My Greatest Save: The Brave, Barrier-Breaking Journey of a World Champion Goalkeeper
- Downloads：7544
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-06-23 06:19:43
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Briana Scurry
- ISBN：1419757679
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Emily
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As a young soccer goalie， Briana Scurry was someone I looked up to。 I've made my way through countless sports memoirs and I'm glad she's finally gotten the chance to share her story with the world。 Unfortunately， I don't think she had the strongest team by her side。 By that， I mean Wayne Coffey。 For a co-author and not the subject material， Coffey's voice often suppresses Scurry's。 The trend for many memoirs is to capitalize on the time shortly after retirement。 Scurry's memoir hits the shelves As a young soccer goalie， Briana Scurry was someone I looked up to。 I've made my way through countless sports memoirs and I'm glad she's finally gotten the chance to share her story with the world。 Unfortunately， I don't think she had the strongest team by her side。 By that， I mean Wayne Coffey。 For a co-author and not the subject material， Coffey's voice often suppresses Scurry's。 The trend for many memoirs is to capitalize on the time shortly after retirement。 Scurry's memoir hits the shelves over 10 years after her last match。 The most obvious explanation is the season-ending concussion which is described 75% of the way through the book。 This is her major challenge in life， I feel as though Scurry and Coffey do not describe any real-world challenges Scurry faces before this point in her life。 This doesn't feel believable and it comes off arrogant。 The pacing was super off as well。 The tone switches from a jovial walk down memory lane of past matches to detached depression which no reconciliation between the two parts。 The first tone is the majority of the book however I would argue the least important and the least explored of the themes。Trigger warnings: fatphobia， depression， suicidal ideation， police brutalityTrue rating: 3。25 。。。more
Yanii1212
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I wasn't a fan of soccer to see Scurry play but from what I've heard and clips I've scene there's no doubt she is the greatest。 This book was great gives you real insight into how different the league was and how little they've changed。 It's disturbing that they refused to pay for care for a former player。 Also gives you more details into the behind the field dealings that were happening during the world cups and the Olympics。 A great read I wasn't a fan of soccer to see Scurry play but from what I've heard and clips I've scene there's no doubt she is the greatest。 This book was great gives you real insight into how different the league was and how little they've changed。 It's disturbing that they refused to pay for care for a former player。 Also gives you more details into the behind the field dealings that were happening during the world cups and the Olympics。 A great read 。。。more
Jess | dapper。reads
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I can honestly say I didn’t know anything about Briana Scurry， including who she is - apart from assuming sports because the cover shows her with medals around her neck。 I’m not a sports person， but I married one so when I have the opportunity to learn about famous people in sports I take the opportunity。 Thanks to NetGalley， a was granted access to the audiobook version of this book （read by the author - yes please - immediately freaking sold） and I couldn’t have enjoyed it more！This is a solid I can honestly say I didn’t know anything about Briana Scurry， including who she is - apart from assuming sports because the cover shows her with medals around her neck。 I’m not a sports person， but I married one so when I have the opportunity to learn about famous people in sports I take the opportunity。 Thanks to NetGalley， a was granted access to the audiobook version of this book （read by the author - yes please - immediately freaking sold） and I couldn’t have enjoyed it more！This is a solid life story for Briana Scurry， who played soccer professionally which I find so cool。 She tells us about her childhood， how she got into sports， her journey into adulthood and her career - as well as the dramatic end to that career and her current status as an advocate for traumatic brain injury。 While it isn’t quite the same， the stuff about traumatic brain injury really hit home for me as my birth mother suffered multiple ruptured aneurysms and a 12 hour brain surgery and somehow survived。 She suffers brain damage from this and it really is a subject that doesn’t get talked about enough。 Another topic she brings light to in this book is the subject of race。 She grew up as a black girl in a sea of white people and she shares her experiences with this with us。 Hearing her read it to us - it felt like she was sitting in the room telling me a story。 It’s so fantastic。 There are also LGBTQIA+ themes in this book。 She talks about games she’d play as a child and how unacceptable the language they used were。 She talks about discovering her sexual identity and how it was handled by her parents。 This was just a REALLY GOOD BOOK。 100% recommend。 I could honestly go on and on about it。 I feel like I’ve already gushed an outrageous amount。 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 。。。more
LeeAnn
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I love that this memoir is brutally honest！ So well-written！I'm fairly certain Briana herself would downplay how inspirational her story is。 But those big gold medal wins still resonate with me （especially those clutch saves！） even years later。 I am an Olympics fan - I watch as much of the summer & winter games as possible。 But Briana's story is so much more。 The overarching theme here is overcoming！ She talks about her symbolic panther tattoo， and that truly symbolizes her struggles and ultimat I love that this memoir is brutally honest！ So well-written！I'm fairly certain Briana herself would downplay how inspirational her story is。 But those big gold medal wins still resonate with me （especially those clutch saves！） even years later。 I am an Olympics fan - I watch as much of the summer & winter games as possible。 But Briana's story is so much more。 The overarching theme here is overcoming！ She talks about her symbolic panther tattoo， and that truly symbolizes her struggles and ultimate triumphs。 Beyond the field， her fight against crippling depression and serious injury is even more evident of all Briana Scurry has overcome。She says， "I didn't set out to be a pioneer or trailblazer or some sort of uber-underdog， but let's be real here。 If people were made on an assembly line and were free to select their preferred options， do you think there would be a crush of folks signing up to be female， Black， and gay？ Me neither。"What most resonated with me was her relationship with her mother。 "My parents accepted me for who I was and loved me for who I was。 It's the greatest gift a parent can give a child。"This book is a gift。 Highly recommend。 。。。more
Beth
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Excellent book。 I truly felt like Briana Scurry was one of my good friends by the time I was half way through the book。 Everything was so relatable and honest。 I received this ARC as a giveaway in return for an honest review。
Jaymin Ewens
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This was a really cool look into the life of an inspiring woman！ Briana Scurry is a great example of what can be accomplished when you are true to who you are， give people the credit they deserve， and are kind。 No matter how much you may or may not know about soccer， you're about to learn a lot more！My only wish is that pictures of Scurry's various teams had been included in the book。 Otherwise， I just enjoyed reading about her life， struggles， and determination to rise about with true kindness。 This was a really cool look into the life of an inspiring woman！ Briana Scurry is a great example of what can be accomplished when you are true to who you are， give people the credit they deserve， and are kind。 No matter how much you may or may not know about soccer， you're about to learn a lot more！My only wish is that pictures of Scurry's various teams had been included in the book。 Otherwise， I just enjoyed reading about her life， struggles， and determination to rise about with true kindness。 。。。more
Jae
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I listened to this audiobook in advance from Netgalley。I have never heard if Briana Scurry before， but since I typically enjoy biographies I was interested in reading it。I found parts of this book extremely slow and struggled to even get thru the audiobook。 It was interesting to learn about her soccer career， but I just found it hard to stay engaged and follow all of the details of her career。The story picked up for me when her soccer career was over & she was discussing her struggles with her b I listened to this audiobook in advance from Netgalley。I have never heard if Briana Scurry before， but since I typically enjoy biographies I was interested in reading it。I found parts of this book extremely slow and struggled to even get thru the audiobook。 It was interesting to learn about her soccer career， but I just found it hard to stay engaged and follow all of the details of her career。The story picked up for me when her soccer career was over & she was discussing her struggles with her brain injury and depression。 It was great to hear how she overcame all of her challenges， however it was unclear why family & friends didn’t do more to help prior to her hitting rock bottom。For those that are familiar with her & her soccer career this maybe a good read， however I struggled to get thru it。 。。。more
LGBT Representation in Books
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*As is the nature of a memoir， many topics are discussed and could be considered trigger warnings for many people。*Trigger Warnings: TBI， injury， depression， suicidal thoughts， Alzheimer’s， alcohol abuse， drug abuse， slavery， government food assistance， christianity， past parental deaths， past teenage pregnancy， fire， racism， bullying， homophobia， hazing， cursing， sundown town， nudity/streaking， police， jail/arrest， failing parent’s health: stroke， diabetes， amputation; funeral， depression， suic *As is the nature of a memoir， many topics are discussed and could be considered trigger warnings for many people。*Trigger Warnings: TBI， injury， depression， suicidal thoughts， Alzheimer’s， alcohol abuse， drug abuse， slavery， government food assistance， christianity， past parental deaths， past teenage pregnancy， fire， racism， bullying， homophobia， hazing， cursing， sundown town， nudity/streaking， police， jail/arrest， failing parent’s health: stroke， diabetes， amputation; funeral， depression， suicidal contemplation， surgery， hospital， mentions of blood， alcohol， police brutality Representation: Black， Lesbian My Greatest Save is a memoir written by World Champion and Olympic medalist， Briana Scurry。 The memoir details her time on the US Women’s National team， as well as her entire soccer career and being an openly gay， Black player。 The book provides an in-depth look at various key players in Scurry’s life and her brave journey。This eARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 I absolutely loved this memoir！ I may be biased for my love for soccer， but there were many important discussions about topics off the pitch。 The writing was clear and well organized。 I loved the honesty and truthfulness from the author。 I loved the bravery Briana has shown in her life and her recognition of when she was wrong， as well as what she has learned is admirable。 I love when an author recognizes their humanity， rather than polishing their memories。I felt Briana did a wonderful job on the audiobook。 Her reading was clear and smooth。 She also brought true emotions to the story。 Overall， a fantastic book that soccer and non-soccer fans alike should read！ 。。。more
Lee
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I vaguely remember seeing Briana Scurry in a few games， but very few。 I knew the strides her and the rest of the “99ers” made for women’s soccer， so being able to relive some of these moments through her eyes was fascinating。 There is a charm to her memoir that makes it easy to fall in love with her and be invested in her story。 She recounts the details of what led up to the ‘96 Olympics and ‘99 World Cup in an incredibly clear way。 Giving fans new and old a chance to really relive those moments I vaguely remember seeing Briana Scurry in a few games， but very few。 I knew the strides her and the rest of the “99ers” made for women’s soccer， so being able to relive some of these moments through her eyes was fascinating。 There is a charm to her memoir that makes it easy to fall in love with her and be invested in her story。 She recounts the details of what led up to the ‘96 Olympics and ‘99 World Cup in an incredibly clear way。 Giving fans new and old a chance to really relive those moments with her。 I think the moment that captivated me the most was When Scurry talked about her career ending injury。 It was frustrating to read as she really had to fight to get looked at or any sort of treatment， but I really appreciated how vulnerable she was sharing that part of her life。 Scurry does a wonderful job narrating this。 The tone in her voice is comforting and she does a good job of really bringing forth the emotions she wants to convey through her stories。 If you are a fan of the USWNT， especially if you saw Scurry play， I recommend this。 There is a charm to this that really shines through and makes this a truly captivating memoir。 Thank you Netgalley and OrangeSky Audio for an ALC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Emily Correia
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It was an honor to receive an advanced copy of this。 I remember watching Briana Scurry growing up。 It was a great read for soccer fans， but I do think that there are pieces in the book that are really in the weeds about the sport that wouldn’t be the most appealing。 I would give it a 4 as a fan， but a 3 if I wasn’t someone who watched so much of the sport。 I also think this brings to light in a really articulate way the struggles that so many professional athletes face， but beyond just athletes， It was an honor to receive an advanced copy of this。 I remember watching Briana Scurry growing up。 It was a great read for soccer fans， but I do think that there are pieces in the book that are really in the weeds about the sport that wouldn’t be the most appealing。 I would give it a 4 as a fan， but a 3 if I wasn’t someone who watched so much of the sport。 I also think this brings to light in a really articulate way the struggles that so many professional athletes face， but beyond just athletes， something too many people in our country face。 The real struggle of post concussive syndrome and other TBIs is something we all need to talk about more and understand。 For anyone who grew up like me idolizing the USWNT， this is a must read。 Regardless though， her story is such an important one for everyone to hear and understand。 。。。more
