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Ways of Grace: Stories of Activism, Adversity, and How Sports Can Bring Us Together
Inspired by Arthur Ashe’s bestselling memoir Days of Grace , a collection of positive, uplifting stories of seemingly small acts of grace from across the sports world that have helped to bridge cultural and racial divides. Like many people of color, James Blake has experienced the effects of racism firsthand—publicly—first at the U.S. Open, and then in front of his hotel on a busy Manhattan street, where he was tackled and handcuffed by a police officer in a case of "mistaken identity." Though rage would have been justified, Blake faced both incidents with dignity and aplomb. In Ways of Grace he reflects on his experiences and explores those of other sports stars and public figures who have not only overcome adversity, but have used them to unite rather than divide, Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi, a Pakistani Muslim and Amir Hadad, an Israeli Jew, who despite the conflicts of their countries, paired together in the 2002 Wimbledon men’s doubles draw. Muhammad Ali, who transcended racism with a magnetic personality and a breathtaking mastery of boxing that was unparalleled. Nelson Mandela, who spent twenty-seven years in prison for his commitment to social reform, peace, and equality yet never gave up his battle to end apartheid—a struggle that led to his eventual freedom and his nation's transition to black majority rule. Groundbreaking tennis legend Arthur Ashe, who was a model of courage, elegance, and poise on the court and off; a gifted player who triumphed in the all-white world of professional tennis, and became one of his generation's greatest players. Weaving together these and other poignant and unforgettable stories, Blake reveals how, through seemingly small acts of grace, we can confront hatred, bigotry, and injustice with virtue—and use it to propel ourselves to greater heights.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published June 27, 2017
22 people are currently reading
516 people want to read
About the author
James Blake
2 books3 followersJames Blake has been a professional tennis player since 1999, when he left Harvard to join the professional tennis circuit. He grew up in Fairfield, Connecticut, and currently resides in Tampa, Florida.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
November 13, 2017
Tennis star James Blake opens this book with a description of how one moment he was minding his own business on a New York street, and the next, he was tackled, handcuffed, abused, and harassed by a police officer who, looking for a black suspect, just grabbed the first black man he saw. Blake was not read his rights, nor told anything about why he was being apprehended. When he was let go, the cop lied to the police department about what happened -- and so did other officers who had appeared on the scene. Blake was lucky, because the incident occurred in front of a hotel camera, and he was able to gain access to the film and show that the cops were lying. Otherwise, it would have been his word against theirs. And we all know how that tends to be treated.
The experience turned him into an activist, able to use his high profile to bring attention to what had happened to him. In turn, his own activism made him curious about -- and created a connection to -- other athletes who have used their fame as a platform to highlight social or professional wrongs and unfairness. In this book, he covers a broad range of subjects: Tommie Smith and John Carlos raising their fists at the 1968 Olympics (and the little-known story of the Australian athlete who pinned a badge for human rights to his uniform for the medal ceremony, and suffered for it); Billie Jean King and her fight for women's equality on the tennis circuit and beyond; Venus and Serena Williams continuing the battle for equal prize money, equal respect as female athletes, and equal endorsements as black athletes; Martina Navratilova speaking openly about her sexuality; Chris Kluwe and his stand for marriage equality; and the current decision by many NFL players to kneel during the national anthem to bring attention to the vulnerability they and other black men and women face just by existing in the US.
I deeply admire Blake's passionate writing in this book. He eloquently states why discrimination cannot be tolerated, period. Not on the basis of gender, sexuality, skin color, religion, ethnicity, or any other reason people can come up with. Not in sports, or in society in general. He is adamant in his fight for equality and fairness, applied to everyone, no exceptions. His fire for justice blazes off the pages.
He also has a number of interviews with other athletes, and hearing them describe their experiences and motivations on their own words was also fascinating.
I was impressed by how well-researched the book is, as well. The social/historical circumstances around athlete protests or statements are provided, with plenty of end notes showing where the information came from. It's also even-handed: For instance, the Australian Olympic Committee has a different story about why Peter Norman's career ended after 1968, and Blake includes their version.
Blake also makes it very clear that it is, indeed, an act of bravery to be a professional athlete taking a stand that one's fans, or one's sports association and sponsors, might not like or support. While athletes make a lot of money, their careers are often very short, and there is a real risk of cutting them even shorter by deciding to speak out. (Colin Kaepernick is still unemployed as I write this.) It's not necessarily easier for famous athletes to take a stand, or a knee, than it is for any of the rest of us mere mortals. But sometimes the need to overcome injustice is greater than the fear of losing one's job. And maybe 50 years down the road, today's athlete-protesters will be viewed as heroes, the same as many of the people mentioned in this book from decades past are now.
