Richard Williams spent his childhood in Shreveport and had his first attempt at independent living in Chicago. Clearly these experiences formed his character and moral views (nurture), but he only survived them - and at great risk - due to his nature, which drove him to never back down from taking a stand. Williams very openly states that his path to success began with theft and violence, fueled by anger at injustice. His actions were a response to his environment, they provided his means of survival, and he was not without a moral code in his youth. But it gave him a twisted sense of right and wrong that required two educational encounters with authorities - one in Chicago, one in Sacramento - to straighten out. He realized then that what had helped him to survive in a negative environment was self-defeating in a positive one, and that he was on a path to self-destruction if he didn't find a better way to channel his ambitions.

My impression is of a man with hard-earned belief in fairness and equity, but who will not bend for any other's interpretation of the same. He exhibited amazing strength of character - and had an amazing mother - to rise above his circumstances and become a successful businessman. I am less certain how I feel about his sudden plan to father and raise two daughters to become tennis champions before they were even conceived, on the strength of observing one tennis match prize. Perhaps that kind of imposition on one's children is what it takes to raise champions, but what choice did it give them? He explains how he first taught them the value of money, then showed them the top incomes of different professions they could pursue and they chose sports every time. His motive became their motive, or he never would have succeeded.

Venus and Serena aren't born until the book is two thirds done. By then their father was well prepared with impressive tennis skills and knowledge, and the readiness to pay his family's own way forward without endorsements. He was also successful at challenging many of the game's standards: introducing open stance in the place of closed stance, and using above average height to advantage. I don't believe for a second that risking his life and his family's to train his daughters in Compton was necessary, he should have given up that idea like he gave up boxing. There comes a point when being stubborn is no longer a virtue. Other elements of his approach I can easily agree with: being a parent first, being a model for your children, but ensuring they are doing the commitment themselves. Allow them to fail, because failure is instructive. Give your children room to be children. Teach appreciation.

I don't view this as a 'happily ever after' story, despite the many accomplishments of Williams' family. He still doesn't place trust in lasting friendships after seeing too many friends die. He still acknowledges a temper that can flare up into an inferno. Most concerning is that he still finds it a challenge to feel like a man while living under the constant pressure of racism. There is no suggestion here that he desires pity, and perhaps he does not even care about earning empathy, but it is a sad confession from someone who lived through so much and rose so far. It is also an important testament to the evils of a society that keep good people down who don't have the will or can't find the way to fight back. ( )

If you’ve enjoyed Richard Williams in interviews over the years, the sometimes brash, sometimes controversial, blunt and almost always intriguing statements, you’ll probably find the conversational writing style of this memoir satisfying, and something of a page-turner.

Even though I’ve been a fan of Venus and Serena for seemingly forever, I didn’t know all that much about Richard beyond the infamous soundbites, so it was interesting to read about his upbringing, the influence of his mom and absence of his dad and how they both played into his own parenting, and the various jobs and businesses he ventured into along the way.

Venus and Serena don’t really enter the picture until the final third or so of the book, and even then, for the most part it’s more about their dad’s parenting style than it is about them (it is his book, so that makes sense, I’m not complaining about that), but you do get to hear a bit about their early training, and a few stories about each, like Serena’s reason for learning French, and Venus on the courts of Compton. My biggest complaint about that section is that Oracene’s involvement in shaping these champions was mostly glossed over, and somehow, I’m thinking the mom who is still so frequently by their side as adults likely played a large role in their childhood as well.

There’s also plenty of inspiration to be found in this book as far as setting goals and planning for your future, and the value in being a voracious reader.

I did have some struggles with this one, though they were the same struggles I often feel when I read non-fiction, which is why I don’t read a lot of it. For whatever reason, with fiction, I can totally buy into dragons or happily ever afters or whatever other fantastical thing I’m reading about, but with non-fiction, I am a major skeptic, I question everything, wondering what’s fact and what’s embellished, and that factored in while I was reading this. There were times where I thought maybe it wasn't presented in quite as grounded a way as it could have been, still its a compelling read about race, poverty, all the adversity he faced and his will to succeed. ( )