Bravey

Bravey, the young readers adaptation of Olympic athlete Alexi Pappas's memoir is pitch perfect for the YA set. Whether sports fans or not, most people see elite athletes as existing in a state of perfection, accomplishing extraordinary feats, having nothing to do with the rest of us lesser mortals. The teen years are a time of self consciousness and fear of not measuring up even under the best of conditions. And the current social media mediated society with its constant exposure to carefully curated images of others' lives does not constitute anywhere the best of conditions.
Pappas has faced formidable challenges in her life. She lost her mother to suicide when she was only four. Later on when faced with anxiety or depression she'd wonder if she was too much like her mom, if she was destined for a similar fate. As a child she often felt lonely and out. In puberty she had to deal with the prioritizing of fitness over health for female athletes. And her pursuit of running success was not a straight ascent. She had her share of injuries and set backs. She shares it all—the good, the bad, and the ugly—with readers.
"This book is about glamorous things like going to the Olympics and making movies, and it's also about difficult things like suicide and depression and puberty. For every fun moment of victory in this book, there are uncomfortable humiliating moments, too. I am the sum of all of them."
There are two things I especially like about this book. One is its candid but age appropriate discussion of mental illness. Many kids have at least one parent for whom that's lived reality. Even though he never was diagnosed or helped, I'm sure my father was bipolar. This is rarely reflected in juvenile or YA books. Kudos to Pappas!
The other is that it's not a litany of sacrificing all on the altar of athletic success. Pappas has had times when she reaped the results of pushing through the pain or not taking time for self care. She doesn't want readers to make the same mistake.
On a purrrsonal note, in what was purely coincidence, I read most of the book in the dressing room between rehearsal and the drag show. I am not an athlete by any stretch of the imagination. But in my corner of the world I've enjoyed nine years of being a beloved and respected drag performer. In rehearsal my performance was lackluster. It was my first time onstage since the stroke. During those hours I wondered if that night's performance would be my swan song. But when I was on stage hearing the crowd cheering everything fell into place and I gave one of the best performances of my life. I even got a standing ovation! Drag is where I feel the most free, the most me. I'm so glad I don't have to give it up.
A great big shout out goes out to the other performers, the crew, and the audience, all who were essential elements of the magic that was our drag show.
Jules Hathaway aka Gotta Believe We're Magic