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412 reviews for:
What Made Maddy Run: The Secret Struggles and Tragic Death of an All-American Teen
Kate Fagan
4.2 AVERAGE
412 reviews for:
What Made Maddy Run: The Secret Struggles and Tragic Death of an All-American Teen
Kate Fagan
4.2 AVERAGE
This isn't an easy book to read (nor an easy review to write). However, I feel this is an important book for parents and coaches of high school to young adults. This book narrates the life and death by suicide of Maddy Hollaran. She was an elite athlete and college runner. Except, as she got to college, things were just not right. This book interspersed stories of Maddy as well as anecdotes from the authors life. In addition, she wrote about the difficult transition into college and in particular the pressure put in collegiate athletes.
As one who fought my own battle with depression along with other mental illness, including during my teenage to collegiate years, this hit close to home. If we're being honestly you've either been affected by mental illness in the first person or the second person. So this book would be relevant to pretty much everyone.
some points that hit strong:
- "Many of us ARE Maddy. But for the grace of a few decisions or moments of support that placed us on a different path to a different outcome.
This was compelling. Now, that being said, the author makes the point how we often view suicide as the climax. But it's a cumulative action that is not an isolated event. That being said, it also feels incredibly true that small, positive/negative actions/decisions can change an entire trajectory (I suppose for better or worse).
- Next, I found myself thinking, wow, her struggle was so genuinely short. Not to quantify it as better or worse than long drawn out battles. But they parallel the battle that ends in suicide to the battle against cancer. Some are short. some are drawn out. there is no one way how it plays out .
- I was really left thinking about the discussion of.when is it GOOD to quit, because by continuing, we are trapped in unhealthy patterns. compared to when it is GOOD To stick it out through the hard. this was the continual battle of Maddy and quitting track. I imagine this is a continue battle with parents as well.
- This book at the end discussed with a suicide survivor about "instead of this" "do this" when surrounding dialog about suicide. Except, this book doesn't play by all of those "do this". I do not think this book romanticized suicide. at all. however, it does discuss the means and it does include part of the suicide letter. Two things that were on the "don't do" list.
- totally superficial, but this book offers spoilers for reconstructing Amelia (also a very good book).
This book leaves me grateful for the battles I have fought, for they make us who we are. in addition, I am grateful for my outcome. But this is an important book to continue in the discussion of suicide particularly in young adults/late teens and their transition into college.
As one who fought my own battle with depression along with other mental illness, including during my teenage to collegiate years, this hit close to home. If we're being honestly you've either been affected by mental illness in the first person or the second person. So this book would be relevant to pretty much everyone.
some points that hit strong:
- "Many of us ARE Maddy. But for the grace of a few decisions or moments of support that placed us on a different path to a different outcome.
This was compelling. Now, that being said, the author makes the point how we often view suicide as the climax. But it's a cumulative action that is not an isolated event. That being said, it also feels incredibly true that small, positive/negative actions/decisions can change an entire trajectory (I suppose for better or worse).
- Next, I found myself thinking, wow, her struggle was so genuinely short. Not to quantify it as better or worse than long drawn out battles. But they parallel the battle that ends in suicide to the battle against cancer. Some are short. some are drawn out. there is no one way how it plays out .
- I was really left thinking about the discussion of.when is it GOOD to quit, because by continuing, we are trapped in unhealthy patterns. compared to when it is GOOD To stick it out through the hard. this was the continual battle of Maddy and quitting track. I imagine this is a continue battle with parents as well.
- This book at the end discussed with a suicide survivor about "instead of this" "do this" when surrounding dialog about suicide. Except, this book doesn't play by all of those "do this". I do not think this book romanticized suicide. at all. however, it does discuss the means and it does include part of the suicide letter. Two things that were on the "don't do" list.
- totally superficial, but this book offers spoilers for reconstructing Amelia (also a very good book).
This book leaves me grateful for the battles I have fought, for they make us who we are. in addition, I am grateful for my outcome. But this is an important book to continue in the discussion of suicide particularly in young adults/late teens and their transition into college.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
fast-paced
In "What Made Maddy Run: The Secret Struggles and Tragic Death of an All-American Teen," Kate Fagan delivers a poignant exploration of mental health, societal pressures, and the tragic consequences of untreated struggles. Fagan artfully unravels the life of Madison Holleran, a seemingly perfect All-American teen whose internal battles culminated in a heartbreaking suicide. The book skillfully blends interviews with Maddy's family, friends, and teammates, alongside Maddy's personal writings and social media posts. Fagan navigates the complexities of Maddy's inner world, using her story as a lens to examine the intersection of high achievement, perfectionism, and the impact of social media on mental well-being. Fagan courageously confronts the stigma surrounding mental health and sparks a necessary conversation about the pressures faced by today's youth. "What Made Maddy Run" serves as a compelling call to action, urging a collective reconsideration of societal attitudes toward mental health, particularly in the context of the hyper-competitive and image-driven culture prevalent today. While the subject matter is weighty, Fagan's empathetic and incisive writing makes the book accessible. It prompts crucial discussions about mental health, resilience, and the imperative need for empathy and understanding. Maddy's story is not just an individual tragedy; it's a powerful catalyst for change and a reminder of the transformative impact compassion can have in the face of adversity, especially in the context of suicide. This book is essential reading for parents, educators, and anyone concerned about the well-being of the next generation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Part of me was hoping for some answers. I knew they would not be there. Rarely are there answers in stories like these although we so desperately want to find one.
We want to point to a specific incident, a moment or an encounter. We want to find the ways the people in her life failed her. We want to blame social media. We want the opportunity to say oh that’s why she did it.
But we don’t get to do that. Instead we’re only left with more questions, more areas to explore both for the people we love and for ourselves. We’re left with an understanding that we don’t understand. But that we can move forward, one story at a time.
