Solo: A Memoir of Hope – The Fearless Story of a World Cup Soccer Icon's Fight for Independence and Redemption

The Glass Castle meets A League of Their Own in Solo, a candid and moving memoir about family, loss, and reconciliation from Hope Solo, the supremely talented, headline-making goalkeeper for the U.S. women’s national soccer team.

During the 2011 Women’s World Cup, Solo became an idol, role model, and sex symbol to a new generation of young American sports enthusiasts, inspiring the kind of intense devotion not seen since the days of Mia Hamm.

An Olympic gold medalist and arguably America’s sexiest athlete, Hope has been featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated (twice), in ESPN: The Magazine, and as a contestant on the hit ABC television show Dancing with the Stars, and her poignant, compelling, and profoundly inspiring personal history will score big with her legion of fans.

For the first time, Hope Solo shares the story behind the headlines—a life far more turbulent and resilient than anyone knew.

• A Difficult Childhood: From a chaotic home life in Richland, Washington, to the pressures of the world stage, Solo’s story is one of raw resilience.
• A Homeless Father: The complex and moving story of her relationship with her father, a charismatic con man who was sometimes homeless but never absent from her heart.
• Behind the Headlines: Solo speaks her mind on the controversies that defined her career, including the infamous 2007 World Cup benching that made her a household name.
• An Inspiring True Story: Follow her journey from a goal-scoring forward to becoming the best goalkeeper in the world and an Olympic gold medalist.

Hope Solo, one of the most charismatic athletes in America, is widely regarded as the best women's goalkeeper in the world. A two-time Olympic gold medalist, she has been a member of the U.S. national team since 2000 and has appeared on the covers of Sports Illustrated and ESPN The Magazine. A prominent spokeswoman for Gatorade and Nike, she starred on the hit reality show Dancing with the Stars. She lives in Seattle, Washington.

Ann Killion is a columnist with the San Francisco Chronicle. She has covered the past ten Olympics and the last three Women's World Cups for SportsIllustrated.com and the San Jose Mercury News.