My greatest save The brave, barrier-breaking journey of a world-champion goalkeeper

Briana Scurry, 1971-

Book - 2022

"Briana Scurry was a pioneer on the US Women's National Team. She won gold in Atlanta in 1996, the first time women's soccer was ever played in the Olympics. She was a key part of the fabled "99ers," making an epic save in the decisive penalty-kick shootout in the final. Scurry captured her second Olympic gold in 2004, cementing her status as one of the premier players in the world. She was the only Black player on the team, and she was also the first player to be openly gay. It was a singularly amazing ride, one that Scurry handled with her trademark generosity and class--qualities that made her one of the most popular players ever to wear a US jersey. But Scurry's storybook career ended in 2010 when a knee to... the head left her with severe head trauma. She was labeled "temporarily totally disabled," and the reality was even worse. She spiraled into depression, debt, and endured such pain that she closed out her closest friends and soccer soulmates. She pawned her gold medals. She walked to the edge of a waterfall and contemplated suicide. It seemed like the only way out until Scurry made her greatest save of all. A memoir of startling candor, My Greatest Save is a story of triumph, tragedy, and redemption from a woman who has broken through barriers her entire life."--Book cover.

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Subjects
Genres
Autobiographies
Biographies
Published
New York, NY : Abrams Press 2022.
Language
English
Main Author
Briana Scurry, 1971- (author)
Other Authors
Wayne R. Coffey (author)
Physical Description
280 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
Bibliography
Includes index.
ISBN
9781419757679
  • Foreword
  • Prologue
  • Chapter 1. My People
  • Chapter 2. Searching
  • Chapter 3. Swimming with the Minnows
  • Chapter 4. College Girl
  • Chapter 5. Going National
  • Chapter 6. World Cupper
  • Chapter 7. Debutantes
  • Chapter 8. Golden Girls
  • Chapter 9. Full Houses
  • Chapter 10. "This Is the One"
  • Chapter 11. Sit and Weight
  • Chapter 12. Losing Pops
  • Chapter 13. Gold Never Gets Old
  • Chapter 14. Team Turmoil
  • Chapter 15. Brokenness
  • Chapter 16. Bottoming Out
  • Chapter 17. Rising
  • Chapter 18. The Gift
  • Index
Review by Booklist Review

Scurry was a trailblazing goalkeeper on the U.S. women's national soccer team for 14 years (1994--2008); her greatest moment was a penalty-kick save that decided the 1999 Women's World Cup final. So, how does a legendary soccer superstar go from representing the U.S. 173 times and winning a World Cup and two Olympic gold medals to experiencing financial ruin, suffering from depression, and contemplating suicide? Scurry shares her journey as a Black, gay woman who navigated the ups and downs of high-level soccer until a hit to the head in 2010 ended her career. Suffering from a traumatic brain injury, she endured three pain-filled years before finding a treatment to help the debilitating condition. Surgeons recommended occipital release surgery, but her health insurance denied coverage until she went public with her story. Today, she is happily married and an advocate for concussion awareness. A triumphant sports memoir by one of the first African American female soccer players, an athlete who rose to fame and suffered great loss only to rise again, stronger.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.