Jimmy Connors Saved My Life: A Personal Biography
Jimmy Connors is seldom considered when one discusses the best tennis players ever. Nevertheless, he was the most successful, with an all-time best 109 tournament victories through the 1970s and 1980s. Drucker, a respected tennis journalist, has produced a carefully researched, admiring account of Connors' blue-collar rise through the tennis ranks as shepherded by Gloria, the ultimate tennis mom. Mother and son pushed their way into the aristocratic tennis oligarchy with determination and hard work. Drucker also conveys his emotional connection to Connors at the various points at which the journalist's and star athlete's careers intersected. Connors wasn't always nice, had a temper, and projected a mild paranoia. The chip on his shoulder that carried him out of Belleville, Illinois, and to a number-one world ranking also antagonized the press, his opponents, and the tennis establishment. But it was Connors' determination that inspired Drucker to pursue his career, hence the book's title. Readers will get twice what they expect here: this is not one story but two, and both make compelling reading.Wes LukowskyCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved