Run Like a Girl: How Strong Women Make Happy Lives
Get inspired to meet any fitness challenge with Mina Samuels’s new book,Run Like a Girl,a chicken soup for the athlete’s soul. Its interviews with hundreds of women will fire your desire to reach personal bests in all areas of life.—SELF, March, 2011A well-rounded investigation into the profound impact of sports on women of all ages and walks of life.Samuels (The Queen of Cups, 2006) may celebrate the successes of professional female athletes who have thrived in a traditionally male-dominated arena, but her main focus is on the ordinary women who have achieved enlightenment through sports. The author illustrates the theme of sports as a metaphor for life, and is herself a testimony to this concept. Samuels credits her own discovery of distance running at 27 as the catalyst for her transformation from attorney and human-rights defender to writer and sports advocate. She suggests that women who approach life from an athlete's perspective are better equipped to find balance and harmony and are more courageous in the face of challenges than those who do not. She argues that the stamina and endurance built up by athletes is good practice for the resilience needed to persevere when they stumble off the pitch. The book is built on lighthearted accounts of women who become comically engrossed in their sport as well as uplifting tales of women who have overcome life-altering trauma. Samuels’ anecdotes may at times seem redundant or excessive in quantity, but they are neatly interwoven with background information on the female athlete’s plight from a political, psychological and social standpoint. As such, they serve a purposeful, rather than ornamental, function.An enthusiastic tribute to women who replace the stigma attached to the termrunning like a girlwith a sense of power and honor.—Kirkus ReviewsMarch, 2011There are lots of good sports books, but rarely beautifully-written ones.Run Like A Girlis both.—Mary Brophy Marcus,USA Today…Inspiring…—Running Times, March, 2011[A] compelling argument that women who run are much more likely to lead fulfilling lives in any number of ways…—Canadian Running, April, 2011[A]n engaging read that will have most women nodding their heads in agreement and motivated to keep at the sports they love.—Vermont Sports, April, 2011A book that is needed and important and life changing—all the things running has been for us!—Kathrine Switzer, author ofMarathon Woman: Running the Race to Revolutionize Women’s Sports,Running and Walking for Women Over 40and co–author of26.2 Marathon Stories.A compelling and insightful book about using sport and physical activity to balance the extraordinary challenges women face…amust readfor women athletes and non-athletes alike.—Donna Lopiano, founder and president of Sports Management Resources; formerly CEO of the Women’s Sports FoundationI was hooked after the first page.Run Like A Girlreminds me, once again, the power and importance of sport in young girls and women's lives. As a mom and an athlete, I will continue to proudly run like a girl and support my kids as they do the same!—Summer Sanders, Gold Medalist and TV personalityRun Like a Girlcelebrates the power of sports and fitness in all aspects of life. It speaks to the true gift and value of sport— defining who we are.—Julie Foudy, Former Captain of the US Women's Soccer Team and Founder of the Julie Foudy Sports Leadership Academy