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Coming Home
Win a free print copy of this book!
9 days and 10:50:48
15 copies available
U.S. only
10 hours, 36 minutes
From the nine-time women’s basketball icon and two-time Olympic gold medalist—a raw, revelatory account of her unfathomable detainment in Russia and her journey home.
On February 17, 2022, Brittney Griner arrived in Moscow ready to spend the WNBA offseason playing for the Russian women’s basketball team where she had been the centerpiece of previous championship seasons. Instead, a security checkpoint became her gateway to hell when she was arrested for mistakenly carrying under one gram of medically prescribed hash oil. Brittney’s world was violently upended in a crisis she has never spoken in detail about publicly—until now.
In Coming Home, Brittney finally shares the harrowing details of her sudden arrest days before Russia invaded Ukraine; her bewilderment and isolation while navigating a foreign legal system amid her trial and sentencing; her emotional and physical anguish as the first American woman ever to endure a Russian penal colony while the #WeAreBG movement rallied for her release; the chilling prisoner swap with Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout; and her remarkable rise from hostage to global spokesperson on behalf of America’s forgotten. In haunting and vivid detail, Brittney takes listeners inside the horrors of a geopolitical nightmare spanning ten months.
And yet Coming Home is more than Brittney’s journey from captivity to freedom. In an account as gripping as it is poignant, she shares how her deep love for Cherelle, her college sweetheart and wife of six years, anchored her during their greatest storm; how her family’s support pulled her back from the brink; and how hundreds of letters from friends and neighbors lent her resolve to keep fighting. Coming Home is both a story of survival and a testament to love—the bonds that brought Brittney home to her family, and at last, to herself.
From the nine-time women’s basketball icon and two-time Olympic gold medalist—a raw, revelatory account of her unfathomable detainment in Russia and her journey home.
On February 17, 2022, Brittney Griner arrived in Moscow ready to spend the WNBA offseason playing for the Russian women’s basketball team where she had been the centerpiece of previous championship seasons. Instead, a security checkpoint became her gateway to hell when she was arrested for mistakenly carrying under one gram of medically prescribed hash oil. Brittney’s world was violently upended in a crisis she has never spoken in detail about publicly—until now.
In Coming Home, Brittney finally shares the harrowing details of her sudden arrest days before Russia invaded Ukraine; her bewilderment and isolation while navigating a foreign legal system amid her trial and sentencing; her emotional and physical anguish as the first American woman ever to endure a Russian penal colony while the #WeAreBG movement rallied for her release; the chilling prisoner swap with Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout; and her remarkable rise from hostage to global spokesperson on behalf of America’s forgotten. In haunting and vivid detail, Brittney takes listeners inside the horrors of a geopolitical nightmare spanning ten months.
And yet Coming Home is more than Brittney’s journey from captivity to freedom. In an account as gripping as it is poignant, she shares how her deep love for Cherelle, her college sweetheart and wife of six years, anchored her during their greatest storm; how her family’s support pulled her back from the brink; and how hundreds of letters from friends and neighbors lent her resolve to keep fighting. Coming Home is both a story of survival and a testament to love—the bonds that brought Brittney home to her family, and at last, to herself.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 7, 2024
550 people are currently reading
20363 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,337 reviews
May 17, 2024
I was surprised by how much I liked this book (I read on audio). The story is well told and gives the reader what they're looking for in terms of Griner's experiences in Russia. I think this book is aiming toward a very wide audience and at times tries to really explain things (like racism, Black women's hair, queer identity) that feels very basic. I also think Griner was not allowed to divulge center information and also wasn't privy to other things so there are gaps. It is a very smooth and clear narrative that I was engaged with from start to finish.
September 29, 2024
4.5 Stars
"The system put a mark on us. You're not the same as everyone else. And nobody ever asked who we were. As Black and Brown people, it's as if we were born guilty."
-Yuself Salaam of the Exonerated Five
I'm old so I remember when the WNBA started. I was a little kid and I was super excited about it. I loved basketball and I love supporting women. I used to watch it all the time but I haven't watched any basketball of any gender in years but I still recognize the big stars. So when Britteny Griner was held hostage by Russia I was shocked by how this happen to such a big star.
Russia and the United States are not exactly besties. Our countries have had its ups and downs throughout history and currently its very down. So on February 17, 2022 when BG was detained for have 2 cannabis vape pens with 0.2 grams and 0.5 grams respectively. Even here in Kentucky where Weed is still illegal that amount won't get you arrested. It was clear that she was being held for not the crime she was charged with but for political reasons.
