Synopses & Reviews
Run Like A Girl is about the impact that participating in sports has on womenhow the confidence and strength that it helps to build makes us stronger and better prepared for life's many challenges. In this inspiring book, Mina Samuels uses the personal stories of women and girls of all ages and backgroundsas well as her ownto take a broad look at the power sports have to help us overcome obstacles in all arenas of life.
Run Like A Girl includes the stories of a US-ranked amateur triathlete who's raising an autistic son; a thirteen-year-old girl who falls in love with cross-country running; a woman who runs her first marathon at age sixty; an investment banker who quit her job to become a yoga teacher and adopt a daughter on her own; a young mother with scoliosis who cycled her way back to health and became a jewelry designer along the way; and countless other womenincluding Kathrine Switzer, Rebecca Rusch, and Molly Barkerwho have been changed by their experiences with sports.
Run Like A Girl argues that physical strength lends itself to psychological strength, and that for many women, participating in sports translates into leading a happier, more fulfilling life.
Review
Get inspired to meet any fitness challenge with Mina Samuelss new book, Run Like a Girl,
a chicken soup for the athletes soul. Its interviews with hundreds of women will fire your desire to reach personal bests in all areas of life.SELF, March, 2011
A 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 athletes 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 term running like a girl with a sense of power and honor.
Kirkus Reviews March, 2011
There are lots of good sports books, but rarely beautifully-written ones. Run Like A Girl is 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, 2011
A book that is needed and important and life changingall the things running has been for us!
Kathrine Switzer, author of Marathon Woman: Running the Race to Revolutionize Womens Sports, Running and Walking for Women Over 40 and coauthor of 26.2 Marathon Stories.
A compelling and insightful book about using sport and physical activity to balance the extraordinary challenges women face
a must read for women athletes and non-athletes alike.
Donna Lopiano, founder and president of Sports Management Resources; formerly CEO of the Womens Sports Foundation
I was hooked after the first page. Run Like A Girl reminds 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 personality
Run Like a Girl celebrates 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
About the Author
A book that is needed and important and life changing—all the things running has been for us!
— Kathrine Switzer, author of Marathon Woman: Running the Race to Revolutionize Womens Sports, Running and Walking for Women Over 40 and co–author of 26.2 Marathon Stories.
A compelling and insightful book about using sport and physical activity to balance the extraordinary challenges women face…a must read for women athletes and non-athletes alike.
— Donna Lopiano, founder and president of Sports Management Resources; formerly CEO of the Womens Sports Foundation
I was hooked after the first page. Run Like A Girl reminds 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 personality
Run Like a Girl celebrates 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