Book Review – “Bravery”

By Samantha Simmons, Broadcast Editor

A writer, a poet and an Olympic-level runner. It seems like those would be some of author Alexi Pappas’s biggest accomplishments, but she thinks that her biggest feat was overcoming the depression she felt after the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Bravey, Pappas’s first book, details her life from being a toddler and catches up to speed on what she has been doing for the past 30 years.  She starred in two movies, Tracktown and Olympic Dreams, which she created with her husband Jeremy Teicher.

She writes about how much her mother’s suicide affected her life since she was four, despite not knowing her well. She could see what she was missing when she was with friends’ families, and even now as an adult, she doesn’t fully understand what a mother’s role is in a child’s life. This is not something she wanted to change about her life, as she loves her dad and brother and appreciates all they went through to make life a bit easier on her.

After the 2016 Rio Olympics, she had a huge wave of depression come over her. Many athletes feel this afterward. They worked hard for years and now it is over. She was unsure what to do with herself, so she continued to train heavily which would lead to a string of injuries. Throughout the book, she stresses the importance of taking care of yourself physically and mentally. 

Whether you are an Olympic-level athlete like her or a hobby-jogger, it is important to take time off and rest your body and mind.

Though I am not much of a nonfiction reader, I had been waiting for years for Pappas to write a book. The pre-order was only available in July, so I had to wait until the middle of January to receive the book. I have never been more excited to read.

After her 2016 Olympics, she was one of the only runners I followed on social media. Looking back, I wouldn’t have known she was severely depressed. It is quite scary the mask people put on social media. Since I don’t know her personally, there would be no reason for me to know this was affecting her. The fact that I looked up to her while she was at the lowest point in her life leaves me with a hollow feeling.

Truly, you never know what others are going through. While some parts of the book are heavy enough where I had to take a break, others tell a loving story between family, friends and doctors who helped Pappas back to living life again.

I recommend this book to runners and non-runners alike. It shares her story twisted with her running, loss of her mother, depression and her career all in one.