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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
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Heartbreaking. This one will sit me with me for a long time.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
This story was heartbreaking and one that will certainly stay with me for a while. A lot of what Maddy went through, the feelings, struggles, and experiences are sadly not uncommon and ones that so many young people in their years away at university and college go through.
This book and her story called for post-secondary institutions across the globe to implement better resources to deal with mental health and ensure that on-campus counselors are available 24/7. As well it really touched upon the people that we portray to be on social media vs the ones that we are in real life and what young people growing up now in the digital world have to deal with on a daily basis.
I definitely think that parents and even those going to post-secondary would benefit from reading this book as there are many educational pieces in it and chances for conversations about mental health to be had.
This book and her story called for post-secondary institutions across the globe to implement better resources to deal with mental health and ensure that on-campus counselors are available 24/7. As well it really touched upon the people that we portray to be on social media vs the ones that we are in real life and what young people growing up now in the digital world have to deal with on a daily basis.
I definitely think that parents and even those going to post-secondary would benefit from reading this book as there are many educational pieces in it and chances for conversations about mental health to be had.
This was not easy to read but I think it's such an important topic, and not one to ignore. I honestly think it should be required reading for anyone involved in high school and college athletics. We recently had Kate Fagan, the author, speak at a training day at my work and she was very eloquent and passionate about shining a light on this topic.
I listened to this as an audio book and finished it in just a few days. It has really made me think more deeply about issues facing youth today... social media, perfectionism, the pressure to succeed, etc. A difficult subject but a really powerful book.
4.23/5 (more of a reflection than a review)
I remember being engrossed in Maddy Holleran’s story when it was first in the news cycle, but when the book was published I avoided reading it because I thought it would hit too close to home. I vividly remember being aware of “Penn face” and the equivalent monikers at other universities i visited on my college tours based on her story and the subsequent articles on mental health on college campuses. I’m glad I waited to read it after graduating (maybe still not in the best headspace), but also think it’s an important read especially for student athletes.
Fagan does an excellent job of piecing together Maddy’s life and gaining trust with her family before and throughout the process. Additionally I like that the book looked at issues such as mental health amongst student athletes and college students as a whole, showing the differences and similarities. While I’m not on the traditional apps, I still reflected a lot on how someone would piece together my story if they had access to my phone/laptop/home (like Maddy, I also keep lots of notes and draft documents on my devices that describe how i feel). Reading about Maddy’s first semester of college was eerily similar, sadly because it’s a more common story than people think. The ending where Fagan describes the last hours of Maddy’s life was really difficult to read and I considered skipping over it. I appreciated that Fagan followed this up by talking with a survivor and that the survivor emphasized the line between honoring and romanticizing these stories. May have more thoughts later that will stay in my journal and not make it goodreads.
I found the quote below relatable to my college experience but also now…
“Living with a ghost is frightening enough, but if you change houses to escape it and the ghost is present in the new space, then you’ve confirmed that it’s not the house the ghost is haunting. It’s you.” (p.96)
I remember being engrossed in Maddy Holleran’s story when it was first in the news cycle, but when the book was published I avoided reading it because I thought it would hit too close to home. I vividly remember being aware of “Penn face” and the equivalent monikers at other universities i visited on my college tours based on her story and the subsequent articles on mental health on college campuses. I’m glad I waited to read it after graduating (maybe still not in the best headspace), but also think it’s an important read especially for student athletes.
Fagan does an excellent job of piecing together Maddy’s life and gaining trust with her family before and throughout the process. Additionally I like that the book looked at issues such as mental health amongst student athletes and college students as a whole, showing the differences and similarities. While I’m not on the traditional apps, I still reflected a lot on how someone would piece together my story if they had access to my phone/laptop/home (like Maddy, I also keep lots of notes and draft documents on my devices that describe how i feel). Reading about Maddy’s first semester of college was eerily similar, sadly because it’s a more common story than people think. The ending where Fagan describes the last hours of Maddy’s life was really difficult to read and I considered skipping over it. I appreciated that Fagan followed this up by talking with a survivor and that the survivor emphasized the line between honoring and romanticizing these stories. May have more thoughts later that will stay in my journal and not make it goodreads.
I found the quote below relatable to my college experience but also now…
“Living with a ghost is frightening enough, but if you change houses to escape it and the ghost is present in the new space, then you’ve confirmed that it’s not the house the ghost is haunting. It’s you.” (p.96)
I thought the longford article was more effective than the book, as it conveyed the same information in a more condensed space. I felt unsure about the author inserting her narrative within Maddie's story. Their endings are vastly different, and it was hard for me to read knowing the context of the side story. It pulled from the strength of Maddie's narrative. That being said, Maddie's story is absolutely heartbreaking. It's hard to look away.
This one is no fun to read, outside of Kate Fagan's excellent reporting. It explores the incredible pressure of being a digital native, a D-1 (and in this case, Ivy League) athlete and a perfect student. Lots to dissect about how social media and the pressure to present our lives a certain way can dull relationships or mask depression. Also plenty in here about the pressure to power through, to never quit, because quitting (and mental illness) are inherently weak in our society. I was anxious through most of the book, because I'd read enough about Madison's story to know what was coming but, wow. Absolutely worth reading, but I may grab a YA romance to cleanse my palate.
Madison's story will forever stay with me. I'm not sure why I am as impacted as I am, but this is such an important conversation.
In January 2014, UPenn freshman and student athlete Maddy Holleran ended her life. Written by an ESPN journalist, this book takes a look at Maddy’s life in the year or so leading up to this.
Unfortunately, a book wasn’t really the right way to publish this information. It surely could have been condensed into some articles or perhaps joined as supplementary information to a more comprehensive investigation. The author clearly has passion but it just felt rushed and disorganized.
That being said, there was some amazing stuff in here about the insane pressure put on college athletes. To a outsider like me who has zero athletic abilities and no sense of team spirit, I’ve never thought too much about the dynamics of student athletics except to judge them to be cult-like.
This exposes the disturbing side of things. Put simply, the pressures of being a student athlete and being a college freshman simply aren’t compatible. Holleran, though a star who saw herself going far in university track, didn’t even have a scholarship riding on her athlete status. So why, when she entered a deep depression which she judged to be mainly caused by the pressures of track, did the adults in her life encourage her to stick with it? Although Fagan is sensitive to these people, I saw the side eye. They failed her. A chilling look at what these values can lead to.
Unfortunately, a book wasn’t really the right way to publish this information. It surely could have been condensed into some articles or perhaps joined as supplementary information to a more comprehensive investigation. The author clearly has passion but it just felt rushed and disorganized.
That being said, there was some amazing stuff in here about the insane pressure put on college athletes. To a outsider like me who has zero athletic abilities and no sense of team spirit, I’ve never thought too much about the dynamics of student athletics except to judge them to be cult-like.
This exposes the disturbing side of things. Put simply, the pressures of being a student athlete and being a college freshman simply aren’t compatible. Holleran, though a star who saw herself going far in university track, didn’t even have a scholarship riding on her athlete status. So why, when she entered a deep depression which she judged to be mainly caused by the pressures of track, did the adults in her life encourage her to stick with it? Although Fagan is sensitive to these people, I saw the side eye. They failed her. A chilling look at what these values can lead to.