First published 2017
AJ Mendez Brooks opens her life story as a quiet girl who never felt normal while her family battled drug addiction, poverty, and mental illness. She escaped into comic books and video games, drawn to tough female characters who showed her different ways to be strong. When she discovered WWE, she realized superheroes could exist in real life. Brooks trained for years to achieve her wrestling dream, only to face industry pressure to play the helpless victim and dress for male fans. She refused and built an alter ego that reflected her true self: nerdy, passionate, and unafraid of being called crazy. Brooks shares her struggle to understand her mental health challenges and take control of her life. She transformed what others saw as weakness into the foundation of her superhero persona. Her memoir traces the path from an unstable childhood to WWE championship, offering an honest account of finding self-acceptance.
Genres: mental-health, autobiography, sports, biography-memoir
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, overcoming-adversity, self-acceptance
288 pages · Hardcover · Crown Archetype
Content warnings: addiction, mental-illness