True: A Novel - Hardcover

Greenfeld, Karl Taro

3.49

888 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1542046831 ISBN 13: 9781542046831

Publisher: Little A, 2018

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A deft and unflinching coming-of-age story about an angry teenage girl and her discovery of the nature of the biggest game of all, and what it really means to be a team player, a sister, a daughter, and a born survivor—from the acclaimed author of Triburbia and Boy Alone.

“It’s a dark and thrilling exploration of changing relationships and rivalries and times the desires of your heart don’t necessarily line up with the expectations of real life.” —Marie Claire

True has a singular path: to be the greatest soccer player of her generation. But to realize her dream, she’ll need to make the Under-17 National Team, then the Residency Program, and the ultimate: the US Women’s National Team. Otherwise she can say goodbye to the Women’s World Cup. And True will do whatever it takes to be the top girl on the field.

True has to stay focused because her family is crumbling. With the loss of her mother, True is forced to take care of her autistic younger sister while her grieving father wastes his time gambling. And high school isn’t much better. While True’s teammates are getting taller and growing up, she’s hardening around the edges, at a loss for what it means to be a typical teen girl. But when she’s in the game, the anxieties of family and fitting in just fade away. True—with her soft feet and deft first touch—can knock anyone off the ball. And more importantly, she can throw an elbow harder than anybody else. On the pitch, she’s a soccer player first, a sister second. On the pitch, she’s free.

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About the Author:

New York Times bestselling author Karl Taro Greenfeld penned the novels The Subprimes and Triburbia, a New York Times Editor’s Choice. His memoir, Boy Alone, was a Washington Post Best Book of the Year. Karl has also written Dr. J: The Autobiography (co-authored with Julius Erving), NowTrends, China Syndrome, Standard Deviations, and Speed Tribes. His prizewinning writing has appeared in Harper’s Magazine, the Atlantic, the Paris Review, Vogue, GQ, the New York Times, The Best American Short Stories, The Best American Sports Writing, The Best American Nonrequired Reading, The Best American Travel Writing, The Best Creative Nonfiction, The O. Henry Prize Stories, and others. His books have been translated into twelve languages.

Karl currently lives in California with his wife and two daughters—both of whom played youth soccer with neither distinction nor enthusiasm.

Review:

“Greenfeld’s dynamic writing is infectious; his deeply flawed heroine is as compelling as she is damaged.” —Booklist

“An emotionally raw but engaging story of a woman who recognizes that her gift can help her escape.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Greenfeld’s writing gives off a vibe of a YA sports story full of off-the-field conflicts, including questionable decisions about sex. Trudy is a conflicted protagonist who will draw sympathy from readers, but others may find her someone they love to hate.” —Library Journal

“It’s a dark and thrilling exploration of changing relationships and rivalries and times the desires of your heart don't necessarily line up with the expectations of real life.” —Marie Claire

“Greenfeld has created a compelling teenage antiheroine, whose rage and passion elevate the novel beyond a traditional coming-of-age story...As Greenfeld traces her trajectory to become one of the world’s best soccer players, he keys into her disappointments, fears, and anxiety in ways that are profound and universal.” —National Book Review

“True, the new novel by Karl Taro Greenfeld, does an absolutely fantastic job of blending two seemingly disparate qualities: the title character (and the book’s narrator) can be detached and analytical while observing her life, but is also capable of deeply visceral acts as she makes her way through the world of women’s soccer in the late 1990s. As she balances a fractious home life with a skill for the game, her amount of internal tension approaches critical levels, leading to a series of harrowing episodes.” —Vol. 1 Brooklyn

“Karl Taro Greenfeld’s novel about home and ambition follows the story of Trudy, known to all of her friends as ‘True’. Obsessed with soccer and wanting to eventually join the US women’s national soccer team, True must navigate a series of setbacks, in addition to coming to terms with her own place in the world.” —The Margins

“Karl Taro Greenfeld’s novel True is a dark and compelling coming of age story.” —Largehearted Boy

“This book broke my heart and put it back together again. This isn’t just about the culture of high-stakes, highly competitive youth sports; True is about how friendship grows into rivalry, the powerful conflict between ambition and image, and the responsibilities to family pitted against responsibility to the whims and desires of your own heart. I was rooting for True through every suspenseful and chaotic page; believe me, you will too.” —Charles Bock, bestselling author of Alice & Oliver

“I can’t recall the last time I encountered a narrator as compelling as True. She is as strong as she is vulnerable and as talented as she is isolated and as single-minded as she is reckless. Have you ever wanted anything so badly that you broke bones for it? This is the story of that kind of want, the point at which drive and desire collude, commiserate, combust. And the prose. Karl Taro Greenfeld writes with a disarming, almost subversive intimacy that will own you from the very first page. I want this book in the hands of every reader I know. Yes. It’s that good.” —Jill Alexander Essbaum, author of New York Times bestselling novel Hausfrau

“True is a dark and lively ode to the single-minded dedication required of greatness, a Black Swan on the pitch. I couldn't put it down.” —Amelia Gray, author of Isadora and Gutshot: Stories

“There’s only one thing you can say after reading True: Karl Taro Greenfeld is one of the best writers around. Get ready. This book will destroy you.” —Scott McClanahan, author of The Sarah Book

“Greenfeld writes from the perspective of a young woman with ease and believability; there are no false notes here, not a single moment that I didn’t feel completely invested in, and half in love with, True. True feels as if it were written in a dream, as if Greenfeld was only there to transcribe it, which is what every writer hopes to achieve in a novel.” —Mary Miller, author of Big World, The Last Days of California, and Always Happy Hour

“True held me in thrall as I followed its namesake narrator from girlhood to adulthood. With so many coming-of-age stories showcasing characters searching for themselves, True knows exactly who she is. It’s the rest of her world—father, sister, coach, teammates, lovers—that expects more from her, that expects her to fall in line as countless girls and women before her have done. This is a heartbreaking, riveting tale of what it is to be yourself, no matter what.” —Lindsay Hunter, author of Ugly Girls, Don’t Kiss Me, and Eat Only When You’re Hungry

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