Product Description

“Lots of people have dreams, but C. Vivian Stringer is the dream—a coalminer’s daughter who believed when her Poppa told her there was no obstacle she could not surmount. And she lives that dream, teaching others to rise up to meet challenges, turning underdogs into champions again and again—on and off the court. This is the quintessential American story, of a woman and of a family pulling together against the odds. Standing Tall offers an important message of hope to so many.”
—John Chaney, Hall of Fame college basketball coach


At a time when heroes are too rare, C. Vivian Stringer sets a shining example. She has time and again shown character, fortitude, and heart, both on and off the hardwood, and in the face of unbearable loss. In Standing Tall, she shares her remarkable life story, inspiring us to find this fortitude within ourselves.

“Work hard, and don’t look for excuses,” Stringer’s parents told her, “and you can achieve anything.” But her faith and perseverance would be tested many times. A gifted athlete, she had to fight for a place on an all-white cheerleading squad in the sixties. In 1981, just as her coaching career was taking off, her fourteen-month-old daughter, Nina, was stricken with spinal meningitis. Nina would never walk or talk again. Still grieving, Stringer brought a small, poor, historically black college to the national championships—a triumph hailed as “Hoosiers with an all-female cast.” In 1991, her husband, Bill—her staunchest supporter, the father of her children, and the love of her life—fell dead of a sudden heart attack, but that same year, she led yet another young team to the Final Four. Through these dark times and others—including her bout with cancer, shared here for the first time—Stringer has carried her burdens with grace. Given her history, it was no surprise that she led her team to respond to Don Imus’s slurs with dignity and courage.

Standing Tall is a story of quiet strength in the face of punishing odds. Above all, it is an extraordinary love story—love for the game, for the players she has coached, for her close-knit family, and for the husband she lost far too soon. It will resonate long after the last page.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16792 in Books
• Published on: 2008-03-04
• Released on: 2008-03-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 304 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Move over, Horatio Alger. Stringer's inspiring story of rising to the top through hard work and the love of a close-knit family is one of the strongest sports memoirs in recent years. The oldest child in a large family that stressed education, teamwork and dignity, Stringer manifested all those values in nearly four decades as a basketball coach. As the first coach in NCAA women's history to bring three different teams to the Final Four, Stringer has loads of fantastic stories to share, particularly the turnaround that resulted in the 2006–2007 Rutgers women moving from the bottom of their division to the top, winning the nation's respect even before their dignified response to Don Imus's slurs. This memoir is also about winning off the court, as Stringer describes the heartrending trials that have tested her endurance and faith: a major crisis with each of her three children; the sudden death of her beloved husband in 1991; and her own quiet struggle with cancer, discussed openly here for the first time. Karen Chilton's performance is strong and memorable, and Stringer herself reads the introduction.
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Review
“If you want to be introduced to the demands and delights of basketball, I am sure this book will satisfy you. If you want a book to speak eloquently about finding and losing a great love, about proud parenthood and passionate competition, rush to get this book. Simply put, it is a wonderful book about the wonder of growing up African American, female, ambitious, and successful. I laughed and cried with this book and was pleased. You go girl!”
—Maya Angelou

“Coach Vivian Stringer is a pillar of strength who always stands tall. I’m inspired by her, both on and off the court, and you will be too.”
—President Bill Clinton

 “The people who most inspired me in the civil rights movement–from Martin Luther King Jr. to Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte–were each protégés of the scholar, artist, athlete, and civil rights activist Paul Robeson and I have long believed that C. Vivian Stringer continues in the proud tradition of this inspiring leader. In Standing Tall, C. Vivian Stringer confirms beyond any doubt that she does indeed stand tall in the tradition of Robeson and King, and I am certain that readers will not simply be moved by her story, but that their lives will be touched and changed for the better for reading it.”
—Andrew Young

 “What a story! In a way that touches me very personally, I see in Coach Stringer a mother’s love–and I know that love is the kind of leadership that can change the world.”
—Michael Jordan
 
"In a time of darkness, C. Vivian Stringer stepped forward and led her team–and then the nation. Our country got to see what Coach Stringer's players have seen for more than thirty years: a model of grace and strength for a generation of young women. She has been an inspiration and a role model for me in coaching and now <...

