NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
The former middle distance Olympic runner and high-end escort speaks out
for the first time about her battle with mental illness, and how mania
controlled and compelled her in competition, but also in life. This is a
heartbreakingly honest yet hopeful memoir reminiscent of Manic,
Electroboy, and An Unquiet Mind.
During the 1990s, three-time Olympian Suzy Favor Hamilton was the
darling of American track and field. An outstanding runner, a major
sports apparel spokesperson, and a happily married wife, she was the
model for an active, healthy, and wholesome life. But her perfect facade
masked a dark truth: manic depression and bipolar disorder that drove
her obsession to perform and win. For years after leaving the track,
Suzy wrestled with her condition, as well as the loss of a close friend,
conflicted feelings about motherhood and her marriage, and lingering
shame about her athletic career. After a misdiagnosis and a
recommendation for medication that only exacerbated her mania and made
her hypersexual, Suzy embarked on a new path, and assumed a new
identity. Fueled by a newfound confidence, a feeling of strength and
independence and a desire she couldn't tamp down, she became a
high-priced escort in Las Vegas, working as "Kelly."
But Suzy could not keep her double life a secret forever. When it was
eventually exposed, it sent her into a reckless suicidal period where
the only option seemed out. Finally, with the help of her devoted
husband, Suzy finally got the proper medical help she needed. In this
startling frank memoir, she recounts the journey to outrun her demons,
revealing how a woman used to physically controlling her body learned to
come to terms with her unstable mind. It is the story of a how a supreme
competitor scored her most important victory of all--reclaiming her life
from the ravages of an untreated mental illness. Today, thanks to
diagnosis, therapy, Kelly has stepped into the shadows, but Suzy is
building a better life, one day at a time. Sharing her story, Suzy is
determined to raise awareness, provide understanding, and offer
inspiration to others coping with their own challenges.