Coming Home is about the Hell BG went through in those prisons but the mental anguish she continues deal with till this day. It's a heartbreaking read but it also will make you smile. BG and her wife Relle are the strongest people on Earth. Relle didn't stop fighting everyday until they she was able to bring BG home. Russia is still holding another American Paul Whelan who may or may not be a spy but should definitely be brought back home regardless.
I could have read this book faster but I think I'm heading into a reading slump. Don't let my slow reading pace stop you from picking this book up. It's an important read and BG is a funny and nice person who is always trying to become a better person.
"The system put a mark on us. You're not the same as everyone else. And nobody ever asked who we were. As Black and Brown people, it's as if we were born guilty."
-Yuself Salaam of the Exonerated Five
I'm old so I remember when the WNBA started. I was a little kid and I was super excited about it. I loved basketball and I love supporting women. I used to watch it all the time but I haven't watched any basketball of any gender in years but I still recognize the big stars. So when Britteny Griner was held hostage by Russia I was shocked by how this happen to such a big star.
Russia and the United States are not exactly besties. Our countries have had its ups and downs throughout history and currently its very down. So on February 17, 2022 when BG was detained for have 2 cannabis vape pens with 0.2 grams and 0.5 grams respectively. Even here in Kentucky where Weed is still illegal that amount won't get you arrested. It was clear that she was being held for not the crime she was charged with but for political reasons.
Coming Home is about the Hell BG went through in those prisons but the mental anguish she continues deal with till this day. It's a heartbreaking read but it also will make you smile. BG and her wife Relle are the strongest people on Earth. Relle didn't stop fighting everyday until they she was able to bring BG home. Russia is still holding another American Paul Whelan who may or may not be a spy but should definitely be brought back home regardless.
I could have read this book faster but I think I'm heading into a reading slump. Don't let my slow reading pace stop you from picking this book up. It's an important read and BG is a funny and nice person who is always trying to become a better person.
May 23, 2024
Wow. Just wow. I am in awe of BG’s grace, strength, clarity, faith, and moral conviction as she shared her story in her own words with the world. BG is a role model and queer trailblazer and feel such gratitude that she has shared her story with the public.
This memoir is a candid pulling back of the curtain of BG’s experience of being wrongfully detained in Russia and the challenges she’s faced upon her return. I wept at countless points throughout, but the humor and wit woven throughout made me laugh out loud at others.
As someone who followed BG’s detainment closely from the US, wrote letters and prayed daily, it was deeply emotional to read all of the moments that made the news in the US: her re-classification as wrongfully detained, her trial dates, her plea, the state department missing BG’s phone call to Cherelle, from BG’s perspective.
I was deeply moved by BG’s friendship with Alena and the way she wrote of all the relationships she built while wrongfully detained. I was struck by the candor in which BG shared her struggles with PTSD and adjusting to life after returning to the US.
What a gift it is for all of us that BG chose to share her story.
This memoir is a candid pulling back of the curtain of BG’s experience of being wrongfully detained in Russia and the challenges she’s faced upon her return. I wept at countless points throughout, but the humor and wit woven throughout made me laugh out loud at others.
As someone who followed BG’s detainment closely from the US, wrote letters and prayed daily, it was deeply emotional to read all of the moments that made the news in the US: her re-classification as wrongfully detained, her trial dates, her plea, the state department missing BG’s phone call to Cherelle, from BG’s perspective.
I was deeply moved by BG’s friendship with Alena and the way she wrote of all the relationships she built while wrongfully detained. I was struck by the candor in which BG shared her struggles with PTSD and adjusting to life after returning to the US.
What a gift it is for all of us that BG chose to share her story.
July 17, 2024
I noticed people fawning over this with a deluge of overwhelming praise and high ratings, and wondered why. Being quite familiar with the subject’s escapades, on and off court, I wasn’t buying it. With no intention of ever reviewing this book initially, I read a very long — maybe 30 + pages as I recall —sample of this. It was exactly what I expected, and that’s not good.
Seven words into this victim embracing book, we of course get the F-bomb, and in a couple of pages it quickly becomes clear this is going to be a “poor little me” memoir of this person embracing their victimhood, while shirking and ignoring all accountability for her own actions.