I've docked a star for two reasons. First, the writing is somewhat repetitive, and sentences providing the same information a second time often appear with a page or so of each other. Not constantly, but often enough to be annoying. And second, there are a couple of direct swipes at the current POTUS which, sadly, are likely to make the very people who might benefit the most from reading this book throw it across the room, instead.
It's a bit heavy on the tennis, but if you're into sports and intersectional social justice, I found this an inspiring read.
The experience turned him into an activist, able to use his high profile to bring attention to what had happened to him. In turn, his own activism made him curious about -- and created a connection to -- other athletes who have used their fame as a platform to highlight social or professional wrongs and unfairness. In this book, he covers a broad range of subjects: Tommie Smith and John Carlos raising their fists at the 1968 Olympics (and the little-known story of the Australian athlete who pinned a badge for human rights to his uniform for the medal ceremony, and suffered for it); Billie Jean King and her fight for women's equality on the tennis circuit and beyond; Venus and Serena Williams continuing the battle for equal prize money, equal respect as female athletes, and equal endorsements as black athletes; Martina Navratilova speaking openly about her sexuality; Chris Kluwe and his stand for marriage equality; and the current decision by many NFL players to kneel during the national anthem to bring attention to the vulnerability they and other black men and women face just by existing in the US.
I deeply admire Blake's passionate writing in this book. He eloquently states why discrimination cannot be tolerated, period. Not on the basis of gender, sexuality, skin color, religion, ethnicity, or any other reason people can come up with. Not in sports, or in society in general. He is adamant in his fight for equality and fairness, applied to everyone, no exceptions. His fire for justice blazes off the pages.
He also has a number of interviews with other athletes, and hearing them describe their experiences and motivations on their own words was also fascinating.
I was impressed by how well-researched the book is, as well. The social/historical circumstances around athlete protests or statements are provided, with plenty of end notes showing where the information came from. It's also even-handed: For instance, the Australian Olympic Committee has a different story about why Peter Norman's career ended after 1968, and Blake includes their version.
Blake also makes it very clear that it is, indeed, an act of bravery to be a professional athlete taking a stand that one's fans, or one's sports association and sponsors, might not like or support. While athletes make a lot of money, their careers are often very short, and there is a real risk of cutting them even shorter by deciding to speak out. (Colin Kaepernick is still unemployed as I write this.) It's not necessarily easier for famous athletes to take a stand, or a knee, than it is for any of the rest of us mere mortals. But sometimes the need to overcome injustice is greater than the fear of losing one's job. And maybe 50 years down the road, today's athlete-protesters will be viewed as heroes, the same as many of the people mentioned in this book from decades past are now.
I've docked a star for two reasons. First, the writing is somewhat repetitive, and sentences providing the same information a second time often appear with a page or so of each other. Not constantly, but often enough to be annoying. And second, there are a couple of direct swipes at the current POTUS which, sadly, are likely to make the very people who might benefit the most from reading this book throw it across the room, instead.
It's a bit heavy on the tennis, but if you're into sports and intersectional social justice, I found this an inspiring read.
July 19, 2017
The best part of this book was reading Blakes account of exactly what happened to him when he was physically assaulted by the NYPD during a case of mistaken identity a few years ago. The incident is alarming on so many counts, and it really made me think about issues of racial profiling and police brutality in a new way. The rest of the book recounts interesting cases where athletes have served as activists for equality and social justice. I most enjoyed the stories of my favorite tennis players and heavily skimmed the rest.
October 20, 2017
I enjoyed the stories of athletes throughout history as they pushed for reform in sports and in our society. And his account of what happened to him in New York and to other men and women of color was riveting to read as well, however, this book really, really needed more editing, because Mr. Blake, in his enthusiasm, repeated himself numerous times to the point that I began skipping paragraphs and considering dropping the book altogether.
September 7, 2017
I never would have picked this one up if I hadn’t heard it discussed on Minnesota Public Radio. I don’t read a lot of non-fiction, let alone anything about sports, so this was something new and different. I give Mr. Blake an A for effort in recording stories of activist athletes. Publishing in one-place stories that illustrate how athletes make a difference was a grand idea. Mr. Blake also shares his own experiences, which makes the work very personal. I didn’t rate this any higher due to not liking the writing. It was almost like reading a blog. I think it could have benefited from more or better editing, as parts are repetitive; and some interviews that have great insight just ramble on and on, so one loses interest. This detracted from what was otherwise a good read.
July 15, 2017
Book explored the athlete and activism
the good and the bad of being an athlete activist
Give the current climate in the US and the World we need any all high profile folks to speak out against injustices of all kind (race/ sex orientation/immigration status et al).
I applaud Mr Blake for turning his Chicken Sh t NYPD/US Open experience into Social Justice Chicken Salad-- Mr Ashe would be (and is) proud !!!
the good and the bad of being an athlete activist
Give the current climate in the US and the World we need any all high profile folks to speak out against injustices of all kind (race/ sex orientation/immigration status et al).
