"Under the Lights and in the Dark takes us inside the world of women's soccer, following players across the globe, from Portland Thorns star Allie Long, who trains in an underground men's league in New York City; to English national Fara Williams, who hid her homelessness from her teammates while playing for the English national team. Oxenham takes us to Voronezh, Russia, where players battle more than just snowy pitches in pursuing their dream of playing pro, and to a refugee camp in Denmark, where Nadia Nadim, now a Danish international star, honed her skills after her family fled from the Taliban."--Jacket flap.
Setting / LocationNew York City
Story EraModern Era
Protagonist / CoreUnder the lights and in the dark Lead Character
A candid and moving memoir about family, loss, and reconciliation from the supremely talented and headline-making goalkeeper for the U.S. women's national soccer team. Solo is the face of the modern female athlete: fearless, outspoken, and the best in the world at what she does: protecting the goal of the U.S. women's soccer team. But her journey is haunted by the fallout of her family history. She tells her story as a woman of uncompromising independence and hard-won perseverance, navigating the petty backlash against her. For the first time, she offers a full understanding of her hard-scrabble life.
"Wherever Hope Solo goes, drama seems to follow her. From the story about her father kidnapping Hope and her brother when they were kids to her performance on the reality show Dancing with the Stars, journalists are never at a loss for something to say about this professional soccer player. And she is never without a response. Always willing to say what's on her mind, Hope is the first to speak up for herself in any situation. And she doesn't care whether others agree with her. She knows that her honesty and openness have helped her become the person she is today--one of the best goalies in the sport of soccer"--Back cover.
This is the first-ever biography of the legendary wrestler Gorgeous George, filled with incredible never-before-told stories. George directly influenced the likes of Muhammad Ali, who took his bragging and boasting from George; James Brown, who began to wear sequined capes onstage after seeing George on TV; John Waters, whose films featured the outrageous drag queen Divine as an homage to George; and too many wrestlers to count. Amid these pop culture discoveries are firsthand accounts of the pro wrestling game from the 1930s to the 1960s.The ideal American male used to be stoic, quiet, and dignified. But for a young couple struggling to make ends meet, in the desperation born of the lingering Depression and wartime rationing, an idea was hatched that changed the face of American popular culture, an idea so bold, so over-the-top and absurd, that it was perfect. That idea transformed journeyman wrestler George Wagner from a dark-haired, clean-cut good guy to a peroxide-blond braggart who blatantly cheated every chance he got. Crowds were stunned—they had never seen anything like this before—and they came from miles around to witness it for themselves.Suddenly George—guided by Betty, his pistol of a wife—was a draw. With his golden tresses grown long and styled in a marcel, George went from handsome to...well...gorgeous overnight, the small, dank wrestling venues giving way to major arenas. As if the hair wasn't enough, his robes—unmanly things of silk, lace, and chiffon in pale pinks, sunny yellows, and rich mauves—were but a prelude to the act: the regal entrance, the tailcoat-clad valet spraying the mat with perfume, the haughty looks and sneers for the "peasants" who paid to watch this outrageously prissy hulk prance around the ring. How they loved to see his glorious mane mussed up by his manly opponents. And how they loved that alluringly alliterative name...Gorgeous George...the self-proclaimed Toast of the Coast, the Sensation of the Nation!All this was timed to the arrival of that new invention everyone was talking about—television. In its early days, professional wrestling and its larger-than-life characters dominated prime-time broadcasts—none more so than Gorgeous George, who sold as many sets as Uncle Miltie.Fans came in droves—to boo him, to stick him with hatpins, to ogle his gowns, and to rejoice in his comeuppance. He was the man they loved to hate, and his provocative, gender-bending act took him to the top of the entertainment world. America would never be the same again.
A biography of the four-time champion racing legend details his childhood, much-publicized divorce, relationship with contemporaries, and life after racing.
Under the lights and in the dark by Gwendolyn Oxenham | Literally Just Books
