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Black and White

By: Richard Williams
Narrated by: Cary Hite, Bart Davis
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Summary

The fascinating, “upfront and unapologetic” (Kirkus Reviews) memoir of Richard Williams, a businessman, tennis coach, subject of the major motion picture King Richard, and father to two of the greatest athletes and professional tennis champions of all time - Venus and Serena Williams.

Born into poverty in Shreveport, Louisiana, in the 1940s, Richard Williams was blessed by a strong, caring mother who remained his lifelong hero, just as he became a hero to Venus and Serena. From the beginning of his life, Richard’s mother taught him to live by the principles of courage, confidence, commitment, faith, and love. He passed the same qualities on to his daughters, who grew up loving their father and valuing the lessons he taught them. “I still feel really close to my father,” says Serena. “We have a great relationship. There is an appreciation. There is a closeness because of what we’ve been through together, and a respect.”

A self-made man, Williams has walked a long, hard, exciting, and ultimately rewarding road during his life, surmounting many challenges to raise a loving family and two of the greatest tennis players who ever lived. Black and White is the extraordinary story of that journey and the indomitable spirit that made it all possible.

©2014 Richard Williams. All rights reserved. Epigraph from "I, Too" from THE COLLECTED POEMS OF LANGSTON HUGHES by Langston Hughes, edited by Arnold Rampersad with David Roessel, Associate Editor, copyright ©1994 by the Estate of Langston Hughes. Used by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Random House LLC. (P)2021 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.
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What listeners say about Black and White

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Outstanding

Richard Williams is a super hero and deserves his flowers for all he has achieved

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Brilliantly done

An amazing read & brilliantly told it was interesting from start to finished & was amazing by his story

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What vision!

An incredible book that gives insights into what made this father create the most incredible tenis players

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A must read!!

An amazing read, this is not just for tennis fans. I have so much respect for this man, his firsthand account of growing up in the US as a black man has really opened my eyes to the white privileged that still to this day exists. This book should be read in schools as it goes to show you can achieve anything with hard work! Total respect to Richard Williams.

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Inspirational

Superb story, very uplifting and inspirational. How could people endure so much and survive.

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This Needs to Be a Netflix Series!!!!

I loved this book, its way better than the film King Richard, it let's you know how & why Richard became the man he is.

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This story is amazing but…

I’m taking it with a pinch of salt as he fails to mention all the other kids he had that he abandoned. Sad to see that they didn’t even get mentioned in this book.

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Amazing!

simply amazing .... I listened to this in one day. ... very inspirational story

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One of my favourite books ever

Incredible book. Nice narration. But this version has a LOT added/differing from the original version. Strange.

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A Story of Strength and Determination

Before reading this book, I had no idea of the immense strength of character Richard Williams possessed long before his daughters, Venus and Serena, became tennis legends.

His story reveals how much he had to contend with in a deeply racist America, and how those experiences shaped his relentless pursuit of success—not just for himself but for his daughters.The book is a testament to how consistency and persistence are crucial in achieving results.

Richard’s unwavering belief in his daughters’ potential, combined with his tenacity in overcoming personal and societal barriers, is nothing short of inspiring. It’s an incredible journey that highlights the power of resilience, a reminder that the road to success is often paved with challenges, but with the right mindset, anything is possible.

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