Professional Billiards Champion Jeanette Lee Releases Her Memoir Black Widow

Arroe Collins Like It's Live

The "Black Widow", Jeanette Lee, achieved legendary billiards status when she became the top-ranked female pool player in the world during the 1990s, winning over 30 national and international titles. Lee, dressed in black from head-to-toe when she decimated her prey in that span, later had her career be a focus of an ESPN 30-for-30 documentary. In her new book Black Widow: A Memoir (Triumph Books, 8.13.24), Lee looks back at her illustrious career, lifelong struggle with scoliosis, and a public battle with Stage 4 ovarian cancer. Jeanette was 18 years old when she walked into a New York City pool hall and became enamored by the elegant geometry of the game. Before long, she was an unmistakable figure on the international competition circuit, dressed head-to-toe in black, stalking the billiards table and gazing down her cue as if tracking her prey. In this new memoir, the woman nicknamed 'The Black Widow' opens up about her legendary career and the rich, unpredictable life she's woven around it. Lee details her upbringing in a Korean-American household in Brooklyn, her single-minded drive to reach the pinnacle of her sport, and her unlikely entry into the realm of mainstream celebrity in an era where female athletes rarely got their share of the limelight. Lee also reflects on her lifelong struggle with scoliosis, which necessitated over twenty operations during her playing career; her public battle with Stage 4 ovarian cancer; and the communities that gave her strength throughout. Written with warmth and candor, this is the definitive story of a true icon.
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