Lynn
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Thank you to Abrams Press for the free advanced copy of this book！This book reads exactly like what it is， a sports book written by an athlete。 If you jive on hearing the play by play of games， maybe this you’ll like this book more than me。 Personally， I thought it lingered too much on Scurry’s childhood and collegiate career and not enough on her pro experience and career-ending injury。Considering the title of the book， I really thought Scurry would spend more time discussing the Olympics and e Thank you to Abrams Press for the free advanced copy of this book！This book reads exactly like what it is， a sports book written by an athlete。 If you jive on hearing the play by play of games， maybe this you’ll like this book more than me。 Personally， I thought it lingered too much on Scurry’s childhood and collegiate career and not enough on her pro experience and career-ending injury。Considering the title of the book， I really thought Scurry would spend more time discussing the Olympics and especially her concussion。 I remember the hype of the 1996 Olympics and loved hearing more the team dynamic and especially the drama over the women’s pay disparity。 It’s sad that women’s soccer started the fight for equal pay in 1996， but only gained that equity 26 years later。 The section on the 2004 Olympics in Athens was also pretty juicy。However， the most compelling section of the book was the part where Scurry discussed the aftermath of her concussion。 It revealed so many cracks in our medical system and how poorly sports organizations treat their players in retirement。 I’m glad that Scurry ultimately had a good outcome in her case， but it took a lot of persistence and luck。I’m sure fervent soccer fans would give this book a slightly higher rating， but for me it was a solid， fast read， three star book。 。。。more
Katie
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The 1999 Women's World Cup was one of the more formative moments of my life， so I was extremely excited to find out that Briana Scurry has a memoir coming out this summer。 As memorable as Brandi Chastain's black sports bra is for her game winning goal， Scurry's save （putting Chastain in a position to actually win the game） is often overlooked or forgotten。 This doesn't bother Scurry - in fact， I often find that goalies don't want or need the spotlight。 This book was just fantastic！ Athlete mem The 1999 Women's World Cup was one of the more formative moments of my life， so I was extremely excited to find out that Briana Scurry has a memoir coming out this summer。 As memorable as Brandi Chastain's black sports bra is for her game winning goal， Scurry's save （putting Chastain in a position to actually win the game） is often overlooked or forgotten。 This doesn't bother Scurry - in fact， I often find that goalies don't want or need the spotlight。 This book was just fantastic！ Athlete memoirs are my favorite genre， and it's even more enjoyable when it's a topic and an athlete I love and know。 。。。more
Gwen
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First of all a big thank you to #NetGalley and Abrams Press for the ARC in return for an honest review。I met Brianna Scurry back in the 1990’s at a NYPower game where my goalkeeper daughter and I were volunteering。 She graciously stopped on her way off the field to chat with my daughter about the challenges of being a keeper。 Her autograph was one my daughter treasured throughout her many years in goal。Brianna’s story was an enjoyable read。 I had no knowledge of her health struggles that ended h First of all a big thank you to #NetGalley and Abrams Press for the ARC in return for an honest review。I met Brianna Scurry back in the 1990’s at a NYPower game where my goalkeeper daughter and I were volunteering。 She graciously stopped on her way off the field to chat with my daughter about the challenges of being a keeper。 Her autograph was one my daughter treasured throughout her many years in goal。Brianna’s story was an enjoyable read。 I had no knowledge of her health struggles that ended her career and was angry that she had to suffer while the insurance companies played “doctor。” I think we can all relate to that in our own personal lives。 But she seems to be in a good place now…。happy in her personal life and regaining her health。My only criticism of the book were the excessive editorial errors I encountered。 It seems as though better proofreading would have caught many of the errors that often distracted from my reading。 The errors were more numerous than I would like in a book。 But，all in all， a good read into the life of one of the greatest keepers of our time！ Would have been4 stars with better editing。 。。。more
Tina 22
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