Raymond Arsenault is the John Hope Franklin Professor of Southern History at the University of South Florida, St. Petersburg. One of the nation’s leading civil rights historians, he is the author of several acclaimed and prize-winning books, including Freedom Riders: 1961 and the Struggle for Racial Justice and The Sound of Freedom: Marian Anderson, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Concert That Awakened America.
An important interpretation of Ashe's legacy and accomplishments, not just on the UCLA tennis courts but also with the deeds that defined him later. -- Tom Hoffarth * The Los Angeles Times * Arsenault's Ashe is too large a character to be contained in a mere sport. . . . Ashe was always aware of his status as a trailblazer in the white world of tennis, an awareness that helped inform the dignity with which he famously carried himself as a player and as an outspoken black activist and public intellectual. Arsenault renders this aspect of the story exquisitely, moving smoothly between tennis and politics and Ashe's ongoing efforts to determine and articulate his positions with respect to the important issues of his time. -- Scott F. Parker * Minneapolis Star Tribune * Inspiring. . . . Arsenault's narrative is well-researched and exciting in a few on-court showdowns and political confrontations. . . . Readers will find [Ashe's] saga admirable. * Publishers Weekly * Arthur Ashe - athlete and activist of international renown - has the biography and biographer he so richly earned. The distinguished historian Raymond Arsenault illuminates an extraordinary life of courage, triumph, and heartbreak with riveting prose, deep understanding, and great sensitivity. -- Steven Hahn, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Nation Under Our Feet: Black Political Struggles in the Rural South from Slavery to the Great Migration This lovingly researched biography of Arthur Ashe is of such high quality that it deserves a place on the shelf alongside the highly-regarded works of Ashe himself. -- Peter Bodo, ESPN Tennis No modern athlete, with the exception of Muhammad Ali, has altered our cultural and political landscape as fully as Arthur Ashe. . . . Rarely has the story of a life and its times been threaded together so elegantly. A marvelous read. -- David M. Oshinsky, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Polio: An American Story Written gracefully by historian Raymond Arsenault. . . . This biography is a laudable achievement. Arsenault moves seamlessly between sports and social history, marking time with tennis competitions and civil-rights milestones. -- David Takami * Seattle Times * Masterful. . . . Arsenault's effort to document Ashe's full life in one volume is commendable and will serve as the standard work on Ashe for some time. * Library Journal (starred review) * Raymond Arsenault's magisterial biography of Arthur Ashe reconstructs the life of a true gentleman and scholar-athlete, a champion on and off the court who became one of the most admirable figures in the history of sports. -- Ambassador Andrew Young An important interpretation of Ashe's legacy and accomplishments, not just on the UCLA tennis courts but also with the deeds that defined him later. -- Tom Hoffarth * The Los Angeles Times * Finally a thorough and thoughtful biography of the committed activist and tennis champion. It's the book this most admirable man deserves. -- Bill Littlefield * The Boston Globe * An insightful narrative of the evolution of a remarkable human being. -- Michael Grunwald * The Washington Post * A thoroughly captivating biography. . . . With great dexterity, Arsenault juxtaposes Ashe's tennis journey with touchstone moments of the '60s. . . . As this book eloquently reveals, one can only wonder and shed at least one tear for what more [Ashe] might have accomplished. -- Joel Drucker * The San Francisco Chronicle * [A] wide-ranging, massively researched and thoroughly absorbing biography. -- Gene Seymour * USA Today * For those who have long admired Ashe, this close look at his life offers even more evidence that he was more than a great player, he was an extraordinary person. . . . Arthur Ashe: A Life is among the best books about tennis I've ever read - it's a deep, detailed, thoughtful chronicle of one of the country's best and most important players. -- Toure * The New York Times Book Review *