One Life is a beautiful book by the author Megan Rapinoe, Emma Brockes.
In One Life, Megan Rapinoe invites readers on a remarkable journey, looking back at both her victories and defeats, while also lifting the curtain on events we only know through the titles. After the 2011 World Cup, frustrated that so few athletes were open about their gender, Rapinoe decided to come out as gay and use her platform to campaign for marriage equality.
Aware of the power she has to draw attention to important issues, in 2016 she knelt during the national anthem to show solidarity with former NFL player Colin Kaepernick in protest. Racial injustice and police brutality – the first famous white athlete to do so. The backlash was immediate, but it couldn’t compare to overwhelming support. Rapinoe has become a force for change.
Throughout, Rapinoe outlines the obligation we all have to speak up and the impact each of us has on our communities. Deeply personal and inspirational, One Life reveals that real, concrete change lies within all of us, while asking the question: If we all had the same resources – This precious life, made up of the decisions we make every day – what will you do? DO?
Megan Rapinoe, Olympic gold medalist and two-time Women’s World Cup champion, reveals her life both on and off the field for the first time. Guided by her personal journey to social justice, filled with humour, humanity, and joy, she urges us all to ask ourselves, What would you do with a life? mine?
Just four years old when she first kicked a soccer ball, Megan Rapinoe developed a love – and obvious talent – for the sport from an early age. But it was her parents who taught her that winning wasn’t as important as how she lived her life. From childhood on, Rapinoe always did what she could to defend what was right – even if it meant fighting those who disagreed.
The book is beautifully written, thanks to the wonderful work of Emma Brokes, a very competent biographer. I love memoirs, I love football and living in Seattle since 2017, I love Rapinoe. I am Brazilian, so Megan is directly responsible for my greatest sadness as a football fan in 2011, a moment that is detailed in this book.
Stories about football (I’m sorry, American, but Soccer isn’t the name of that sport) interspersed with Megan’s ideals about the world, her intense activism, and Think about intersectionality. The narrative structure is well built and organized. I have alternated between your Kindle and audiobooks and highly recommend the audio version narrated by Megan herself.
I share how Megan sees the world, and if there’s one thing she’s inspired me to do, it’s action. To use my privileges to change. I believe the dominant message from this book is this: Everyone has a background, big or small, you can always do something.
