Welcome to Litsy!

WWE Sneak preview & I‘m crushing on CM Punk‘s bookshelves (well, probably his wife‘s but whatever).

The author is retired WWE wrestler AJ Lee. Coming up in WWE she (and her persona)was a tomboy when the women‘s belt was a pink butterfly. She heavily contributed to the women‘s progress in WWE. There are some fun stories from the industry, but the first half of the book focuses on her childhood and family life. The first chapters, even considering the extreme poverty, reflect her upbringing and sibiling relationships positively
CW: child abuse ⬇️

One of my favorite authors recommended this book so I picked it up and enjoyed it so much. I knew nothing about the author before reading her book. He childhood was powerful to read about and relate to. Following along as she grew up and got successful in professional wrestling was a lot of fun.

✊🏽Excellently discusses mental illness w/unapologetic & honest voice.
✊🏽She draws on her personal experiences to fight negative stigmas associated w/mental illness.
✊🏽Charming & funny voice that‘s engrossing & genuine.
✊🏽Good discourse on lack of equality w/in wrestling between men & women.
✊🏽OFFENSIVE USE OF THE WORD ASEXUAL THAT PERPETUATES IGNORANT, HARMFUL STEREOTYPES THAT I, AS AN ASEXUAL PERSON, FOUND UNACCEPTABLE.
✊🏽3.5/5

The cosiest book stand around. 👍🏽👍🏽

#catsoflitsy

"We were rough around the edges, but that didn‘t make us worthless. Being a little damaged does not make someone broken. It just means they have better stories to tell and cooler scars."

I love this quote. It‘s simple, but very uplifting. 💛💛

#memoirs #positivevibes

Picked this up today & I‘m enjoying it very much. I love how unapologetically honest & candid she is.

#nonfiction #memoirs #wrestling #sports #femaleathletes #diversebooks #ownvoices

i bought this book over a year ago when I was going through a really tough time. I opened up to the dedication and that alone made my heart swell and I cried for about 10 minutes. Being a huge fan of wrestling since I was little AJ Lee was by far my favorite wrestler. She was never afraid to be herself both on and off screen. To this day I still look up to her. This book has gotten me through some tough times. I'll never get tired of it.

I got this free from.. Crown? I guess? Sometime last year? I don't remember, but I finally got to it and just flew through. AJ's just one tough lady who had a hell of a life and BPD and despite it (or really because of it) completed all the things on her 10yr plan & then some. I don't know anything about wrestling, but it's really only the last quarter that goes in depth and it was actually really interesting!

I started this book because I love female memoirs, though I've never seen a wrestling match or heard of AJ Lee. And I'm glad I did, as I found a thoughtful reflection on poverty, mental illness, and the struggles of changing a male-dominated industry.

This is not just a book about wrestling. Wrestling is the last 3rd of the book. This is a book about a woman who grew up extremely poor, had young parents, a mother with psychiatric problems, is a comic and video game nerd, and who still made it out of all that. It is about being true to yourself despite the obstacles. There is also a great section on the horrors of being a woman public figure and how men felt they could treat her.She is funny too

AJ Lee was one of my favorite WWE characters ever. This book covers so many of the things that are important in my life, bipolar disorder, video games, wrestling & feminism. To say I loved this book is an understatement. If it had hockey in it, it would've been the greatest thing ever. This is actually a really good book and I never say that about wrestler memoirs.