Sports Reads: "Breakaway" by Alex Morgan

Breakaway, Alex Morgan’s autobiography, is the story of how an eight-year-old girl who liked soccer went on to win an Olympic gold medal in the sport. 

At the beginning of the book, we read about the traumatic injury Morgan suffered while playing soccer at the age of 17. She tore her ACL, a ligament in her knee, during a scrimmage. 

I think she wanted to tell this part of the story first because she wanted to convey to her readers that if something bad happens to you, you can work hard to overcome it — just like she did. 

As the book continues, Morgan describes her life as a child. Her dad wanted her and her two older sisters to play softball, but after a few years of that (and of Morgan being the star player on the team), she decided she wanted to play soccer. 

She practiced and practiced and practiced, and in 2011, when she was 22 years old, Morgan made the U.S. Women’s World Cup team. Sadly, the team lost in the final that year to Japan. 

But then a greater opportunity came, the 2012 Olympics. Morgan and the U.S. team won the gold medal!

At the end of each chapter of her book, Morgan shares an important life lesson. Each lesson relates to what event she is talking about in the chapter. I think that the lessons Morgan shares would be helpful to young athletes, especially if they are experiencing some personal or athletic challenges. 

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and I recommend it to people who enjoy autobiographies and/or soccer. Even people who are not huge soccer fans will appreciate this wonderful story.