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justicepirate's review against another edition
1.0
If she wasn't overly descriptive about her escapades. I think it was a little too much. I regularly listen/read books about human trafficking that do NOT describe this much at all. I felt like I was listening to a porno book. There are ways to share without oversharing. I am even a bipolar hypersexual person myself (and an Olympian story junkie) and this just was so so sad and disturbing.
I would have shortened her sexual details to just letting us know she had sex, without describing everything. She didn't even describe sex with her own husband, just with everyone else. I feel sorry for him being "not as good" in bed in her own book.
I really loved the portions of this story that talked about her running and her upbringing. I think that was really great. The fact that she also talks about the pressures of drugs on athletes was so interesting too. I thought her talk about bipolar or depression and what her brother went through was also well done.
I would have shortened her sexual details to just letting us know she had sex, without describing everything. She didn't even describe sex with her own husband, just with everyone else. I feel sorry for him being "not as good" in bed in her own book.
I really loved the portions of this story that talked about her running and her upbringing. I think that was really great. The fact that she also talks about the pressures of drugs on athletes was so interesting too. I thought her talk about bipolar or depression and what her brother went through was also well done.
stevenyenzer's review
2.0
I’m always interested in reading first-person accounts of people living with mental illness, and Fast Girl is certainly interesting. But Favor Hamilton spends too much time detailing her life as an escort for my taste — I get the feeling that someone saw this as the most interesting part of her story, so it really dominates the book.
jecinwv's review
3.0
This book was interesting and relevant. It was also not what I expected. Most memoirs on mental health tell a tale of the disease and the cure/management. This is the story of an Olympic Runner who after having a child becomes addicted to sex and becomes an escort. A lot of this book is about her being an escort. I feel like this book was important because it gave a face to her story that is personal. It was a fast read. It wasn't bad but also not amazing. It is a story I feel should be read and might be more helpful to some than others.
kirinrebecca's review
4.0
I enjoy true stories and this one started out very interesting but got a little repetitive after awhile.
ar0deth's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
ronpayne's review against another edition
dark
informative
sad
fast-paced
2.0
A memoir of an Olympic long distance runner who became a high-priced Las Vegas call girl. I went into this wanting to root for Hamilton in her struggles with mental health, but I found her to be a thoroughly unlikable person. Any message about getting proper diagnosis and treatment were drowned out by the prurient way the prostitution sections were treated, and the unhealthy, in my eye, way she used her bipolar disorder as a catchall excuse.
taytots24's review
Definitely thought this was going to have a lot more about the Olympics...and the whole Vegas escort thing was a rather unpleasant surprise. Not badly written, but very much not what I was expecting. Won't read again, and likely wouldn't recommend.
emilyjoy828's review
2.0
While I found this book to be entertaining and am fully supportive of bringing awareness to mental illness and it’s various manifestations, I had several problems it, and it overall left a bad taste in my mouth.
1. Suzy was an Olympic runner who, in a time of undiagnosed bipolar mania, decided to become a high-end Vegas escort. However, in this book, she provided so much detail about her time as an escort, it was sometimes verging on pornographic. She kept describing how happy it made her, how alive it made her feel. The amount of details she shared seemed less like a sober confession and more like a revelry of her “glory days.” It made me realize she still has some recovering to do.
2. She really doesn’t seem that apologetic for anything that she did. Yes, she has a mental illness, which is partially to blame. I truly don’t think she would’ve become an escort had she not been struggling with bipolar disorder, and I love the message of not allowing shame in because shame is powerless to change you, but some more acknowledgement of the hurt she caused would’ve shown that she understands the weight of her actions. I don’t know that she does.
3. So much time is spent on her mania, and it is only the last chapter wherein she finally discusses how she got help, and that is just a few sentences. I wanted to know more about what recovery looked like for her, how she picked up the shattered remains of her life and pieced them back together. Instead, all I know is a list of names of men she had sex with and all the expensive gifts they bought her.
4. She openly condones the sex trade and marital infidelity. I’ve done way too much research on sex trafficking to feel comfortable with her statement that exchanging money for sex is empowering and perfectly acceptable. I also kept thinking about all the poor wives of the men she was sleeping with, and I cannot fathom why her loving husband gave her his permission to pursue this lifestyle. I wish we had gotten more of his perspective to help me understand what kind of place he was in mentally during all of this.
Overall, I still feel worried about Suzy. I want to believe that she is seeking the help she needs and won’t go back to her old life, but I’m not sure she herself even knows if that’s true. I’m still proud of her for speaking out about her illness and trying to help others, even if I don’t think this book is particularly helpful.
1. Suzy was an Olympic runner who, in a time of undiagnosed bipolar mania, decided to become a high-end Vegas escort. However, in this book, she provided so much detail about her time as an escort, it was sometimes verging on pornographic. She kept describing how happy it made her, how alive it made her feel. The amount of details she shared seemed less like a sober confession and more like a revelry of her “glory days.” It made me realize she still has some recovering to do.
2. She really doesn’t seem that apologetic for anything that she did. Yes, she has a mental illness, which is partially to blame. I truly don’t think she would’ve become an escort had she not been struggling with bipolar disorder, and I love the message of not allowing shame in because shame is powerless to change you, but some more acknowledgement of the hurt she caused would’ve shown that she understands the weight of her actions. I don’t know that she does.
3. So much time is spent on her mania, and it is only the last chapter wherein she finally discusses how she got help, and that is just a few sentences. I wanted to know more about what recovery looked like for her, how she picked up the shattered remains of her life and pieced them back together. Instead, all I know is a list of names of men she had sex with and all the expensive gifts they bought her.
4. She openly condones the sex trade and marital infidelity. I’ve done way too much research on sex trafficking to feel comfortable with her statement that exchanging money for sex is empowering and perfectly acceptable. I also kept thinking about all the poor wives of the men she was sleeping with, and I cannot fathom why her loving husband gave her his permission to pursue this lifestyle. I wish we had gotten more of his perspective to help me understand what kind of place he was in mentally during all of this.
Overall, I still feel worried about Suzy. I want to believe that she is seeking the help she needs and won’t go back to her old life, but I’m not sure she herself even knows if that’s true. I’m still proud of her for speaking out about her illness and trying to help others, even if I don’t think this book is particularly helpful.
emilycalvert's review
3.0
The story itself is pretty fascinating, especially thinking about how far society as a whole has come when it comes to diagnosing and talking about mental health. The true story of a wholesome Midwestern girl's rise and fall. However, the book itself just didn't do it for me. There were points made several times that didn't really contribute anything to the story, such as her favorite kind of wine and the brand of her high heels. The relationship she has with her husband also just irks me. Why would he allow her to behave such away? Was it really better to just look the other way than trying to actually help her? I would have loved to find out more about her family and how they ultimately dealt with the aftermath (especially her daughter). The book just seemed to end abruptly.