
Release date is timed to coincide with Wimbledon 2020 (the tennis championship will run from June 29-July 12, 2020)--over 400,000 attended Wimbledon in 2018, and tens of millions watch on TV throughout the world.Abramsky is a journalist who has published with Hachette, Random House, etc. His 2014 Hachette release, The American Way of Poverty: How the Other Half Still Lives, has Book-scanned over 8 thousand copies (hardcover & paperback combined).Abramsky has numerous media connections due to his decades as a journalist. His writing has appeared in the Nation, New Yorker, New York Times, the Atlantic, Mother Jones, etc.Lottie Dod was one of the pioneers who paved the way for tennis greats like Billie Jean King and Serena Williams.This is the newest release in Dave Zirin's Edge of Sports imprint, following on the success, most notably, of Chasing Water by Anthony Ervin and Constantine Markides and Unsportsmanlike Conduct by Jessica Luther. Synopsis
A groundbreaking biography of the world's first female sports superstar, the pioneering and uncompromising Lottie Dod
"Eighty-five years before Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs fought the 'battle of the sexes, ' a Victorian teenager showed what women could do . . . Abramsky] celebrates her as a brave and talented and determined original. In sports, the battle of the sexes is far from over, but Dod won more than a few break points simply by living her own life to the fullest."
--The Atlantic
"Abramsky's reclamation of Dod's] story is a welcome addition that reminds us that women have long struggled for an equitable place in sports and that women athletes do have predecessors to look toward for encouragement in their contemporary fights for pay equity, TV coverage and respect."
--Ms. Magazine
"Before Serena Williams and Megan Rapinoe, there was Lottie Dod...Abramsky presents a well-researched account of a woman whose rare losses were almost more newsworthy than her consistent victories."
--Christian Science Monitor
"An adroitly written biography...Abramsky offers a fascinating portrait of the life of this forgotten sports heroine in fluid prose. Little Wonder is a worthy addition to the sports literature."
--New York Journal of Books
"Abramsky...masterfully captures the life of this little-known sportswoman, a versatile female athlete comparable to Babe Didrikson Zaharias. In an eloquently written narrative, spiced with vivid descriptions of the Victorian era and the early twentieth century, he shines a light on Dod...This fine biography makes a significant contribution to sports history and women's studies and should go a long way to bringing Dod's inspirational story to a new audience."
--Booklist, Starred review
"Abramsky combines descriptive writing with research that pulls back the curtain to reveal an athlete whose feats remain stunning 60 years after her death and more than a century after her glory days."
--New Books in History (podcast)
Lottie Dod was a truly extraordinary sports figure who blazed trails of glory in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Dod won Wimbledon five times, and did so for the first time in 1887, at the ludicrously young age of fifteen. After she grew bored with competitive tennis, she moved on to and excelled in myriad other sports: she became a leading ice skater and tobogganist, a mountaineer, an endurance bicyclist, a hockey player, a British ladies' golf champion, and an Olympic silver medalist in archery.
In her time, Dod had a huge following, but her years of distinction occurred just before the rise of broadcast media. By the outset of World War I, she was largely a forgotten figure; she died alone and without fanfare in 1960.
Little Wonder brings this remarkable woman's story to life, contextualizing it against a backdrop of rapid social change and tectonic shifts in the status of women in society. Dod was born into a world in which even upper-class women such as herself could not vote, were restricted in owning property, and were assumed to be fragile and delicate.
Women of Lottie Dod's class were expected not to work and to definitely get married. Dod never married and never had children, instead putting heart and soul into training to be the best athlete she could possibly be. Paving the way for the likes of Billie Jean King, Serena Williams, and other top female athletes of today, Dod accepted no limits, no glass ceilings, and always refused to compromise.
Synopsis
"Eighty-five years before Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs fought the 'battle of the sexes, ' a Victorian teenager showed what women could do . . . Abramsky] celebrates her as a brave and talented and determined original. In sports, the battle of the sexes is far from over, but Dod won more than a few break points simply by living her own life to the fullest." --The Atlantic
A Sunday Times Best Sport Book of the Year
Lottie Dod was a truly extraordinary sports figure who blazed trails of glory in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Dod won Wimbledon five times, and did so for the first time in 1887, at the ludicrously young age of fifteen. After she grew bored with competitive tennis, she moved on to and excelled in myriad other sports: she became a leading ice skater and tobogganist, a mountaineer, an endurance bicyclist, a hockey player, a British ladies' golf champion, and an Olympic silver medalist in archery.
In her time, Dod had a huge following, but her years of distinction occurred just before the rise of broadcast media. By the outset of World War I, she was largely a forgotten figure; she died alone and without fanfare in 1960.
Little Wonder brings this remarkable woman's story to life, contextualizing it against a backdrop of rapid social change and tectonic shifts in the status of women in society. Dod was born into a world in which even upper-class women such as herself could not vote, were restricted in owning property, and were assumed to be fragile and delicate.
Women of Lottie Dod's class were expected not to work and to definitely get married. Dod never married and never had children, instead putting heart and soul into training to be the best athlete she could possibly be. Paving the way for the likes of Billie Jean King, Serena Williams, and other top female athletes of today, Dod accepted no limits, no glass ceilings, and always refused to compromise.