Audio only
A Hard Road to Glory, Volume 1 (1619-1918)
A History of the African-American AthleteBy Arthur AsheNarrated by Landon WoodsonLength7h 8m
About this audiobook
With a Foreword by Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe
Available once again for a new generation, the first volume in Arthur Ashe’s epic trilogy that chronicles the remarkable legacy of Black athletes in the United States—a major addition to our understanding of American history and the fulfillment of this legendary sports star and global activist’s lifelong dream.
When tennis great Arthur Ashe first published his A Hard Road to Glory trilogy, this ambitious project—recognizing the contributions of Black athletes to American sports and culture—was the first of its kind, a milestone in the presentation of United States social history.
Ashe had long believed that Black people needed to know their cultural history. But while teaching a seminar on the history of African American athletes at Florida Memorial College in 1981, he realized there was a vast amount of material about Black achievement that had never been collected, analyzed, and interpreted. To help to fill the gap, he began with the subject he knew best: sports.
A Hard Road to Glory Volume 1 covers the period from 1619, when enslaved Africans were first brought to American shores, to 1918, the end of the First World War. Ashe reveals that from 1865 through 1896, Black Americans succeeded spectacularly in sports, witnessing accomplishments of athletes like Jack Johnson, the first Black heavyweight champion; Marshall Taylor, “the world's fastest cyclist;” and Isaac Murphy, a Hall of Fame jockey and the first three-time winner of the Kentucky Derby.
In 2021, Black athletes and Black women in particular are receiving more visibility than ever for their unparalleled, world record-breaking excellence, their activism, and their leadership and vision. Serena Williams, Simone Biles, Sha’Carri Richardson, and Naomi Osaka are consistently elevating athletics and are reshaping the way we think about sports, excellence, society, and history.
Arthur Ashe paved the way for them all; A Hard Road to Glory is fundamental to our understanding of Black athletes and our nation’s past, present, and future. Now more than ever, this collection is one of this amazing icon’s greatest legacies—a treasure to be celebrated by listeners today and those to come.
Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★ 4.4 (23)
Includes Amazon, Goodreads
GenrePsychology, Other
Length7 hrs 8 mins
Narrated byLandon Woodson
FormatAudiobook
Publish dateMay 23, 2023
LanguageEnglish
More from Arthur Ashe
What to Make of a LifeJim Collins13h 31m4.4 (794)$33 · $0.00
Black AF HistoryMichael Harriot15h 43m4.7 (14.6K)$33 · $0.00
Bad Fat Black GirlSesali Bowen6h 32m4.7 (2.8K)$24 · $0.00
Invisible StormJason Kander6h 48m4.7 (3.2K)$24 · $0.00
I Am The StormJanice Dean9h4.6 (1.5K)$8 · $0.00
On Democracies and Death CultsDouglas Murray10h 38m4.6 (6.5K)$29 · $0.00
TerraformPropaganda5h 39m4.7 (594)$24 · $0.00
Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases (Annotated)Ida B. Wells-Barnett2h 44m4.6 (1.3K)$2 · $0.00
Hour of the HeartIrvin D. Yalom, Benjamin Yalom8h 19m4.6 (2.3K)$26 · $0.00
Braving the TruthRachel Held Evans11h 31m4.7 (359)$29 · $0.00
Level UpRob Dial7h 42m4.6 (3.3K)$26 · $0.00
As a JewSarah Hurwitz8h 36m4.6 (1.2K)$26 · $0.00
Saint Joan (Annotated)George Bernard Shaw6h 20m4.6 (1.2K)$1.20 · $0.00
Burn the HaystackJennie Young, PhD9h 30m4.6 (543)$29 · $0.00
Woman and the New Race (Annotated)Margaret Sanger6h 30m4.6 (1K)$0.99 · $0.00
