Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Sports journalist Brennan (Inside Edge) focuses on Caitlin Clark's time on the hardwood in this top-notch biography of the WNBA player. Brennan begins by putting Clark in historical context: born in 2002, she benefited from Title IX, which barred discrimination on the basis of sex. She "couldn't get enough of" basketball at an early age, and her talent as a high school player in Iowa led to her being scouted by colleges including Notre Dame and Northwestern. During Clark's four years at the University of Iowa, beginning in 2020, she broke the Division I scoring record and became a household name. From there, Brennan details Clark's rookie year in the WNBA in 2024; after a slow start, in which every miscue was scrutinized, she set multiple records, including becoming "the fastest player in league history to reach 100 three-pointers in a season." Her rookie season wasn't devoid of controversy, however; some players took issue with Clark's silence on social issues including racism. Brennan more than justifies her assessment of Clark as a "groundbreaking, historic, immensely popular, but also at times controversial cultural figure" who is "dramatically altering one of the last great bastions of male superiority." It adds up to a triumphant account of a game-changer. (July)
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