It’s Mind Game paperback day. Reminder: I will sign any and all copies you order through Astoria Bookshop. If you order from somewhere else and would like me to mail you a signed bookplate to stick in there, just shoot me your address.
Programming note about the Wilka’s launch event on Tuesday that I mentioned in my last email: It’ll start at 7 p.m. There will be books to buy that I will happily sign and personalize. See you there!
Some reflections on Mind Game
- A year and a half on, it’s more relevant than ever. There are always new stories coming out about athletes on all levels of sports grappling with their mental health and demanding better access to resources from their teams and leagues. Many of you know that I started thinking about this book well before Simone Biles amplified the topic for a global audience at the Tokyo Games in 2021. And that was four years ago now — think of all that’s happened since.
- I still have people reaching out to me to say they’ve found the book and that they or their kid can relate to the experiences I detailed within. People share their stories about the struggle of opening up about mental illness and being taken seriously. I’m very eager to keep reporting and writing stories about this, even as I look ahead toward my next book, Finding Renée Richards.
- Thank you so much to everyone who has bought/read/spread the word about/attended an event for Mind Game. I don’t think it takes anything away from this book to say that it was never likely to hit the bestseller lists or land me on like, idk, Oprah. But that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been successful on its own terms, and that’s because of your help.
Support my best friend’s rad picture book
The extremely talented writer Jordyn Jefferson just launched a Kickstarter to publish her first children’s book! I couldn’t be more excited and proud. Marnie and the Floating Thoughts is about a creative kid learning to harness her ADHD alongside her adorable feline sidekick. The illustrations are by Maya Brown. Please consider supporting this excellent work.