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tschonfeld's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this much more than I expected to, although I found the ending unsatisfying. I learned a lot about women’s competitive soccer. Compelling writing and interestingly imperfect characters. Recommend.
newbatteri's review against another edition
5.0
From my editor's letter:
True is angry. She’s angry that her mother died giving birth to True’s autistic sister. She’s angry her grieving father spends his days gambling. She’s angry that even though she is in high school, she has to pay the bills, clean the house, and take care of her sister. And despite being the best girl vying for a spot on the US national soccer team and a chance to compete in the 1999 World Cup alongside Mia Hamm and Brandi Chastain, True is angry that she is the only girl being singled out for her anger issues.
When I first read True by Karl Taro Greenfeld, I was taken aback by how brilliantly complicated and nuanced these characters are. True, the novel and the antihero, is biting, poetic, and painful. The whole time, I flipped each page, asking myself whether True will make the national team or if her anger will get the better of her. Will True find the freedom she craves, or will she be dragged down by her outsized responsibilities at home? Will she be able to protect her sister from a world desperate to take advantage—or will she destroy herself trying?
True is heart-stopping and unwavering in its depictions of a young warrior who pushes the boundaries of what it means to be a daughter, sister, and teammate. I am so excited to bring forth this breath of refreshing air to the coming-of-age canon, and I hope you will enjoy it too.
True is angry. She’s angry that her mother died giving birth to True’s autistic sister. She’s angry her grieving father spends his days gambling. She’s angry that even though she is in high school, she has to pay the bills, clean the house, and take care of her sister. And despite being the best girl vying for a spot on the US national soccer team and a chance to compete in the 1999 World Cup alongside Mia Hamm and Brandi Chastain, True is angry that she is the only girl being singled out for her anger issues.
When I first read True by Karl Taro Greenfeld, I was taken aback by how brilliantly complicated and nuanced these characters are. True, the novel and the antihero, is biting, poetic, and painful. The whole time, I flipped each page, asking myself whether True will make the national team or if her anger will get the better of her. Will True find the freedom she craves, or will she be dragged down by her outsized responsibilities at home? Will she be able to protect her sister from a world desperate to take advantage—or will she destroy herself trying?
True is heart-stopping and unwavering in its depictions of a young warrior who pushes the boundaries of what it means to be a daughter, sister, and teammate. I am so excited to bring forth this breath of refreshing air to the coming-of-age canon, and I hope you will enjoy it too.
lherrou's review against another edition
3.0
I struggled with how many stars to give True. The author has provided True with a very compelling voice, and it was hard to put the book down. Yet, in the end, I'm not convinced that the voice was accurate. At many points, True seems to have a fair amount of insight, yet her actions fail to mirror that.
An additional issue I have is that virtually every top level female player I've met (and that's a good number) has experienced some level of inappropriate attention from the male coaches and assistant coaches and managers around them. Every player. This was not reflected in the novel.
On the other hand, the soccer scenes, and the "your life is all soccer, all the time" did seem very accurate.
So take it for what it's worth. If you enjoy soccer, you'll likely enjoy this book... despite the flaws.
An additional issue I have is that virtually every top level female player I've met (and that's a good number) has experienced some level of inappropriate attention from the male coaches and assistant coaches and managers around them. Every player. This was not reflected in the novel.
On the other hand, the soccer scenes, and the "your life is all soccer, all the time" did seem very accurate.
So take it for what it's worth. If you enjoy soccer, you'll likely enjoy this book... despite the flaws.
margelofskys's review against another edition
3.0
I don’t know how to rate this one. I read it in one sitting, part of me loved it. The soccer, the family struggle. But I guess I really just wanted a happy ending and I’m not even sure what kind of ending I got.
nbub123's review against another edition
4.0
True is so stubborn and cunning. The whole tone of this book interested me because I felt cold and sad the entire time reading it. I felt raw emotions because True and I had so much in common despite the aggresion and the family issues. she was stubborn and the end left me speechless. It was a hard cut just like how True plays and how her personality is. I gave it four our of five stars because the tone was consitent throughout the book.
bgstrong's review against another edition
3.0
"...where an angry teenage girl discovers the nature of the bigger game of life and what it really means to be a team player, a sister, a daughter, and a born survivor."
Only she doesn't!
She doesn't get to play professionally because she hates being a team player, the epilogue states that she "hasn't talked to her (severely autistic) sister who she spends 90% of the book taking care of or her dad in 12 years, and the only reason she is a "born survivor" is because she puts her soccer career in front of everything and everyone else. By the end of the book she's been through a lot (losing her chance at a soccer career, not finishing college, an attempted rape, the actual rape of her sister, a criminal boyfriend, a deadbeat dad, a dead mom...) and yet I had a really hard time sympathizing with her. She just seemed so selfish (not that that means that she deserved it, but we're talking about a fictional character, not a real human here), and overall very cold. I thought at the very least she loved her sister Pauline...but I guess not.
Ugh. A frustrating read. Not sure why I picked it for my May Amazon First Reads...but I did.
Only she doesn't!
She doesn't get to play professionally because she hates being a team player, the epilogue states that she "hasn't talked to her (severely autistic) sister who she spends 90% of the book taking care of or her dad in 12 years, and the only reason she is a "born survivor" is because she puts her soccer career in front of everything and everyone else. By the end of the book she's been through a lot (losing her chance at a soccer career, not finishing college, an attempted rape, the actual rape of her sister, a criminal boyfriend, a deadbeat dad, a dead mom...) and yet I had a really hard time sympathizing with her. She just seemed so selfish (not that that means that she deserved it, but we're talking about a fictional character, not a real human here), and overall very cold. I thought at the very least she loved her sister Pauline...but I guess not.
Ugh. A frustrating read. Not sure why I picked it for my May Amazon First Reads...but I did.
yerttheturt's review against another edition
3.0
*3.5 I enjoyed! I was a little confused when it talked about soccer and famous people in soccer just because I don’t know anything about that stuff lol. I really enjoyed the passages about Pauline though. It was overall very interesting.