by James Blake with Carol Taylor, 2017
In New York City during the afternoon of September 9, 2015, James Blake was standing outside his hotel when a cop charged him, picked him up, slammed him to the ground, and handcuffed him. They held him, would not believe him when he told him who he was, but finally released him after another officer checked into his story and found it was true. The police department issued a statement that was full of lies-that he was only held for less than a minute, was not manhandled, not handcuffed. Fortunately, James checked the hotel to see if they had a security camera, and sure enough, the entire event was captured on film; tackled and thrown to the ground, held for 12 minutes, in handcuffs for 10 minutes. James decided to go public because he knew that he might be able to help change things. This book is a result of his desire to change the climate of police brutality against blacks.
It is a sweet, simple book in which he tells the stories of Jackie Robinson, Arthur Ashe, Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova, Tommie Smith, John Carlos, Peter Norman, Novak Djokovic, Serena and Venus Williams, Colin Kaepernick, etc. Novak was featured because he came of age in time of war and bombings in Serbia, practicing in an empty swimming pool (sometimes with Ana Ivanovic). Venus has been an advocate for equal pay for women, Serena for equal sponsorship pay (she was paid much less than Maria Sharapova even though she was so much better than Maria, until Maria was caught using a banned drug and suspended for 15 months).
He tells the story of what happened to him on that day in September 2015 and how he decided he had to go public for all of the people who were powerless against the lies. He tells the stories of many brave athletes who risked everything to take a stand for something they believe in. He provides a how-to manual for any athlete who is considering taking a stand; be sure you think through completely all of the ramifications (losing sponsors, fans, teammates, friends; risking your livelihood, media backlash, etc.)
Very simply written and many ideas are repeated over and over again, but I am glad I read it, mostly to understand the huge risk athletes take when they do decide to take a stand. And to hear the details about the attack on James Blake; how the police lied, and, if it weren’t for the video and the fact that James was famous, the world would never have known. As it is, the police officer who did this to James was never fired. And, as James says, what if this had happened at night? Innocent, black boys and men have been shot dead by police officers. This is what James is protesting. Thank you, James, for telling your story. He titled his book, “Ways of Grace,” in tribute to his hero, Arthur Ashe, and Ashe’s book titled “Days of Grace.”