Megan Rapinoe has lived an amazing life, and she documents it in a way that it feels like she’s having a conversation with you in her autobiography, One Life. The book goes through her childhood, learning to play soccer, going to college, making the US Women’s Junior and then National teams, and then kicking butt and winning the World Cup. She also talks about her decision to kneel before games while the Anthem plays.
What I love about her (I tried to lobby to get her on the Pajiba 10 during the World Cup year but she didn’t make the cut. She’s still perfect though) is that she really understands her position of privilege as a white woman. She’s done her homework with the causes she supports that include Black Lives Matter, and she knew the risks she took by kneeling. She does talk in the book about being a lesbian woman who was always out to her teammates and the sport’s world when some of her teammates were not. She names no names, and I did tear up a little when she talked about how one of her new teammates didn’t have to come out because she “never was in.”
The book has pictures of her and her family (they all seem close and fun fact- she’s a twin!) and the debacle with her joining a French club. She barely grazes the tensions between her and Jill Ellis, when she was benched for kneeling. I would have liked to hear more about that. She talks about her infamous pose after she scores…arms spread wide…yeah I am awesome, and how women are forced to play down their accomplishments. When the Women’s National team stopped doing that and started demanding #equalpay they felt empowered. As far as I am concerned, the women’s team should be paid MORE than the men’s. They are more successful and generate more dollars and more eyeballs. If you like her, you’ll enjoy this book.