I applaud Mr Blake for turning his Chicken Sh t NYPD/US Open experience into Social Justice Chicken Salad-- Mr Ashe would be (and is) proud !!!
September 11, 2017
Overall, a very good book about how some athletes have been and continue to be activists for good causes. The book is "co-written" with Carol Taylor, and it contains a very nice set of examples from numerous sports and eras.
There's only one thing that keeps the book from getting five stars: His constant whine about money. He repeatedly comes back to how short a professional athlete's career is so that it's "hard" for then to risk the salary. The worst example is when he tells us we shouldn't think Colin Kaepernick should be thought of as rich for his "twelve million" a year. After all, Blake tells us, that money has to support Colin and his family for the rest of his life.
Wait, someone making $30k per year, just about the poverty level, would have to work for 400 years to make what Colin made in a year. Someone with a $100,000 income, considered well off by most of us, would still have to work for more than 100 years to make what Colin made in a year. Most of those folks can't speak out because being fired is far more dire for the rest of us.
I think it's great that some athletes do put advocacy high on their lists, and I respect Mr. Kaepernick for what he's doing, but he, Blake and the rest of the top tier athletes should get no sympathy from the average American for the money they chose to forgo.
Athletes are Americans and deserve the right to speak out as much as every other citizen. Claiming they shouldn't is un-American. May Mr. Blake and others continue to do so, but try to really understand things past your personal experiences when you're talking to the rest of us.
There's only one thing that keeps the book from getting five stars: His constant whine about money. He repeatedly comes back to how short a professional athlete's career is so that it's "hard" for then to risk the salary. The worst example is when he tells us we shouldn't think Colin Kaepernick should be thought of as rich for his "twelve million" a year. After all, Blake tells us, that money has to support Colin and his family for the rest of his life.
Wait, someone making $30k per year, just about the poverty level, would have to work for 400 years to make what Colin made in a year. Someone with a $100,000 income, considered well off by most of us, would still have to work for more than 100 years to make what Colin made in a year. Most of those folks can't speak out because being fired is far more dire for the rest of us.
I think it's great that some athletes do put advocacy high on their lists, and I respect Mr. Kaepernick for what he's doing, but he, Blake and the rest of the top tier athletes should get no sympathy from the average American for the money they chose to forgo.
Athletes are Americans and deserve the right to speak out as much as every other citizen. Claiming they shouldn't is un-American. May Mr. Blake and others continue to do so, but try to really understand things past your personal experiences when you're talking to the rest of us.
February 11, 2018
I heard about this book on NPR, and immediately added it to my wish list. Read in 2018 after receiving it as a holiday gift.
The intent and the content were excellent. James Blake is a professional tennis player who decided to write this book about athletes who have taken public positions on police brutality, racism, women's rights and gay rights after he was attacked by a police officer outside his New York hotel while waiting to go to the U.S. Open.
The book starts with his experience and then goes into other athletes' experiences and their decisions to protest or to work for equality. The book profiles a number of athletes in different sports and different decades including tennis player Billie Jean King, U.S. football player Colin Kaepernick, and Australian track athlete Peter Norman.
Unfortunately the writing style isn't as good as the content. There is a lot of repetition, often in the same chapter. It may be to emphasize a point, but more often it seems as if there was no editor to point out the repetitions. (I rated 4 stars. It would have been 5 if not for the repetetiveness.)
The intent and the content were excellent. James Blake is a professional tennis player who decided to write this book about athletes who have taken public positions on police brutality, racism, women's rights and gay rights after he was attacked by a police officer outside his New York hotel while waiting to go to the U.S. Open.
The book starts with his experience and then goes into other athletes' experiences and their decisions to protest or to work for equality. The book profiles a number of athletes in different sports and different decades including tennis player Billie Jean King, U.S. football player Colin Kaepernick, and Australian track athlete Peter Norman.
Unfortunately the writing style isn't as good as the content. There is a lot of repetition, often in the same chapter. It may be to emphasize a point, but more often it seems as if there was no editor to point out the repetitions. (I rated 4 stars. It would have been 5 if not for the repetetiveness.)
July 24, 2017
The title was a bit weird to tote around. He ends up explaining why the book is called Ways of Grace, but even so, I felt it screamed a bit Catholic preachy--when it was nothing of the sort. The stories were to the point, but still interesting nonetheless. As someone who could do without sports personally, I still have respect for players who prove themselves while inspiring others for human rights--even with potential risk to their career at stake. I didn't know half of the stories in this book, so it was enlightening to read about the players who are still fighting for what's right for the world, and the people who live in it.
