First published 1998
Gabrielle Reece stands six feet three inches tall on the professional beach volleyball circuit. At 170 pounds, she embodies contradictions that shatter expectations about female athletes. She moves between beauty and power, femininity and aggression, warmth and intimidation. Reece argues that young women miss chances to build character through sports while boys develop these muscles daily. She believes team sports force girls to navigate winning and losing together, to push through exhaustion and frustration as a unit. This collaboration builds trust between women and ultimately self-confidence. Reece wrestles with the emotional components that color everything women do in professional athletics. She must acknowledge her feelings without letting them control her performance. Most importantly, she rejects the fear of being big that encourages women to shrink themselves. She refuses to become less powerful, less assertive, less demanding, or less present. Through her athletic career, Reece redefines what female athletes can be and challenges society's narrow vision of women in sports.
Genres: gender-studies, feminism, autobiography, sports, biography-memoir, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: redefining-norms, self-acceptance
Period: 21st-Century
256 pages · Paperback · Three Rivers Press