“Game Face: What Does A Female Athlete Look Like?” By Jane Gottesman, Foreward By Penny Marshall

What many people probably do not know about my father, Garry and my aunt, Penny is that they were both great athletes during different times in their lives. Garry played his last softball league game at the age of 81 years old, just three weeks before his stroke. Likewise, Penny did her own stunts on the set of “Laverne & Shirley,” and when growing up in the Bronx she was known as a “sewer hitter!” (Meaning she could hit a home run all the way past the sewer.) I wrote the introduction to this book with Penny, because for her, it was a tomboy’s dream come true. Sports for Penny was as essential as her favorite beverage-Pepsi and milk, and later her beloved Los Angeles Lakers. “Game Face: What Does A Female Athlete Look Like?” is a photography collection and tribute book to female athletes, both amateur and professional. It chronicles the history of women’s sports and highlights the pivotal Title IX decision, passed in 1972. Title IX was a federal civil rights law that made it illegal for educational institutions to discriminate against students or employees based on sex. When Title IX was passed, only one out of twenty-seven school-aged girls played sports. When this book was published in 2001, that number was transformed into one in three. This wonderful collection of photographs is historic, inspiring, brave and unique-just like Penny, herself. Garry and Penny always said if you are feeling blue, go outside and throw a ball. We will be having a catch on the beach this holiday season in honor of these athletes, who grew up in the Bronx along the Grand Concourse, within home-run range of the sewer. To purchase this book on Amazon click here.