Title/Author:
“Brave Enough" by
Jessie Diggins
Tags:
Nordic skiing, Winter
Olympics, memoir
Publish date:
March 10, 2020
Length:
296 pages
Rating: to
4 of 5 stars (very
good)
Review:
The progress made by
women in many sports has been amazing in the past twenty years and one of those
sports in which women, particularly American women, have made great strides is
Nordic, or cross-country, skiing. An
Olympic medal winner for the United States, Jessie Diggins, writes her memoir
in a light, breezy manner that is not only easy to read, it is one that shows
the reader every side of this young woman.
As is typical with any
sports memoir, Diggins shares her stories of growing up with her family but
with a little more detail than usual. Growing
up in Minnesota, it was fitting that she became active in the winter with her
sister and parents and from there, she became involved in skiing early and has
kept up a demanding training schedule from seventh grade in the early 2000's to
today.
The reader will learn much
about the sport of Nordic skiing, particularly the history of the sport for
women, where they have made tremendous progress with not only their
performances, but also their exposure and publicity. Diggins talks about her training and her
accomplishments in a manner that shows she is still a young woman at
heart. That is one of the more endearing
aspects of the book – she writes in the manner that she would talk to someone
about her skiing career and her life.
Her life was not all
glamor, however, as she spends a good amount of text talking about her dark
secret – her struggles to overcome bulimia. Anyone not familiar with what that disease can
do to a person, including noting that it is not just skinny young girls who
become afflicted with this disease, will learn a great deal from Diggins'
candid account of her struggle and recovery from this eating disorder. She has
a great deal of praise for the Emily Program, which was the program that
assisted her with recovery.
Diggins shares several
amusing and entertaining stories as well as the "dark side" of her
disease. One good example is her actions when she and the rest of the American
Olympic team was welcomed at the White House in 2014 upon their return from the
Sochi Winter Olympics. She was so
overcome with emotion when President Obama shook her hand that she not only
cried, but also blurted out she wanted to hug him, something no other athlete had
done that day. Not only did the
President hug her, but so did First Lady Michelle Obama immediately afterward,
and said a few comforting words to Diggins. Jessie's account of this moment is just one of many light-hearted and
funny tales she tells as well as the seriousness of her sport and her disease.
This book is an
entertaining and informative read that anyone who is interested in Nordic skiing,
the life of an Olympic athlete or wishes to learn more about eating disorders is
encouraged to read. Jessie was certainly
"brave enough" to not only tackle her disorder, but also to become an
Olympic medalist.
I wish to thank University of Minnesota Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Book Format Read:
E-book (Kindle)
Buying Links:
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