Review
“If you want to be introduced to the demands and delights of basketball, I am sure this book will satisfy you. If you want a book to speak eloquently about finding and losing a great love, about proud parenthood and passionate competition, rush to get this book. Simply put, it is a wonderful book about the wonder of growing up African American, female, ambitious, and successful. I laughed and cried with this book and was pleased. You go girl!”
—Maya Angelou

“Coach Vivian Stringer is a pillar of strength who always stands tall. I’m inspired by her, both on and off the court, and you will be too.”
—President Bill Clinton

 “The people who most inspired me in the civil rights movement–from Martin Luther King Jr. to Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte–were each protégés of the scholar, artist, athlete, and civil rights activist Paul Robeson and I have long believed that C. Vivian Stringer continues in the proud tradition of this inspiring leader. In Standing Tall, C. Vivian Stringer confirms beyond any doubt that she does indeed stand tall in the tradition of Robeson and King, and I am certain that readers will not simply be moved by her story, but that their lives will be touched and changed for the better for reading it.”
—Andrew Young

 “What a story! In a way that touches me very personally, I see in Coach Stringer a mother’s love–and I know that love is the kind of leadership that can change the world.”
—Michael Jordan
 
"In a time of darkness, C. Vivian Stringer stepped forward and led her team–and then the nation. Our country got to see what Coach Stringer's players have seen for more than thirty years: a model of grace and strength for a generation of young women. She has been an inspiration and a role model for me in coaching and now Standing Tall gives us an uncommon glimpse of the woman behind the coach.”  
—Tony Dungy

“C. Vivian Stringer is a woman of amazing principle and strength. I have always admired her genuineness and her unfailing optimism, and now readers can too. Standing Tall is a fascinating look into the life of this extraordinary woman.”
—Pat Head Summitt 

“Thank goodness we have someone like Vivian Stringer, someone with the clarity and courage to stand up for what is right. With Standing Tall, she has answered the call again; when we most need a story to inspire us, she has given us this extraordinary book.”
—Magic (Earvin) Johnson
 
“Love, honesty, respect, integrity: If you use these ingredients to build strong character–there you have C. Vivian Stringer’s story, and so beautifully written.”
—Bill Cosby

“Lots of people have dreams, but C. Vivian Stringer is the dream–a coalminer’s daughter who believed when her Poppa told her there was no obstacle she could not surmount. And she lives that dream, teaching others to rise up to meet challenges, turning underdogs into champions again and again–on and off the court. This is the quintessential American story, of a woman and of a family pulling together against the odds. Standing Tall offers an important message of hope to so many.”
—John Chaney, Hall of Fame college basketball coach

“Vivian Stringer has a great mind and heart and she isn’t afraid to show it. She is a true champion and hero, in basketball and in life.”
—Billie Jean King

"This is an emotional roller coaster of a memoir, but it is told with humor, passion, and gratitude. An inspiring life story–and certain to get plenty of attention."  
—Booklist

"A moving memoir about overcoming adversity with grace and stamina."
—Ebony

Customer Reviews

I'm not a basketball fan or a Rutgers fan, but I LOVED this book
When Vivian Stringer recruits players for the Rutgers women's basketball team, she doesn't just promise them that they'll play on a wonderful team. She looks the parents in the eye and promises them that if their daughter plays for her, she'll treat her like a daughter, and do everything she can to make sure she graduates and is prepared for life. She means it, too: she's still in touch with most of the young women she coached.

She's the real deal. She comes from modest roots, as the daughter of an African-American coal miner, but was raised with self-confidence and an incredible work ethic. She also has a huge heart, and genuinely cares for everyone she knows. She's overcome incredible adversity: the death of both her father and her husband at young ages, caring for a daughter who suffered severe brain damage from spinal meningitis, surviving breast cancer, and more, but she soldiers on and makes the most out of life.

I haven't played on a basketball team since jr. high, and I didn't play any school sports in high school. Even so, I was completely entranced by this book. By the time I got to the end of the book, where she recounts how she chose to respond to Don Imus's "nappy-headed hos" comment, I wasn't at all surprised that she handled it with the utmost of grace and courage.

I wish that all coaches were as inspirational as Vivian Stringer!

Standing Tall
I received the book in a very timely manner, it came exactly as it was stated it would. I would purchase from this seller again.

Coach Stringer's story is truly inspiring.
I was so moved by C. Vivian Stringer's account of her rise to stardom in the competitive world of college athletics. The predjudice and personal tragedies she endured and her ability to keep balance in her life and focus through it all is truly inspiring. She is an amazing woman.