by Amanda Beard
First published 2012
Amanda Beard carries her teddy bear Harold onto the pool deck at the Atlanta Olympics at age fourteen. She leaves with two silver medals and one gold. Over four Olympic games, she wins seven total medals and becomes the most downloaded female athlete on the Internet through her modeling career. Behind her success and megawatt smile, Amanda suffers from undiagnosed clinical depression. She develops bulimia, abuses drugs and alcohol, and cuts herself. Toxic relationships with high-profile athletes follow her low self-esteem. Her parents and friends remain unaware of her struggles. When her future husband discovers her self-harm, Amanda finally seeks help. Through renewed faith, family love, and the birth of her son Blaise, she transforms her life. Beard speaks directly about depression, pressure to stay thin, and mistaking unhealthy relationships for love.
Genres: mental-health, autobiography, sports, biography-memoir
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: personal-journey, redemption, second-chance
Period: Atlanta Olympics, Olympic Games
248 pages · Hardcover · Gallery Books
Content warnings: addiction, depression, self-harm