Little Wonder

April 1, 2020
The remarkable athletic feats of one woman from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. When Charlotte "Lottie" Dod (1871-1960) was only 15, she appeared at Wimbledon in the traditional garb for women in those days: "an ankle-length white dress, the sleeves down to her wrists, the body of the dress up to the middle of her neck, with a corset underneath, her legs covered in thick black stockings, her feet clad in the sort of clunky black leather shoes worn by washerwomen, [and] her head protected from the sun by a delicate white cricket cap." Despite her restrictive dress, she won the tournament--and proceeded to win four more Wimbledon titles. From there, she turned her attention to other sports: ice skating; mountain climbing some of the most dangerous peaks in Norway and Switzerland; field hockey; cycling; and archery, a sport in which she won a silver medal in the 1908 Olympics. In this comprehensive and highly detailed account of Dod's life, freelance journalist Abramsky chronicles her interests and winnings in each of the sports to which she devoted her attention. The author explores the difficulties Dod faced because she was a woman but also shares how she overcame the obstacles of a micromanaging mother and a repressive society to freely pursue her career in sports. To provide valuable context, Abramsky includes major events that occurred during Dod's lifetime, including the two world wars and Queen Victoria's reign and death. Even though Dod was a phenom in her day, she was largely forgotten without TV, movies, or social media to carry her name forward. Fortunately for sports fans and students of women's studies, Dod won't be overlooked thanks to Abramsky's thorough biography. The author's historical portrait helps readers appreciate Dod's amazing feats long before Title IX was ever conceived. A welcome resurrection of a true pioneer. (full-color photo insert, bibliography, endnotes) (age, names, sites included in review body)

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April 13, 2020
Abramsky (Jumping at Shadows) documents in this engrossing page turner the inspiring life of forgotten sports phenomenon Lottie Dod (1871–1960), who blazed a trail for women sports superstars today. Dod was born into a wealthy family in Liverpool, England, and dominated six sports over 25 years, becoming the youngest person to win Wimbledon in 1887 at the age of 15, gaining the nickname “Little Wonder” and going on to win four more times. Dod, “always eager for something new,” challenged men to matches, including Wimbledon champion William Renshaw and Scottish champion Harry Grove (and beat them both in 1888) before moving on to conquer another sport. In 1893, she trained for months in St. Moritz and became the world’s best female ice skater, then joined Elizabeth Main in summiting many of Norway and Switzerland’s most difficult mountains, and later competed in endurance bicycle treks across Europe. Dod won the British Ladies’ Golf Championship in 1904, and then claimed a silver medal in archery at the 1908 London Olympics. Throughout, Abramsky details the evolution of women’s roles in society and sports through Dod’s triumphs; her athleticism and fight for respect, Abramsky notes, contrasted with the Victorian views of women being fragile, and helped pave the way for suffragists. This astute history is a must read for sports fans and women’s studies’ students.

May 1, 2020

Lottie Dod (1871-1960) was a sports pioneer, not only winning Wimbledon five times but also excelling in golf (winner of the Women's British Open), and archery (silver medalist at the 1908 London Olympics), among other sports. Sadly, after her glory years, she became forgotten and died in obscurity in 1960. Journalist Abramsky has written a book that brings well deserved attention to Dod in this biography, which begins with her childhood in Cheshire, England, where she excelled in tennis and was defeating older competitors when she was just 11 years old. Dod also defeated tennis champion William Renshaw. Dod then moved on to other feats, including mountain climbing in Switzerland, along with ice skating and tobogganing, endurance bicycling, golf, archery, and hockey. At age 36, as a result of sciatica, she ended her days of international competition and became a nurse during World War I. During her final years, she led a secluded life and her death was little acknowledged in the newspapers. VERDICT Abramsky has done a masterly job researching Dod's story and calling attention to the achievements of this pioneer who should be recognized by all interested in sports.--Lucy Heckman, St. John's Univ. Lib., Queens Village, NY

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Starred review from June 1, 2020
England's Charlotte Lottie Dod was a five-time Wimbledon singles champion in the late nineteenth century, her first trophy coming in 1887, when she was 15. Dod was more than a top tennis player; she was also a golf champion, skilled mountaineer, endurance bicyclist, toboggan racer, field-hockey pioneer, and a 1908 Olympic silver medalist in archery. Abramsky, a lifelong tennis fan and a political journalist whose work appears regularly in The Nation, masterfully captures the life of this little-known sportswoman, a versatile female athlete comparable to Babe Didrikson Zaharias. In an eloquently written narrative, spiced with vivid descriptions of the Victorian era and the early twentieth century, he shines a light on Dod's athletic triumphs as well as her family dynamics, her years as a British Red Cross nurse during WWI, and her accomplishments as a singer and pianist. Her nickname may have been Little Wonder, but Dod was a genuine history-maker whose remarkable athletic accomplishments challenged societal norms. In 1986, she was posthumously inducted into the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame. This fine biography makes a significant contribution to sports history and women's studies and should go a long way to bringing Dod's inspirational story to a new audience.Women in Focus: the 19th in 2020.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)