Good InsideBecky Kennedy9h 55m4.5 (59.3K)$29 · $0.00
The Mis-Education of the NegroCarter Godwin Woodson5h 4m4.5 (29.4K)$1.20 · $0.00
Du Bois: EssaysW.E.B. Du Bois6h 22m4.6 (1.5K)$1 · $0.00
The North American Indian (Illustrated Edition)Edward S. Curtis, Frederick Webb Hodge5h 59m4.6 (1.4K)$2 · $0.00
Valley of the BirdtailAndrew Stobo Sniderman, Douglas Sanderson10h 1m4.6 (2.4K)$29 · $0.00
Mere ChristianityC. S. Lewis7h 7m4.4 (519.7K)$24 · $0.00
Her Daily BreadKate Wood12h 57m4.6 (153)$33 · $0.00
The Holy Bible - 1 SamuelKing James2h 13m4.8 (1.6K)$3 · $0.00
The American Standard Bible — The Gospel of MatthewMatthew3h 56m4.7 (3K)$2 · $0.00
Bad Fat Black GirlSesali Bowen6h 32m4.7 (2.8K)$24 · $0.00
The King James Audio Bible New Testament CompleteChristopher Glyn20h 2m4.7 (2.6K)$12 · $0.00
Faiths CheckbookCharles Spurgeon12h 44m4.7 (3.2K)$11 · $0.00
Ten Things I Wish You Knew About Your Child's Mental HealthDr. Billy Garvey4h 53m4.7 (2.4K)$20 · $0.00
Designing Terry Pratchett’s DiscworldPaul Kidby3h 52m4.7 (343)$20 · $0.00
The Chosen Book OneAmanda Jenkins, Kristen Hendricks, Dallas Jenkins3h 8m4.6 (4.9K)$10 · $0.00
The Lives of BrianBrian Johnson9h 45m4.6 (3.5K)$29 · $0.00
Expository Thoughts on the Gospel of LukeJ.C. Ryle27h 13m4.7 (536)$18 · $0.00
CrossroadsKaleb Dahlgren7h 56m4.6 (4.9K)$26 · $0.00
Across the RiverKent Babb11h 40m4.6 (927)$29 · $0.00
Brain Training for RidersAndrea Monsarrat Waldo5h 56m4.7 (550)$19 · $0.00
My Effin' LifeGeddy Lee17h 11m4.6 (13.1K)$40 · $0.00
Kings and PawnsHoward Bryant10h 9m4.6 (678)$29 · $0.00
The Elementia Chronicles #2: The New OrderSean Fay Wolfe11h 17m4.6 (841)$29 · $0.00
The ActsLuke2h 55m4.6 (19.7K)$12 · $0.00
New Testament - Easy NavigationWorld English Bible19h 35m4.6 (1.3K)$1.30 · $0.00
You may also like
The Life of Frederick Douglass: Complete Autobiographies, Speeches & Personal Letters in One VolumeFrederick Douglass62h 16m4.6 (3.5K)$0.99 · $0.00
The True Life Stories of the Declaration of Independence SignersCharles Augustus Goodrich18h 48m4.3 (301)$1.99 · $0.00
Four Red SweatersLucy Adlington9h 54m4.0 (2.8K)$29 · $0.00
Recollections of a Confederate Staff OfficerGilbert Moxley Sorrel9h 6m4.3 (436)$0.99 · $0.00
Life and Times of Frederick DouglassFrederick Douglass24h 48m4.4 (5.1K)$0.99 · $0.00
A Hard Road to Glory, Volume 3 (1946-1992)Arthur Ashe16h 28m$40 · $0.00
Two Colored women with the American Expeditionary ForcesAddie W. Hunton, Kathryn M. Johnson7h 1m3.8 (14)$1 · $0.00
Oregon Firefighter Entrance Exam Study Guide 2026/2027Anselm Pruett18h 17m$22
Minnesota Firefighter Entrance Exam Study Guide 2026/2027Anselm Pruett18h 20m$22
New Mexico Firefighter Entrance Exam Study Guide 2026/2027Anselm Pruett17h 36m$22
Kansas Firefighter Entrance Exam Study Guide 2026/2027Anselm Pruett17h 26m$22
New York Firefighter Entrance Exam Study Guide 2026/2027Anselm Pruett18h 30m$22
Because others forget (Translated)Bruno Piazza5h 40m4.5 (144)$5.70 · $0.00
The Colored Cadet at West Point - Autobiography of Lieut. Henry Ossian FlipperHenry Ossian Flipper10h 43m3.6 (63)$1.99 · $0.00
Earning ItJoann S. Lublin8h 16m3.9 (483)$26 · $0.00
Brockwood Park 1975 - Public Discussion 1 - The action of total awarenessJ. Krishnamurti1h 28m$6 · $0.00
Utah Firefighter Entrance Exam Study Guide 2026/2027Anselm Pruett17h 41m$22
Missouri Firefighter Entrance Exam Study Guide 2026/2027Anselm Pruett18h 3m$22
The Colored Cadet at West Point - Autobiography of Lieut. Henry Ossian FlipperHenry Ossian Flipper10h 32m$1 · $0.00
Turning Points in Indian Cricket. E5Amit Varma, Prem Panicker35m$4