Kate Fagan does a remarkable job with her work “What Made Maddy Run.” Subtitled, “The Secret Struggles and Tragic Death of An All-American Teen” the book examines the life and suicide of 19-year-old Maddy Holleran while she was a freshman track athlete at UPenn. Kate’s work is masterful, giving us as much a look into Maddy’s life as possible woven expertly with her own first-person accounts of her own mental battles as a Division I athlete along with research and interviews.
Perhaps the most haunting aspect of the work is how easy it is, for me at least, to relate to Maddy. Despite more than two decades between our ages, and the fact I was not a highly recruited athlete (hell, I wasn’t an athlete of any kind when I was a teenager), I understood some of what seemed to be going on in Maddy’s world. She had a drive for perfection. She had a drive to please. And her perception of herself was vastly different from the one of people around her.
I have a full review and thoughts on my blog (www.amymoritz.com) if you want to read some more.
We want to point to a specific incident, a moment or an encounter. We want to find the ways the people in her life failed her. We want to blame social media. We want the opportunity to say oh that’s why she did it.
But we don’t get to do that. Instead we’re only left with more questions, more areas to explore both for the people we love and for ourselves. We’re left with an understanding that we don’t understand. But that we can move forward, one story at a time.
Kate Fagan does a remarkable job with her work “What Made Maddy Run.” Subtitled, “The Secret Struggles and Tragic Death of An All-American Teen” the book examines the life and suicide of 19-year-old Maddy Holleran while she was a freshman track athlete at UPenn. Kate’s work is masterful, giving us as much a look into Maddy’s life as possible woven expertly with her own first-person accounts of her own mental battles as a Division I athlete along with research and interviews.
Perhaps the most haunting aspect of the work is how easy it is, for me at least, to relate to Maddy. Despite more than two decades between our ages, and the fact I was not a highly recruited athlete (hell, I wasn’t an athlete of any kind when I was a teenager), I understood some of what seemed to be going on in Maddy’s world. She had a drive for perfection. She had a drive to please. And her perception of herself was vastly different from the one of people around her.
I have a full review and thoughts on my blog (www.amymoritz.com) if you want to read some more.
I still remember reading the espnW article for the first time years ago. Maddy's story and Kate's writing have stayed with me since then. While some of Kate's chapters did feel like filler, others had insight and passages that elevated the book for me, putting this tragedy into some context and highlighting this issue on a generational scale. Such an important read, one that I will never forget and that will stay heavy on my heart.
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
heartbreaking. made me cry
A tragic look at a student athlete that really hit home for me, as I have a son (non-athlete) in his first year of a fairly selective college who was considering transferring. I was also familiar with the author's work on ESPN and was a fan.
I thought that Kate gave an excellent insider's view of the student /athlete challenges, although I was surprised that Maddie's coaches were as accommodating as they were (I guess it's different for IVY and Patriot League athletes who aren't being given athletic scholarships). And the interaction at the end of the novel with a former person in Maddie's life is just eerie.
I wish some of the other student athletes in Maddie's friend group had been fleshed out a little more. Like what was their backstory? What made them successful, if they were? Note: when you read this, you're going to want answers. This is not a criticism of an excellent book that I wish had been longer.
The major takeaway: Listen to your kids and hug them daily (even if it's just a virtual hug).
I thought that Kate gave an excellent insider's view of the student /athlete challenges, although I was surprised that Maddie's coaches were as accommodating as they were (I guess it's different for IVY and Patriot League athletes who aren't being given athletic scholarships). And the interaction at the end of the novel with a former person in Maddie's life is just eerie.
I wish some of the other student athletes in Maddie's friend group had been fleshed out a little more. Like what was their backstory? What made them successful, if they were? Note: when you read this, you're going to want answers. This is not a criticism of an excellent book that I wish had been longer.
The major takeaway: Listen to your kids and hug them daily (even if it's just a virtual hug).
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
3.5
Kate Fagan really hit a nail on the head here with this book. Its such an accessible piece of non-fiction on an extremely important topic: mental health in post-secondary education, particularly that of student athletes. Fagan's writing style is so readable, and for being non-fiction it isn't dense at all, while still disseminating important information making this so easy for anyone to pick up and read.
That being said, I personally had some problems with the book as a whole. The biggest thing I had a problem with were the transitions. Fagan would jump back and forth between her perspective, Maddy's perspective, and other anecdotes without any warning, and I found this pretty jarring.
I went into this book expecting to learn something about mental health, but didn't really come out knowing much more than when I went in. But I also related a lot to Maddy's (and Fagan's) story, even though I was never a student athlete. It just goes to show how universal these topics are, and getting these stories into the open like Fagan is, is so important.
I would definitely recommend this especially to people who don't usually read non-fiction.
Kate Fagan really hit a nail on the head here with this book. Its such an accessible piece of non-fiction on an extremely important topic: mental health in post-secondary education, particularly that of student athletes. Fagan's writing style is so readable, and for being non-fiction it isn't dense at all, while still disseminating important information making this so easy for anyone to pick up and read.
That being said, I personally had some problems with the book as a whole. The biggest thing I had a problem with were the transitions. Fagan would jump back and forth between her perspective, Maddy's perspective, and other anecdotes without any warning, and I found this pretty jarring.
I went into this book expecting to learn something about mental health, but didn't really come out knowing much more than when I went in. But I also related a lot to Maddy's (and Fagan's) story, even though I was never a student athlete. It just goes to show how universal these topics are, and getting these stories into the open like Fagan is, is so important.
I would definitely recommend this especially to people who don't usually read non-fiction.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
A deeper look into mental health and college sports, also while shining the light that not everything is as it seems on social media. Very heartfelt.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide