One Life

4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars | 2,059 ratings

Price: 18

Last update: 01-29-2025


About this item

An instant New York Times best seller!

“Rapinoe's 'signature pose' from the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup is synonymous to the feeling we got when finishing this book: heart full, arms wide and ready to take up space in this world.” (USA Today)

Megan Rapinoe, Olympic gold medalist and two-time Women's World Cup champion, reveals for the first time her life both on and off the field. Guided by her personal journey into social justice, brimming with humor, humanity, and joy, she urges all of us to ask ourselves, What will you do with your one life?

Only four years old when she kicked her first soccer ball, Megan Rapinoe developed a love - and clear talent - for the game at a young age. But it was her parents who taught her that winning was much less important than how she lived her life. From childhood on, Rapinoe always did what she could to stand up for what was right - even if it meant going up against people who disagreed.

In One Life, Megan Rapinoe invites readers on a remarkable journey, looking back on both her victories and her failures, and pulls back the curtain on events we know only from the headlines. After the 2011 World Cup, discouraged by how few athletes were open about their sexuality, Rapinoe decided to come out publicly as gay and use her platform to advocate for marriage equality. Recognizing the power she had to bring attention to critical issues, in 2016 she took a knee during the national anthem in solidarity with former NFL player Colin Kaepernick to protest racial injustice and police brutality - the first high-profile white athlete to do so. The backlash was immediate, but it couldn’t compare to the overwhelming support. Rapinoe became a force of change.

Here for the first time, Rapinoe reflects upon some of the most pivotal moments in her life and career - from her realization in college that she was gay, through the disputes with soccer coaches and officials over her decision to kneel, to the first time she met her now-fiancé WNBA champion Sue Bird, and up through suing the US Soccer Federation over gender discrimination and equal pay. Throughout, Rapinoe makes clear the obligation we all have to speak up, and the impact each of us can have on our communities. Deeply personal and inspiring, One Life reveals that real, concrete change lies within all of us, and asks: If we all have the same resource - this one precious life, made up of the decisions we make every day - what are you going to do?

"One Life makes it clear that Rapinoe’s greatest accomplishments may ultimately come away from the soccer pitch. She’s a new kind of American hero." (San Francisco Chronicle)


Top reviews from the United States

  • Maria Carolina
    5.0 out of 5 stars Well written!
    Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2020
    The book is very well written, thanks to the wonderful work of Emma Brockes, a very competent biographer. I like memoirs, I like football and, living in Seattle since 2017, I like Rapinoe a lot. I am Brazilian, so Megan was directly responsible for my greatest sadness as a football fan in 2011, a moment that was narrated in detail in this book.

    Football stories (I'm sorry, Americans, but Soccer is not the name of that sport) are interspersed with Megan's ideals about the world, her strong activism and thoughts about intersectionality. The narrative structure is well constructed and organized. I intercalated between the Kindle book and thee audiobook and strongly recommend the audio version, narrated by Megan herself.

    I share the way Megan sees the world and if there is something she has inspired me to do, is to act. To use my privilege to change. I believe the message that stands out from this book is: Everyone has a platform, no matter how big or small, you can always do something.

    Megan also demonstrates that she still has a lot to mature (and this is ok) - The chapter in which she tells about the experience she had in France is slightly (but obviously not intentionally) intolerant and maybe she needs to understand a little more about introversion. Well, no one is perfect :)

    If you are reading this review and know Megan Rapinoe, please tell her two things:

    1) Read Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain;
    2) Please Megan, stop scoring goals or making unbelievable plays when you are playing against Brazil!
  • Lisa E
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Hat Trick!
    Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2020
    I was expecting to enjoy this book because it’s Megan Rapinoe and I generally align with her. Plus, she seems like an awesome person. I did not expect to LOVE this book. I laughed, cried, felt outraged and hated to see it end. I ended up purchasing the book in every form and I’m looking forward to reading the audiobook because while reading you can hear her voice shining through.

    This book is about so much more than Megan the athlete because she is so much more than an athlete. Her family dynamic (past and present), the way she was Mothered by Mammers, and how she found her voice was so present in this book throughout the chapters. When you hear Megan speak and watch her play, she puts it all out and leaves it all out on the field. That’s exactly what she did in her memoir and I for one found this book relatable.

    Don’t just read the book because it’s trendy and don’t read it to see if you can find a reason to dislike her. Read the book because Megan is human, flawed and honestly one of the most genuine people this world has been graced with. And her love story with Sue Bird is so beautiful. It’s rare to find that kind of love. Congrats to them!

    I highly recommend this one and I’m looking forward to doing a reread this weekend.
  • T. Jones
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, challenging.
    Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2022
    This is very well-written, and were I much younger, I'd have enjoyed it a lot. It is the story of a young white woman, a world-class athlete, bettering herself and those around her as much as she's able as soon as she understands what's needed. Lots of great messages to the privileged and those with big platforms particularly.

    But I am an old. At 10%, I started skimming, having learned many of these lessons already. Skimming means reading first sentences of paragraphs until something grabs my attention, that's where the quotes after 10% came from.

    Really good book. Highly recommended particularly for young people looking for direction and examples and reasons.
  • Amazon Customer DRT
    4.0 out of 5 stars A truthful journey
    Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2021
    Meghan tells it like she and thousands of other lgbt+ people see and experience life. Read and be informed and agree to change your behavior and attitude toward those not like you.
  • PeppyTeche
    5.0 out of 5 stars Open, honest, entertaining, and a fantastic read. Loved it!
    Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2021
    Reading this book was a great experience. You learn about Megan, her family, teammates, but also about her activism for issues she believes in and researches. Loved the story, and her truth. Loved that she told us about her life, coming out, her history with the National team, and her jump into activism. Her research was amazing, and I found myself, diving into the issues she discussed as well. Thank you Megan for your story. If I could hand this book to my 14 year old self, I wonder how different my life could have been. Many may have paved the way, but you showed the world how to stand tall and throw out our arms and be proud of who we are, who we can be, and to fight for issues, that may not be ours but should be.
  • Elizabeth
    5.0 out of 5 stars Megan is superior!
    Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2021
    Listened to Audiobook!

    I don't like to judge memoirs based on the content, as it's the author's personal story, however, how can we not give Megan five stars all around! :)

    Megan touches on everything from moving up through the US women's national soccer team (USWNT) ranks, torn ACLs, and other injuries to balancing college soccer with the USWNT.

    Then of course, she covers her experience fighting for equal pay for the USWNT and women athletes in general. She also talks about her coming-out experience and how hers differed from others in her *family* and on her *soccer teams.*

    She lovingly discusses her and Sue Bird's meeting and escalation to a relationship! <3

    What I loved most though, was Megan addressing racism and her choice to kneel during the National Anthem. She was highly criticized for this move; she explains in great detail what it meant to her and why she did it. Megan admits to being naive to racism and racial bias, as she is a privileged white woman. However, she took ACTION and educated herself on the issues so she could be confident when she took a stand on them. She discusses how natural it is for her to be an advocate for the LGBTQ community and for equal pay, but she had to work harder to know how to speak up about racism. I really respect her for admitting that she needed to do research and work to educate herself like many white Americans need to.

    Thanks for sharing with us, Megan! :)

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