I love a good memoir! Fast Girl: A Life Spent Running From Madness by Suzy Favor Hamilton hit the spot. Olympians are the coolest, I'm just gonna come out and say that. I have immense admiration for someone who dedicates their life to a dream that they can only make come true once every four years. I remember the name Suzy Favor Hamilton, but I don't really remember her as a track star like I do Jackie Joyner-Kersee. So I went into the book semi-blind. I knew the back story and why I was interested, but I still had a lot to learn.
The former middle distance Olympic runner and high-end escort speaks out for the first time about her battle with mental illness, and how mania controlled and compelled her in competition, but also in life. This is a heartbreakingly honest yet hopeful memoir reminiscent of Manic, Electroboy, and An Unquiet Mind.
During the 1990s, three-time Olympian Suzy Favor Hamilton was the darling of American track and field. An outstanding runner, a major sports apparel spokesperson, and a happily married wife, she was the model for an active, healthy, and wholesome life. But her perfect facade masked a dark truth: manic depression and bipolar disorder that drove her obsession to perform and win. For years after leaving the track, Suzy wrestled with her condition, as well as the loss of a close friend, conflicted feelings about motherhood and her marriage, and lingering shame about her athletic career. After a misdiagnosis and a recommendation for medication that only exacerbated her mania and made her hypersexual, Suzy embarked on a new path, and assumed a new identity. Fueled by a newfound confidence, a feeling of strength and independence and a desire she couldn’t tamp down, she became a high-priced escort in Las Vegas, working as “Kelly.”
But Suzy could not keep her double life a secret forever. When it was eventually exposed, it sent her into a reckless suicidal period where the only option seemed out. Finally, with the help of her devoted husband, Suzy finally got the proper medical help she needed. In this startling frank memoir, she recounts the journey to outrun her demons, revealing how a woman used to physically controlling her body learned to come to terms with her unstable mind. It is the story of a how a supreme competitor scored her most important victory of all—reclaiming her life from the ravages of an untreated mental illness. Today, thanks to diagnosis, therapy, Kelly has stepped into the shadows, but Suzy is building a better life, one day at a time. Sharing her story, Suzy is determined to raise awareness, provide understanding, and offer inspiration to others coping with their own challenges.
During the 1990s, three-time Olympian Suzy Favor Hamilton was the darling of American track and field. An outstanding runner, a major sports apparel spokesperson, and a happily married wife, she was the model for an active, healthy, and wholesome life. But her perfect facade masked a dark truth: manic depression and bipolar disorder that drove her obsession to perform and win. For years after leaving the track, Suzy wrestled with her condition, as well as the loss of a close friend, conflicted feelings about motherhood and her marriage, and lingering shame about her athletic career. After a misdiagnosis and a recommendation for medication that only exacerbated her mania and made her hypersexual, Suzy embarked on a new path, and assumed a new identity. Fueled by a newfound confidence, a feeling of strength and independence and a desire she couldn’t tamp down, she became a high-priced escort in Las Vegas, working as “Kelly.”
But Suzy could not keep her double life a secret forever. When it was eventually exposed, it sent her into a reckless suicidal period where the only option seemed out. Finally, with the help of her devoted husband, Suzy finally got the proper medical help she needed. In this startling frank memoir, she recounts the journey to outrun her demons, revealing how a woman used to physically controlling her body learned to come to terms with her unstable mind. It is the story of a how a supreme competitor scored her most important victory of all—reclaiming her life from the ravages of an untreated mental illness. Today, thanks to diagnosis, therapy, Kelly has stepped into the shadows, but Suzy is building a better life, one day at a time. Sharing her story, Suzy is determined to raise awareness, provide understanding, and offer inspiration to others coping with their own challenges.
The first snippet of this book that I got was through an interview that Suzy did on GMA. Olympian, hooker, and memoir was all I needed to get hooked! Yeah, that's right Suzy dabbled as a high paid escort in Vegas for a time. Before you're like whoa that took a turn, she does explain why. You really get a peak at why she felt she had to do everything she did.
You also learn a lot more about Suzy's family dynamic, which really wasn't that healthy. Her parents and siblings were very I can't believe that her husband was okay with her going off and doing...everything. I don't want to say hooking, or escorting, cavorting? Is that better, who cares it doesn't matter, I can't imagine that type of openness in any relationship of mine. I don't want to say that this is the only thing this story has going for it, but it is a majority of the plot, so if you have an issue with that I would skip this one. Like I've said before about memoirs, they're extremely subjective. You're either super into them or you're not.
You also learn a lot more about Suzy's family dynamic, which really wasn't that healthy. Her parents and siblings were very I can't believe that her husband was okay with her going off and doing...everything. I don't want to say hooking, or escorting, cavorting? Is that better, who cares it doesn't matter, I can't imagine that type of openness in any relationship of mine. I don't want to say that this is the only thing this story has going for it, but it is a majority of the plot, so if you have an issue with that I would skip this one. Like I've said before about memoirs, they're extremely subjective. You're either super into them or you're not.
I thoroughly enjoyed Suzy's tale. I cheered for her, felt like slapping her at times, and really wanted to give her a hug. This is a quick read, I would classify it as a travel read. Meaning you could read it during a round-trip cross-country plane ride. Quick and enjoyable is how I like 'em. That's all for now!
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