Starred review from October 1, 2020
A celebrity running memoir on the outside; on the inside, an instruction manual for thriving based on a lifetime of hard-earned wisdom. Add writing to Pappas' domains of success. Her debut book is decidedly more literary in sensibility and execution than the average career retrospective of a professional athlete, which befits the author's artistic bona fides. She starred in two feature films, Tracktown and Olympic Dreams, both of which she co-wrote and the former of which she also co-directed. Prior to her film career, she turned down multiple offers to MFA programs in poetry in order to pursue her track career, and she set a national record in the 10,000-meter race for Greece in the 2016 Olympics. That's a lot of material, but Pappas doesn't merely list her accomplishments; she aims to tell the story of her becoming. Throughout her psychologically astute text, she draws valuable insights for readers, whom she imagines as younger versions of herself. From the first page, Pappas is vulnerable, honest, and courageous--not to mention funny. Whether writing about social awkwardness, professional disappointments, or her mother's suicide, she maintains a buoyant spirit that becomes wonderfully contagious. Keeping the right distance from her stories, the author is able to write with deep feeling without being overcome by those feelings. Each essay reaches its own satisfying conclusion while also contributing to the arc of the narrative. Pappas is clearly experienced at turning the material of her life into meaningful lessons. "For every fun moment of victory in this book, there are uncomfortable and humiliating moments, too," she writes. "I am the sum of all of them. I want to show you the whole picture, the bad pain and the good pain. This book is gore and glory. This book is about making a life, not just living a life. We will grow up together here." Inspiring, yes, but more to the point, genuinely empowering. An utterly winning collection of personal essays.
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October 15, 2020
This candid memoir chronicles the life of filmmaker and Olympic runner Pappas. An adventurous child, Pappas grew up desperate not to be defined by her mother's suicide, which took place when the author was five. She became a well-rounded teenager, interested in sports, theater, student government, and dating. This hunger for balance led to a satisfying Ivy League experience at Dartmouth, where Pappas ran varsity, performed in a top-tier improv troupe, and graduated with honors in English. After college, she turned down multiple MFA scholarships and chose to run professionally while her body could still support such a dream. Writing, if it was truly meant to be, could always find its way back into Pappas' world. Her faith and determination prevailed. She ran a personal record at the Rio Olympics, while simultaneously enjoying the success of her first indie film, Tracktown, created with her college-boyfriend-turned-husband. Pappas' journey is a definitive lesson in dedication, tolerance of pain, and seeking help when help is needed. Smart, witty, and genuine, this is Bossypants for a new generation.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)
November 16, 2020
In this strong debut, Olympian Pappas shares her inspiring life story of overcoming tragedy as a child to enjoy a flourishing, multifaceted career as an athlete, filmmaker, and actor. Pappas, whose bipolar mother died by suicide when Pappas was five, grew up in Northern California with a loving father, older brother, and a stream of nannies. In middle school, she began measuring her accomplishments by how much discomfort she could endure while running races (“Every race hurts, no matter what. If anybody tells you otherwise they’re either lying or they simply don’t try hard enough”). This athletic ambition led to a scholarship at Dartmouth College and eventual acceptance into the 2016 Olympics as a long-distance runner. Her experience as an athlete, in turn, inspired her to collaborate on her first film, 2012’s Tall as the Baobob Tree
, followed by two more films, Tracktown in 2016 and Olympic Dreams in 2019. Along the way Pappas developed fresh ways of thinking about and viewing the world, and coined the neologism bravey as “a self-identifier for those who are willing to chase their dreams” while always being kind to themselves and never letting other people’s opinions define them. Pappas’s extraordinary tale is skillfully told and profoundly inspiring.
December 1, 2020
Pappas is an Olympic runner, actress, filmmaker and writer. In her debut, she writes about her journey to becoming an Olympian. She reflects on her upbringing, after her mom died by suicide when she was four years old, and subsequently being raised by her father. She uses humor at times to write about different events in her life, but also is serious when needed. Pappas ties in her own experiences with running to discussions around how coaches should be better educated about female development and how that impacts running. This is the strongest part of the book, with the author drawing on her own experience of how not being on her high school track team actually helped her development as a runner. Pappas, who has dual citizenship, competed for Greece in the Olympics in 2016, becoming the first female distance runner from Greece ever to make it to the Olympics in the 10,000M. She also writes about her career and interests off the track. VERDICT Pappas is a talented writer and brilliant storyteller and her story is one worth telling. Highly recommended for all readers, especially high school and collegiate running coaches as well as those interested in learning more about distance running.--Pamela Calfo, Bridgeville P.L., PA
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