On her game Caitlin Clark and the revolution in women's sports

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)

Game changer. Brennan chronicles a year in the life of "the most impactful player" in women's basketball history, extolling Clark's skills and character and limning the controversies that accompanied the high-scoring guard's rapid rise. During Clark's final season at the University of Iowa and her debut season with the WNBA's Indiana Fever, her extra-long-distance three-pointers lifted the women's game to record highs in attendance and TV ratings. TheUSA Today sports columnist calls this period--October 2023 to September 2024--"a magical joyride." Brennan sees besotted fans of all ages and quotes observers who compare Clark to Elvis Presley, Batman, and Steph Curry. At times, Brennan flirts with hagiography, depicting Clark as wise, kind, accessible, and earnest yet fun-loving and defending her subject from the mildest of criticisms registered by older players. "This book came about quickly," Brennan writes in her introduction. The pages that follow don't lack for the sort of bland quotes found in game stories written on deadline. But Brennan pens a fascinating account of what one observer calls a "wall of negativity" that greeted Clark's move to the pros. Most WNBA players are Black; some, including three-time MVP A'ja Wilson, argued that Clark was glorified in part because she's white. Brennan herself became part of the story. After her brief, apparently fair-minded interview with a Black player who had accidentally hit Clark's eye, the players' union called Brennan "indecent and downright insincere." To Brennan, this was one of several incidents that showed "just how unprepared the WNBA was for" this transformative player. Brennan's look at the league's growing pains is supported by informative background on Title IX and gender equity, the 1999 World Cup--winning U.S. women's soccer team, and other milestones in women's sports history. An admiring look at a young hoop star's effect on her game's popularity. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.