July 31, 2017
I heard about this book after James Blake did a nice interview with Terry Gross on Fresh Air. It's a wonderful interview, I recommend it. Unfortunately the book wasn't what I expected and after getting through about half of it, I threw in the towel. I thought each chapter would be a profile of a different athlete.
The writing itself was distracting to me: it is occasionally repetitive and veers off into long and unnecessary recaps of historical context (like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, for example).
The writing itself was distracting to me: it is occasionally repetitive and veers off into long and unnecessary recaps of historical context (like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, for example).
April 16, 2020
In it's entirety, this was a good read but it took me awhile to get through it.
I enjoyed the composition of short stories/backgrounds given for the notable trailblazers mentioned and this book really pushed me to explore their legacies further.
However, the writing was a bit repetitive.
I would say though, that this is a good starting point for anyone interested in diving into the activism displayed in the sports world and its progression.
I enjoyed the composition of short stories/backgrounds given for the notable trailblazers mentioned and this book really pushed me to explore their legacies further.
However, the writing was a bit repetitive.
I would say though, that this is a good starting point for anyone interested in diving into the activism displayed in the sports world and its progression.
November 18, 2017
I love the premise of this book and the collection of stories from athletes are sure to inspire and encourage students to think about social justice issues. Sometimes writing is repetitious in points being made. Good resource for coaches and student athletes as well as a resource for US History research.
June 29, 2024
This book does a fine job of describing activism in the sports world over the last 50 years. Blake's personal experience with police abuse and discrimination is very vividly told and sadly all too common. This book was written in 2018 and very disturbing to realize the horrible murders of innocent people to come in the next few years.
August 28, 2017
For the most part, a good book, however it tends to be a bit repetitive. I liked the part when Blake explained what happened to him in an incident he had with the police and what ultimately became the catalyst to write this book.
November 2, 2017
I like James Blake a lot -- as a tennis player, a tennis commentator, an interviewer and interviewee. So I was expecting to like his book on athletes and activism a lot as well. But I didn't; it was a bit of a chore to read. It could have been much better written, organized and edited.
September 19, 2020
I really liked this book. I am really into tennis, so the book was an easy & interesting book for me. Lots of tips I picked up from James and heartwarming to understand his experiences with racism and his approach to managing it. A good read!
Read
August 26, 2022It shares numerous stories of people overcoming limits that people placed (maybe unfairly). I’m torn as to how it was presented. It was a lot of stories. Not a lot of action, constructive criticism or words to encourage.
July 5, 2025
The story of Blake’s interaction with police was terrifying and clearly led to him writing this book. He included other examples of athlete activists. I struggled with the structure because he kept returning to past examples. It felt very circular.
July 8, 2017
I am a fan of James Blake and I share almost every activist interest he mentions in this book. But "Ways of Grace" is repetitive and disjointed.
July 11, 2017
A collection of positive stories of how professional athletes from around the world have helped to bridge social and cultural divides through activism on and off the field.
July 23, 2017
Great book
February 5, 2019
Ideas were fantastic and inspiring- the writing was what I struggled with. Redundant and simplistic at times, however the good work that positive and engaged athletes can accomplish was apparent.
October 30, 2019
I gave up.
April 22, 2021
Good history and context for the history of sports and culture.
April 24, 2023
Skimmed.
June 21, 2025
Amazing how relevant the book still is at the start of Trump’s second stint as President. So much work to do to in order to open the hearts and minds of our communities.
November 28, 2017
I picked this one up at my library after reading the subtitle of it. I found the book to be an easy read and there were many sports figures I learned about that I didn't know about prior to reading.
I found the issues advocated for were varied and admirable. Many of these men and women risked losing their place in history. Many faced huge backlash in their personal lives also.
But Blake's point is that athletes are given a unique opportunity of prominence and status to make their communities better. And while many people might say, let them play football, or baseball or whatever their chosen profession without bringing in politics, Blake says lets bringing tolerance and enlightenment and compassion. I find that message powerful.
The writing gets a bit repetitive, but this one is a solid read for content rather than style.
I found the issues advocated for were varied and admirable. Many of these men and women risked losing their place in history. Many faced huge backlash in their personal lives also.
But Blake's point is that athletes are given a unique opportunity of prominence and status to make their communities better. And while many people might say, let them play football, or baseball or whatever their chosen profession without bringing in politics, Blake says lets bringing tolerance and enlightenment and compassion. I find that message powerful.
The writing gets a bit repetitive, but this one is a solid read for content rather than style.
November 28, 2022
What a amazing book. Some of the stories I knew of, but not the whole story. Some I had never heard of, including James Blake's story. If you have wondered what makes a famous person who seems to have everything risk it all to take a stand for a cause he/she believes in, this book will help explain it. And you might get inspired to get involved in a cause yourself.
February 16, 2020
Basically a book about how you can use your influence to make changes in the world
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews