One Life

September 28, 2020
In this sweeping and impassioned memoir, U.S. soccer star Rapinoe recounts her extraordinary athletic career and her path to becoming a global social activist. A Northern California native, Rapinoe shares fond memories of playing soccer as a child and in high school, followed by her scholarship to Portland University in the 2000s. After earning a spot on the U.S. Women’s National Team and winning a gold medal at the 2012 Olympics, she went on to two Women’s World Cup victories in 2015 and 2019. The narrative is nicely shaped by co-writer Brockes and mixes Rapinoe’s on-field experiences with those from her private life, including her coming out in 2012 and her relationships with former teammate Abby Wambach and WNBA player Sue Bird. Rapinoe also discusses issues of social justice, among them her fight for pay equity with the U.S. Men’s National Team and her decision in 2016 to kneel during the national anthem in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. “Real change lies within all of us,” she writes, “it is in the choices we make every day.” Rapinoe’s passion for inclusion and equality shines throughout this appealing book, and her hard-won take on the intersection of sports and activism isn’t to be missed.

Soccer star Megan Rapinoe explains her on-the-field success and off-the-field social activism with candor in a memoir she narrates well. What makes the audiobook especially engaging is the range of other topics she addresses, including her struggles with sexuality, her experiences growing up as a star female athlete in a male-dominated world, and her anxiety over her brother's addiction and its impact on her family. Unlike many athletes, Rapinoe acknowledges her shortcomings and candidly discusses mistakes she has made. Her well-paced and natural presentation style will make listeners feel as though she is speaking directly to them. D.J.S. � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine