Forward audiobook

It's hard to review this book because, even after reading it, I'm extremely biased in Abby's favor. I'm not giving the book 5 stars because it's a great literary read. Nor is it "heartwarming". Instead, it's crude, blunt, honest, and down to earth. Since I was a little girl, Abby Wambach has been my hero, on and off the field. She was big, a tomboy who made her presence known with her body and her voice. As a girl trying to play soccer with all the boys, I always wanted to be like Abby because it seemed like nothing ever got her down. She always picked herself up again and kept playing. Of course she was my hero. Why wouldn't a strong, fierce, independent woman who is demolishing records in your favorite sport be?So when I read this book, all I could think was "Finally, I get to see what my made my hero the woman she is today!" I can't say it wasn't hard to read pages on pages of alcoholism, depression, and self-hatred. When I finished, I had to process what I read. I had to understand why it didn't make me feel disappointed or upset with Abby. The saying, "Never meet your heroes" ran through my mind, because I believed that knowing about Abby's internal war with herself would make me hate her or no longer want her to be associated with the USWNT. Instead, it was the opposite. I became more proud of her. To know that this woman who set international records, who advocates for equal pay and for gay rights, who (to me at least) has been the face of women's soccer around the globe for over a decade, to know that she is just as damaged as a normal human, made her more real to me than ever. I had placed her on this pedestal of "#1 perfect human being" because, to the little girl that still lives in my mind, that was what she was. I still have a 10+ year old poster of her in my "adult" apartment. Reading this book, reading her statements about her life, didn't knock her down from that pedestal that I put her on. It just put her on a different one: "#1 imperfect human being". And I realize that all this sounds super sappy and that I might be over thinking a lot in the book, but I read this book at a time in life when I needed to see for myself that heroes aren't always what they seem.Countless times, Abby was knocked down on her ass. And countless times, she got up again. So, for that, for this book, and for being the hero every little girl needs, Thanks Abby.

Incredibly surprised with her candor in this memoir. I was expecting the usual boring life story kind of bio, but she really exposes herself--both the good and bad parts. I respect her even more after her vulnerability in sharing her struggles with the world.

Let me just say that Abby Wambach is effing amazing.For someone who has built her image up as a "tough girl", the admissions here in this book come across as raw and deeply moving. In other memoirs, authors often go through every minute detail of their pain and anguish, this is not this book. However, Abby's simple recognition of her issues and how they affect her relationships, career, and self-image, are more than enough to inspire. Many people suggest that her words of encouragement and faith are just fluff, but one look at her today proves that she lives by what she professes in this book. From the two years that this book has been published, shes continued on the path of being an advocate for women's rights in the workplace, and has married fellow author Glennon Doyle (and they have such a supportive, authentic relationship and family!!!). Abby Wambach has no doubt become one of my favorite role models, and I cant wait to see what comes next!...Hopefully a co-authored book with Glennon please and thank you! :)

Wambach leads with vulnerability throughout this memoir, shedding light on events and innermost thoughts often shrouded in shame. Through courageously sharing her faults, regrets, and mistakes — all of our darkest emotions — Wambach paves a way for the light to seep in. I am inspired.

Speechless & sobbing. Thank you for being so brave with your story, Abby. More thoughts soon.

Raw, honest, gripping, inspiring and real. I particulalry enjoyed her narration on the audiobook.

As a soccer player myself, I have a lot of admiration for seeing how Wambach took on the extraordinarily different task of writing a book in the first place. While the book was not the MOST well-written book I have ever read, it certainly included a number of details that captivated, elicited humor from, and propelled the reader forward (pun intended!) Though there was some discussion of memorable games and on-the-field moments for Wambach, she does a great job of keeping those descriptions short (condensing an entire 90 minute match into just 2 or 3 pages) in order to keep the interest of those readers who may not know the game (or care about sports in general) well enough to be excited about the gamesmanship, momentum, crests and troughs of any competitive team sport. The only detail I wished I had known more about in Wambach's life was regarding the specifics of her trouble with Sarah (her wife); however, I can respect that Wambach wanted to allow Sarah her own privacy in the situation. And I definitely respect how open, unashamed, and accountable Wambach is throughout her (very public) career in soccer and now in political activism as well as with herself and her readers in this book. I remember hearing about the DUI Wambach was charged with and reading her public statement about the incident after it happened. When I re-read the exact same words in this book her authenticity and willingness to learn from every mistake she makes (and encourage those around her to learn from her mistakes as well) was reinforced. I have obviously been impressed with Wambach as a soccer player (as everyone should be since she holds the highest number of professional goals of any man or woman in the world!), but I am happy to see that, though she has made some unenviable mistakes (primarily with her addictions) that could negatively effect young children (especially girls) who look up to her, she has (finally) sobered up and is working actively to talk openly about how damaging her addictions were and is trying to confront gender inequalities in professional sports and other social arenas in order to counter her negative qualities and past with something positive to offer those impressionable followers who look up to her. Though I would never offer her behaviors as a template for young athletes, I do think she demonstrates the best way to publicly handle misbehavior when you are in the "athlete's glass house"--accept, apologize, commit to making better decisions, and capitalize on your strengths.One of the best excerpts I have read in a while:"Trapeze artists are so amazing in so many ways, she says, because they are grounded to one rung for a long time, and in order to get to the other rung they have to let go. What makes them so brilliant and beautiful and courageous and strong is that they execute flips in the middle. They middle is their magic. And if you're brave enough to let go that first rung, she concludes, you can create your own magic in the middle." Finally, I liked how each chapter of Wambach's book explored a different label she accepted for a period of her life. We all adopt and nurture certain labels that make us feel like better people and we are tagged with labels from others that we often allow to make us feel like worse people. I think Wambach would tell us that the trick is to just see the label as a word, evaluate its truthfulness, and find a positive spin for each one. Words can only hurt us if we let them. At the end of the day, the labels that define us are the ones we give ourselves alone.

I first heard of Abby Wambach while a friend and I followed the 2015 Women's World Cup since that was the first year the women would get full coverage. Said friend and I quickly let Wambach become one of our favorite players because of her LGBT+ advocacy. I'm glad to had read this memoir because there is so much more to her. This book isn't just for soccer fans, it is for everyone. I'm also very appreciative that she opened up about so many difficult topics in such a public way. She is an inspiration in so many ways, and I am sure that she will continue to be such for years to come.Support Me Elsewhere!

I listened to this audiobook all in one go while under the weather in bed, and it was just great. I'm not a huge sports person in general, and I chose this as a potential contender for the sports category for the 2017 Read Harder challenge - and I'm glad I did. Wambach's book is about sports - but not only sports. This is really a moving memoir, full of the search for love and belonging, self-knowledge and worthiness. I metaphorically bit my nails during her games, cheered with her successes, cried during her low points. There are a LOT of feelings in this books, which aren't always my #1 fave, but if you can hang with them, it's worth it. Highly recommend. The book is read by the author, and it took me a minute to get into the groove of her speech cadence, I got there and it was very listenable.

I love women's soccer and I thought this book was amazing. It was fascinating to read about Abby's successes and mistakes and I definitely respect her more as a person after reading this. Recommended even if you aren't a fan of women's soccer, but especially recommended if you are.

I really appreciated the rawness, honesty, and grit of this book, of Abby Wambach. I think this book came into my life at just the right time, and I am only a little bit embarassed to admit that once or twice it made me do the ugly cry.

This memoir is raw and intense and pulls no punches. It's brutally honest and gorgeous.

** spoiler alert ** Abby Wambach is a professional American soccer player, who plays for the U.S. Women’s National Team. She is a legend in the sport, because of her epic header goals on the field, and also her leadership in the development of the women’s game off the field. After she retired, she wrote a book about her journey called Forward: A Memoir. In her book, she described her soccer career, from her youth teams, to her college career, and eventually her achievements at the international level. This is an interview from right after the 2015 World Cup, in which Abby Wambach is being interviewed about her point of view and opinions on her famous career, and how she came to be such a successful player.Q: Who do you think drove you to be successful and dedicated to soccer as a young player and how?A: I grew up in a household with six other siblings, and we were extremely competitive. Even when I was very young, my brothers would take me to the neighborhood cul de sac, and hammer shots at me until sundown. I loved it. I was also very driven because of my mother. She raised us with a very strict list of rules, and we were all so eager to please her, that even that became a competition. My family members are all very high achievers. We have doctors, musicians, sports-stars, entrepreneurs, the list goes on. So, I decided that I was going to be good at soccer. When my mother came to my games, I would put in tremendous effort, and score as many goals as I could, just to impress her. Eventually, I grew out of that and started scoring for myself, but without the need to impress her and my siblings, I wouldn’t have pushed myself so hard during my childhood, and probably wouldn’t be here today.Q: How do you think your life outside of soccer affects your career?A: I think, although I tried to keep my two worlds separate, my life off the field significantly affected my soccer career. I struggled to keep my relationships intact, because of the travel and time commitment of soccer. My mother would also lecture me about my problematic relationships, because me being a lesbian definitely threw a wrench in her perfect christian family. These outside distractions affected my mental game, and I found myself feeling sad and unable to stay focused during training and games. In college at the University of Florida, this led to a drinking problem, where I would drink in order to block out everything and stay focused solely on soccer. At the time, I thought I was invincible, so I would go to parties, drink, eat poorly, and show up the next day to practice, thinking I could make it through. I couldn’t because I was becoming less and less fit, and my mental health was deteriorating more and more. This was a difficult time for me, but as I matured and continued my career, I became better and balancing life and soccer, and I ended up having an amazing career, so I am very grateful for that.Q: Unfortunately, as you know, you are nearing retirement. What would you consider the highlights of your soccer career?A: Yes, I am planning to retire soon, because my body and my skills can no longer compete with the younger generations of soccer players that are joining the program. I will miss it, but I am satisfied with my career, and I am excited to see where the team will go and what they will accomplish after I leave, I believe that they have a very bright future ahead of them. The highlights of my career would definitely have to be the World Cups and Olympics. These major tournaments bring such a rush of adrenaline, and it is amazing to play at such a high level. Just to play was an experience of a lifetime, but winning them was indescribable! We felt on top of the world when we got gold at the Olympics, and the fact that I got to do that twice is incredible. I will never forget these Olympic wins, but what I consider to be the single best part of my career was winning the 2015 World Cup. I knew that this would be my last World Cup, and I wanted desperately to get a win. The final was in Vancouver, and the energy in the stadium was breathtaking. As I was standing on that podium after 90 hard minutes against Japan, I felt happier than I ever have before in my lifetime. I knew I was aging out of the game, and this was a perfect way to end my career on a high note. Now we have a couple victory tour games left, and that’s it for my career! It’s crazy to think about, but I’m not upset. It’s the right time for me to retire, and I’m excited to support the team as they continue their journey to the 2016 Olympics.Q: What is your relationship with your teammates like, and how does it affect you on and off the field?A: My teammates aren’t just my teammates, they’re my family. Part of the reason that our chemistry on the field is so smooth is because we know each other so well off the field. In the locker room and in the huddle, we don’t even have to say anything, because we know what we are all thinking. We all have the same goal, to win, and we do that by supporting each other and playing as a team. Off the field, we hang out, and of course the long bus and plane rides to get to games are bonding opportunities as well. Everyone has their own personality and role that they bring to the team, and they all fit together to create a fun and intense training and game environment, which helps us to be successful.Q:What were some of the biggest obstacles over the course of your career, youth and professional?A: Well, I struggled a lot with focusing on soccer and keeping my body healthy. I didn’t usually have trouble succeeding at training and games in my youth and in college, because I was willing and able to push myself as hard as I needed to in order to finish the task. That said, I made it much harder on myself, and that’s why for a short period of time I started hating practice instead of looking forward to it. My life outside of soccer, especially in college, was hectic. I had chaotic, unhealthy relationships with my significant others and my family, and that was a big distraction for me. I drank, ate junk food, and didn’t bother to work out, and it all caught up with me later in life. Learning to organize my time and priorities and keep my personal life from affecting my game was one of the biggest challenges in my career, but I overcame it to become the dedicated, focused, and skillful player that I needed to be to play at the international level.Q: When and why did you make the decision to play professionally? Was it a difficult choice?A: From a young age, I had a dream to play professionally, and although at times it seemed like soccer wasn’t my first priority, the dream was always there. So, I continued to put all my effort into playing with the Gators, and when I got a national team call up I was ecstatic. I worked hard at the national level to maintain my spot, because growing up in such a competitive family made me learn that my spot on the team is never guaranteed, and I need to work for it every single practice. The decision wasn’t difficult at all for me. Playing professionally was my ultimate goal, so of course when I was offered a spot I took it. I struggled with my mental and physical health for a while, but once I left college and played with the national team, I realized that if I wanted to have a steady career at this level, I needed to get my act together. I managed to do this, and I’m so glad that I did because playing professionally was a wonderful experience for me.Q: Describe how you felt after winning the World Cup, and tell us about the journey leading up to the tournament.A: Winning the World Cup was hands-down the most amazing experience of my life. I had already played in two World Cups and lost, so I was dying to finally get a win. Of course, the training leading up to it was rigorous, and my body and fitness just wasn’t as good as it once was in my younger years. After playing mostly full 90’s in my last World Cup, the mental transition to having my role be a substitute rather than a starter was also difficult. My personal life got very complicated leading up to the tournament, and my public lawsuit against FIFA for having us play on artificial turf was time-consuming. I was letting this get to me at the beginning of camp, and my teammates noticed, but as our first exhibition game approached, I managed to snap out of it. During the World Cup, I was in and out, starter and sub, goals and misses. I played my final World Cup minutes in the championship game, and when the whistle blew and we had won the game, I felt exhilarated. I celebrated like there was no tomorrow, because it was my last World Cup, and I had finally gotten the win that I had worked so hard for all these years. I am proud of my performance, but I am also so grateful for the support of my friends and family, I never would’ve been able to make this dream come true without all of you.Q: Do you have any pregame rituals that help you feel ready and less anxious before matches? How did you establish them?A: Actually, I do have a lot of pregame rituals that I developed over the years, and although they are superstitious, they help me prepare mentally to play. If I carry out all my superstitions and rituals, then I feel in the zone and ready for any opponent. The list is extensive, so I won’t describe all of it, but in the locker room, the first thing I do is lay out my cleats and shin guards on the floor in front of me. Then, I put on my cleats, shin guards, and socks, and proceed to use athletic tape to put a tape ring around my finger, to represent and remind me of my loved ones. After the locker room, I walk out onto the field, do 25 juggles, kick it up and trap it, to get myself confident on the ball before the game. Those are the most important specific rituals to me, but I also have some other more general things that I tend to do before games. I like to hype myself up on the bus. I sing, dance, and laugh with me team. In the last few minutes of the ride, I stay quiet and listen to music, to focus myself for the game, and finally, I just get out onto the field and play! Since I played at such a competitive level, I followed these rituals based on the question: “If I don’t, what will happen?” I didn’t want to risk bad luck, so they became regular habits.Q: On the field, what do you think you’re individual role was as a player?A: In my early years as a player, I was a goal scorer. I was young, fit, and very tall, so my teammates always looked to find me for the header, which almost always found the back of the net. However, as I got older, my role on the team changed a little bit. I was becoming a veteran, and before I knew it the players that I played with earlier started to retire, and a sea of new faces began to join the squad. My skill and fitness declined a little bit, as is expected with age, so I became a motivator for my team. I still scored, and played matches, but I was no longer guaranteed a starting position. What I now consider my role to be is to hype up my teammates. To jump in the middle of the huddle and scream, I do whatever it takes to convince my teammates that we can win this game, no matter the opponent. On the field, or even on the sideline, I get up and shout to encourage my teammates, and I think that the confidence, adrenaline, and positive mindset that I give to the team is extremely influential.Q: Finally, for all the young players that look up to and admire you, what is some advice that you would like to give as a role model to them?A: To all the young soccer players out there who look up to me and my team, I would like to say that it’s not your failures that define you, but how you react to them and use them to change. As a person and a player, I had many faults and failures throughout my life, and I believe that the fact that I was able to learn and grow from them was the key to my success. This mindset has led me to become the player that I am today, and hopefully it will for you too, on and off the field. Believe that you can, and you will.