I love womens soccer and getting women's voices out there but this one was paced weirdly. Don't get me wrong, I want people to talk about their struggles, but this one would jump so quick between the two it was jarring. She has overcome a lot and I am so glad she shared those struggles. I am still glad I read this book and learned so much.

This was archived prior to me downloading it. I'm looking forward to reading it via purchase.
My star review is not accurate.

This memoir tells the story of Briana Scurry, a female American soccer player who played in the world cup and the olympics. The book handles issues related to her sexuality, race and gender as she fought for her place in the world of sports, as well as the aftermath that came after loss and injury including anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts. The resilience this woman has is remarkable and inspiring but it also can be a very heavy read (or listen - audiobook) at times! Super well written and I would definitely recommend it.

Promising!! Inspiring! Briana Scurry is deeply inspiring and the forward my robin Robert is also very special addition to the book!

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 brutality
True rating: 3.25

I was interested in this book because I like reading non-fiction books. Memoirs allow us an opportunity to walk in someone else's shoes. Briana Scurry is black, gay, and an Olympian. The book walks us through her life from her modest childhood to her college life, her career as a professional athlete then severe brain injury and fall from her fame. Written with candor, I was thankful that she shared her story with others. Sports injury is a topic that do not gets talked about often enough in my opinion.

The book is narrated by the author, who tells her story with sincerity. I enjoyed the book for the most part. I felt that this is just an introduction to her life in a way - there are so many different topics I am sure she can discuss in detail in future, including professional sports, black rights, gay rights, gay athlete issues, women in sports, brain injuries, etc. As an introduction to Briana Scurry, I feel it is fascinating and would recommend to others who enjoy a good biography/memoir.

An advanced copy of this audiobook was provided for review purposes courtesy of NetGalley and OrangeSky Audio. Your generosity is much appreciated.

I wasn't a fan of soccer to see Scurry play but from 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 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.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love that this memoir is brutally honest! So well-written, and read by the author!

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.

An incredibly moving memoir about a top athlete's sudden injury halting her career and forcing her to come to terms with a new disability. Briana doesn't hold back discussing her depression and struggles with suicidal thoughts. Highly recommended and great on audio. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance review copy!

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.

*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.

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!

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.