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A review by sleightoffeet
Fast Girl: A Life Spent Running from Madness by Suzy Favor Hamilton
4.0
When I picked this book, I thought it would be an interesting read about being an escort in Las Vegas, something you don't get to hear about every day. What I got out of it, was much different. I came a way with new insight about bipolar depression, which my mom suffered from for most of her life.
I was hoping for tawdry details, learning how one becomes an escort after being an Olympian and maybe a funny story about a mishap or two. Instead, I got a real glimpse of the disease that my mom battled and got to learn a little more about why she would do the things she did. Now my mom, was not an escort in Las Vegas, nor an Olympic runner, but she did display a lot of the same behaviors. This helped take away some of the anger I felt toward her, though it is still a process.
It was also interesting to know that her daughter kept her from going even farther than she did, and I can only hope that it was the same for my mother as well.
This isn't the type of book you read for great writing prose, or descriptions that bring the scene to life. It's is told matter of factly, in order to get the information across. And what interesting information it is.
I don't know if I would have liked it as much, had I not had a personal connection with bipolar, but if you have a family member or friend who is or had suffered from it, it might help give you a better understanding.
I was hoping for tawdry details, learning how one becomes an escort after being an Olympian and maybe a funny story about a mishap or two. Instead, I got a real glimpse of the disease that my mom battled and got to learn a little more about why she would do the things she did. Now my mom, was not an escort in Las Vegas, nor an Olympic runner, but she did display a lot of the same behaviors. This helped take away some of the anger I felt toward her, though it is still a process.
It was also interesting to know that her daughter kept her from going even farther than she did, and I can only hope that it was the same for my mother as well.
This isn't the type of book you read for great writing prose, or descriptions that bring the scene to life. It's is told matter of factly, in order to get the information across. And what interesting information it is.
I don't know if I would have liked it as much, had I not had a personal connection with bipolar, but if you have a family member or friend who is or had suffered from it, it might help give you a better understanding.