SOCCER LOVERS BOOK REVIEW: Abby’ Wambach’s New Memoir FORWARD
Authentic – Real – Inspirational.
Published by Dey Street Books — On Sale: 09/13/2016
More than a book about soccer, Abby Wambach’s deeply personal memoir FORWARD offers the rare chance to see into the personal life of one of our most celebrated world-class Olympic Gold medalists.
Abby Wambach is the playmaker whose impact made it possible for the USA to win the FIFA Women’s World Cup. One of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2015, Wambach is the soccer player who captured headlines.
Far more than a superficial, behind the scenes account of yet another famous sports professional, FORWARD is the shockingly personal story of a brave woman who was raised to be a competitive soccer player. Raising the bar on what a memoir should be, Wambach’s new book reveals her bravery in the face of life’s challenges.
You have to be willing to give up everything….You’ve got to risk everything — you got to risk being completely devastated if you don’t achieve it — this takes bravery most people lack.
Traveling back and forth through the inner emotional circus we all hide, the reader becomes a part of Abby’s inner circle and we discover how Wambach let her colossal and traumatic DUI arrest last April be the catalyst to rediscovering herself and emerging stronger than ever.
In FORWARD, Wambach invites you, the reader, along as a silent companion, almost asking you to become a father confessor as she reveals the scars of the past and the aspirations for the future.
From the stories of meeting President Obama and winning the World Cup — to her pride in scoring her 159th goal, not only because it helped her team, but because it was her goal to leap past legendary Mia Hamm’s record for most goals scored — and the pain of a marriage falling apart, reading FORWARD is like being alone with Abby Wambach and listening to her secrets.
Every reader should thank her for her brutal and inspiring honesty.
On the lighter side, do you like fun facts about celebrated soccer stars and knowing how World Cup winners prepare for a soccer match? Then you will love FORWARD for all the insights Wambach shares as she relives pre-game rituals, shares details on her wedding to Sarah Huffman (a grand but intimate, low-key ceremony) and admits that she could be a nightmare to live with. Wambach even lets the reader know what it felt like to be the GOAT (“Greatest Of All Time”); and then play for 70 minutes — with everyone watching — and not score a goal.
“Sometimes being in search of something greater doesn’t mean it’s always out there.”
Although I have obviously never played professional soccer, I can only imagine that retiring from the highest level of the Women’s game would be a shock to the system and is not like a career change for us normal people. After interviewing countless professional players, I believe being a pro player is a vocation, like being a nun — retiring from soccer is not just changing how you make money but altering the precision and targeted focus of every waking moment — which was usually spent achieving the next on field success.
Delving deeper — FORWARD is about our capacity to handle change. Who has not been stunned by change? This is a book for anyone who has ever faced an upheaval in their personal or professional lives. So I guess that means everyone should buy this book and read the 230 pages. Wambach leaves us better, somehow more whole, than before we read her new memoir.
A feminist who has always been ready to challenge the inequality of our world, Wambach’s FORWARD is a soul-searching journey that does not cheapen itself with a fairy tale ending, the book is about personal discover and growing without self-pity.
Now — perhaps — Abby will have more time to fight the off field battles of turf, literally turf, and gender inequality.
Brave, unknowingly resilient and a person who has etched herself in the hall of fame in everyones’ heart — America congratulates Abby Wambach as she moves Forward.
Other reviews:
“Forward is the powerful story of an athlete who has inspired girls all over the world to believe in themselves.” —Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook COO, New York Times Bestselling author of Lean In
“This is the best memoir I’ve read by an athlete since Andre Agassi’s Open.” —Adam Grant, Wharton professor and New York Times bestselling author of Originals and Give and Take
Next Soccer Lovers Book Review: Abby Wambach Forward My Story for young readers.
