UNC Press - Shattering the Glass

320 pp., 6.125 x 9.25, 73 illus., appends., notes, bibl., index

Paper

ISBN 978-0-8078-5829-5

Published: March 2007

The Remarkable History of Women's Basketball

Reaching back over a century of struggle, liberation, and gutsy play, Shattering the Glass is a sweeping chronicle of women's basketball in the United States. Offering vivid portraits of forgotten heroes and contemporary stars, Pamela Grundy and Susan Shackelford provide a broad perspective on the history of the sport, exploring its close relationship to concepts of womanhood, race, and sexuality, and to efforts to expand women's rights.

Extensively illustrated and drawing on original interviews with players, coaches, administrators, and broadcasters, Shattering the Glass presents a moving, gritty view of the game on and off the court. It is both an insightful history and an empowering story of the generations of women who have shaped women's basketball.

About the Author

Pamela Grundy is an independent scholar and author of the award-winning Learning to Win: Sports, Education, and Social Change in Twentieth-Century North Carolina (from the University of North Carolina Press). Susan Shackelford has written about sports for the Miami Herald and the Charlotte Observer and now runs a freelance writing and editing business. Both authors live in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Reviews

"Carefully researched and enhanced with photos, notes, a bibliography and index. . . . A must . . . . Every library should own this book."
--KLIATT

“Shattering the Glass is an indispensable resource for the sport played more than any other by women all over the world.”
--BUST

“You needn’t be a hoops junkie to enjoy this engaging chronicle; the story of women’s basketball reflects that of all female athletic endeavors over the past 100-some years--full of physical joy, political struggle and ultimate glory.”
--Ms.

"A must read for both scholars and laypersons interested in basketball, sport or women's history. . . . Difficult to put down."
--Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal

“A lively, engaging story of a game whose history, surprisingly, is not one of continuous and increasing popularity but of advances and setbacks. . . . Fascinating.”
--Library Journal

“A remarkable look at the diversity and richness of this beautiful game.”
--Dawn Staley, three-time Olympic gold medalist