The Tigerbelles

"""The Tigerbelles is an exhaustively researched book, written in clear, engaging language. Besides snippets of dialogue, many photographs recreate the era. The book is a delicious read."" -- ""Philadelphia Sunday Sun"" ""The Tigerbelles is not only for sports lovers, but for anyone who values triumph over adversity, untold historical stories, women supporting women, and the collective power of a team breaking the mold. Their story is heartbreaking and heartwarming in equal measure."" --Laura Munson, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, and founder of the acclaimed Haven Writing Retreats ""The Tigerbelles is the story of how Coach Temple built the best women's track team in the country -- out of nothing."" -- ""Track & Field News"" ""Aime Alley Card's extraordinary book, The Tigerbelles: Olympic Legends from Tennessee State, describes the women's track and field program at Nashville's Tennessee State University from its humble beginnings to the triumphant performance of Wilma Rudolph and her teammates at the 1960 Rome Olympics... By employing an oral history format, with copious first-person accounts of the events she chronicles, Card imbues this inspiring story with an immediacy and intensity that is hard to resist."" -- ""Chapter16"" ""Card thoughtfully pens together an intimate look at the legion of personalities that persisted together to form a dynasty, delivering a much-needed tribute to these pivotal trailblazers."" -- ""The Boston Globe"" ""The story of the Tigerbelles is one of the most inspiring tales in the history of athletics. Coach Ed Temple and an incredibly talented group of Olympians overcame barriers of race, class, and gender to become the most dominant track program in the world. Drawing on deep research and more than sixty years of interviews, Aime Card deftly brings this compelling story to life in The Tigerbelles. This is American history that must not be forgotten. Thanks to this fascinating, timely, and highly readable book, the story of remarkable women succeeding against the tallest odds will be enjoyed for generations to come."" --Andrew Maraniss, New York Times bestselling author of Inaugural Ballers: The True Story of the First U.S. Women's Olympic Basketball Team ""There are so many reasons to love The Tigerbelles! This is a book for everyone--whether you love sports stories, feminist stories, racial justice stories, adventure stories, stories about overcoming adversity, or stories about friendship and family. The Tigerbelles are truly an inspiration for all, and Aime Alley Card has written a gripping and engaging work of narrative nonfiction that allows the great women of the Tigerbelles team to speak for themselves. Full of quotes from the incredible women athletes and drawing on a plethora of original source material, Card shares the legendary track team's story in a heartwarming and powerful book that will inspire everyone who reads it. The Tigerbelles were a triumph, and this wonderful book is, too."" --E.B. Bartels, Author of Good Grief: On Loving Pets, Here and Hereafter ""Card amplifies the remarkable success and work ethic of the Tigerbelles. The story of their accomplishments should be known and shared by all interested in sports, society, and womens' place in it."" -- ""Hometown Weekly"" ""Individually, the Tigerbelles of Tennessee State, headlined by Wilma Rudolph, were each formidable athletes. As a Black, female team, championed by Coach Edward Temple they were unstoppable."" -- ""American Trail Running Association"" ""Aime Card's new book about The Tigerbelles is outstanding. Ms. Card's account of such Tigerbelles as Wilma Rudolph and the Tigerbelles head coach, Ed Temple, reminds of how the late Tennessee State University president Walter S. Davis wanted things, A-plus, Deluxe Fashion."" --Dwight Lewis, Author of Mr. Temple's Tigerbelles, The Tennessean sportswriter, historian, and Tennessee State University alumni ""The Tigerbelles were historic trailblazers three times over-- breaking racial barriers, gender barriers, and setting records for their sport that still awe 50 years later. Aime Alley Card not only vividly captures this riveting and remarkable story itself, but also the sheer improbability of it all: gold medals over Jim Crow."" --Ted Reinstein, Author of Before Brooklyn: The Unsung Heroes Who Helped Break Baseball's Color Barrier ""This inspiring book chronicles the compelling journey of an underdog track team from Nashville, TN, as they raced over potholes on dusty dirt roads toward an eventual Olympic Gold victory. Aime Card shines a bright light on these extraordinary women, and I'm excited this story is being told."" --Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Actor and NYT Bestselling author of Where the Light Gets In ""Three cheers for the triumphant Tigerbelles--the fastest women in the world! Aime Card shines a light on the team's struggles against fierce racial- and gender-based discrimination. Tigerbelles is a must read about determined women who blazed a trail all the way to the Olympic podium."" --Jean Duffy, Author of Soccer Grannies: The South African Women Who Inspire the World ""Through vivid storytelling, Aime Alley Card underscores the dogged determination it took for young, black, women track and field athletes to train in the 1950s Jim Crow South and triumph in Olympic competitions. Led by the indomitable Wilma Rudolph, Tennessee State's Tigerbelles pushed past societal obstacles to inspire successive generations of girls and women to excel in sports, even as they also confront tough challenges."" --Melissa Ludtke, award-winning journalist and plaintiff in Ludtke v. Kuhn (1978)"