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Bravery by Alexi Pappas
Bravery by Alexi Pappas
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Bravery: Chasing Dreams, Befriending Pain, and Other Big Ideas
by Alexi Pappas | Foreword by Maya Rudolph
A Memoir of Resilience, Mental Health, and Living Without Limits
🏃♀️ THE RENAISSANCE RUNNER'S MANIFESTO
Olympic athlete and filmmaker Alexi Pappas shares a raw, unflinching look at overcoming tragedy, embracing multi-hyphenate dreams, and navigating the highs of victory and the lows of depression.
Extended Synopsis
In Bravery, Alexi Pappas—an Olympic distance runner, acclaimed filmmaker, and writer—offers a profound exploration of what it means to build a life of one's own design. Following the loss of her mother to suicide at a young age, Pappas embarked on a lifelong quest for female role models, eventually finding them in the world of competitive sports. Refusing to "stay in one lane," Pappas details her journey toward achieving the impossible: competing in the 2016 Olympics while simultaneously writing, directing, and starring in her first feature film.
Beyond the accolades, Pappas speaks with radical honesty about the "post-Olympic depression" that followed her greatest professional triumphs. She redefines bravery not as the absence of fear or pain, but as the choice to "befriend" it. Through her signature poetic voice—encapsulated in her mantra to "replace can’t with maybe"—she provides essential guidance for anyone navigating setbacks, hardship, or the daunting task of self-actualization. Bravery is an exuberant and heartbreaking account of how to claim joy and remain loyal to one's own multifaceted potential.
Author Biography
Alexi Pappas is an Olympic athlete, filmmaker, actress, and award-winning writer. A graduate of Dartmouth College and the University of Oregon, she set the Greek national record for the 10,000 meters at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She has been profiled by The New York Times, Sports Illustrated, and Rolling Stone, and is a frequent contributor to Outside Magazine and Women’s Running.
Reader Targeting
- Athletes & Competitors: Those looking for a nuanced perspective on the psychological demands of elite performance and the reality of post-competition letdown.
- Creative Multi-Hyphenates: Individuals who refuse to limit themselves to one career path and seek inspiration for balancing disparate passions.
- Mental Health Advocates: Readers interested in first-person accounts of navigating depression, grief, and the process of finding resilience through self-reliance.
Accolades & Awards
- Named one of the Best Books of the Year by Real Simple.
- Praised by Adam Grant, Mindy Kaling, and Ruth Reichl for its "heartbreaking and hilarious" honesty.
- Features a powerful foreword by Emmy-winning actress and comedian Maya Rudolph.
Product Specifications
| ISBN-13: | 9781984801142 |
| ISBN-10: | 1984801147 |
| Publisher: | Random House Publishing Group |
| Binding: | Paperback |
| Publication Date: | 2022-01-04 |
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