Everyone pretty much knows about the bigger international scandal, but perhaps not the “Glorious” domestic fiasco among a segment of society (LGBTQ) with astronomical rates of abuse and domestic violence; most notably within the lesbian community. This is often swept under the rug by the woke left in favor of targeting men — Black and White and Hispanic men — but especially White men — in campaigns to end domestic violence. Yet there is nary a peep about the community with the highest rates of abuse and violence, because statistics and honesty is too politically incorrect to mention for the left, but quite politically expedient to ignore. Just blame men in general, especially White males. Makes you wonder if the woke and the WNBA community cares more about pushing an agenda and narrative than they actually do about the real issue, doesn’t it?
On the larger, more recent, and far more infamous scandal in this player’s life, which is the main subject of this overpraised book, only PREFERENTIAL, PRIORITIZED treatment entirely BECAUSE of who Brittney Griner is, and the “lettered” groups she speaks for who came to her defense with social and political pressure, got her out of that jam, but at a tremendous cost.
Anyone with a modicum of common sense, living in the real world, starts rolling their eyes when Brittney Griner begins painting herself as a victim right from the outset of the book. I decided I’d had enough after the very long sampling; I don’t need to read more of the same to discern this is a snow-job all the way. Whether that’s ideological to the point of being lefty-cult-like in nature, or just someone young and immature being enabled and applauded by the woke and militant WNBA culture, remains to be seen.
What any honest and evenhanded person has to ask themselves prior to making an attempt to tackle Coming Home, is this:
Had a fictitious, hypothetical NBA player — we’ll call him Larry Stockton — pled guilty to disorderly conduct after a well publicized domestic fight with his soon to be pregnant girlfriend — one that reportedly involved wrestling, punches, biting, and throwing and swinging objects at each other — and been ordered by the court to complete 26 weeks of domestic violence counseling, would the same folks heaping praise here on Griner and her book be bringing that up about old Larry, and have an entirely different take on this for Stockton, him being a White heterosexual male in the NBA?
Everyone knows the honest answer is a resounding, YES they would, you BET they would. They’d be foaming at the mouth, protesting Larry Stockton all over the place, and probably try to “cancel” him (which is simply trying to bully someone into adopting your position), as the woke left SO loves to do, while hypocritically railing against, you know, bullying. You can’t make this stuff up, which is why people are fed up with the angry, PC, Woke, “Progressive” movement who demonizes anybody who doesn’t agree with them, and takes no responsibility for the often tragic fallout.
Let’s parallel this scenario further down the road, and say NBA player Larry Stockton had later been arrogant enough, or forgetful enough, to carelessly pack hash oil and vape cartridges in his luggage when entering a foreign country.
{Frankly, that’s tough for me to buy in Griner’s case, since she had apparently been to Russia before, and had to be aware of the controlled substance laws (she should thank her lucky stars it wasn’t Indonesia she was entering)}.
After an international fuss no other citizen would have garnered, old Larry is finally rescued from his own folly by his country’s government in a swap for a guy known as “The Merchant of Death”. Larry then chooses to write — or perhaps have ghostwritten — a book about it, portraying himself as a victim.
Would the same folks loving and praising Griner’s book have quite a different take on the fictitious White, heterosexual NBA star Larry Stockton, whose only connection to lettered communities is maybe belonging to the NRA? You BETCHA they would, it really isn’t even arguable.
But let’s suppose Larry Stockton were a Black or Hispanic or Asian NBA player, heterosexual, Christian, and he won’t refuse to come out for the Anthem because he deems it disrespectful, despite being against endless wars and many other things? How would that version of Larry make out in these scenarios? Not much better than White Larry, that’s how. Because it’s about far more than that.
The blatant hypocrisy and misandry is strong in today’s leftist woke activists and radical feminists with their angry, violent, incendiary rhetoric — off the charts strong. If the flimsy argument made for Larry Stockton being anointed as an iconic hero and victim, being lauded as a trail-blazing “role” model, doesn’t make sense — and it doesn’t — then as Dave Chappelle said about another hot-button issue, maybe this entire argument doesn’t make sense. In fact, it seems pretty delusional.
That has nothing to do with race or gender, it is simply common sense, and a truthful observation shared by the millions who won’t be buying this book because they’ve seen enough and heard enough already to know what the deal is with this. But that’s something the woke loathe. They try to cancel/bully you for having an opinion based on facts, applying your own personal values and standards for conduct. If your conclusion is different from their own, all you’ll get is an angry cacophony of vitriol and hate, name calling or deadly silence, the black-balling cold shoulder for not kneeling to their absurd wishes to remake society in an image contrary to your own personal values and moral center.
I don’t have to agree with someone’s lifestyle and/or actions to still have a degree of sympathy, even empathy, for another human being in an awful situation. Your instincts are to feel compassion. But this embracing of victimhood for the end result of terrible actions brought about by a chosen lifestyle, and by ignoring all common sense, while at the same time being so preachy about both, just doesn’t cut it for me — nor does it I suspect, for the millions upon millions of others commonly referred to as the silent majority.
Coming Home does, however, highlight the social activism and mindset of much of the WNBA league, which Black sportswriter Jason Whitlock has pointed out time and again. This book in fact seems to be — from my long but admittedly incomplete sampling — a kind of microcosm of the biggest reason people don’t watch the WNBA, which has needed to be subsidized by the NBA (dreaded MEN) for decades because it’s been such a money-losing venture. That won’t change, until the WNBA ceases to be about gender and social activism more than it’s about basketball…
Only one star, because zero stars is not an option.
Seven words into this victim embracing book, we of course get the F-bomb, and in a couple of pages it quickly becomes clear this is going to be a “poor little me” memoir of this person embracing their victimhood, while shirking and ignoring all accountability for her own actions.
Everyone pretty much knows about the bigger international scandal, but perhaps not the “Glorious” domestic fiasco among a segment of society (LGBTQ) with astronomical rates of abuse and domestic violence; most notably within the lesbian community. This is often swept under the rug by the woke left in favor of targeting men — Black and White and Hispanic men — but especially White men — in campaigns to end domestic violence. Yet there is nary a peep about the community with the highest rates of abuse and violence, because statistics and honesty is too politically incorrect to mention for the left, but quite politically expedient to ignore. Just blame men in general, especially White males. Makes you wonder if the woke and the WNBA community cares more about pushing an agenda and narrative than they actually do about the real issue, doesn’t it?
On the larger, more recent, and far more infamous scandal in this player’s life, which is the main subject of this overpraised book, only PREFERENTIAL, PRIORITIZED treatment entirely BECAUSE of who Brittney Griner is, and the “lettered” groups she speaks for who came to her defense with social and political pressure, got her out of that jam, but at a tremendous cost.
Anyone with a modicum of common sense, living in the real world, starts rolling their eyes when Brittney Griner begins painting herself as a victim right from the outset of the book. I decided I’d had enough after the very long sampling; I don’t need to read more of the same to discern this is a snow-job all the way. Whether that’s ideological to the point of being lefty-cult-like in nature, or just someone young and immature being enabled and applauded by the woke and militant WNBA culture, remains to be seen.
What any honest and evenhanded person has to ask themselves prior to making an attempt to tackle Coming Home, is this:
Had a fictitious, hypothetical NBA player — we’ll call him Larry Stockton — pled guilty to disorderly conduct after a well publicized domestic fight with his soon to be pregnant girlfriend — one that reportedly involved wrestling, punches, biting, and throwing and swinging objects at each other — and been ordered by the court to complete 26 weeks of domestic violence counseling, would the same folks heaping praise here on Griner and her book be bringing that up about old Larry, and have an entirely different take on this for Stockton, him being a White heterosexual male in the NBA?
Everyone knows the honest answer is a resounding, YES they would, you BET they would. They’d be foaming at the mouth, protesting Larry Stockton all over the place, and probably try to “cancel” him (which is simply trying to bully someone into adopting your position), as the woke left SO loves to do, while hypocritically railing against, you know, bullying. You can’t make this stuff up, which is why people are fed up with the angry, PC, Woke, “Progressive” movement who demonizes anybody who doesn’t agree with them, and takes no responsibility for the often tragic fallout.
Let’s parallel this scenario further down the road, and say NBA player Larry Stockton had later been arrogant enough, or forgetful enough, to carelessly pack hash oil and vape cartridges in his luggage when entering a foreign country.
{Frankly, that’s tough for me to buy in Griner’s case, since she had apparently been to Russia before, and had to be aware of the controlled substance laws (she should thank her lucky stars it wasn’t Indonesia she was entering)}.
After an international fuss no other citizen would have garnered, old Larry is finally rescued from his own folly by his country’s government in a swap for a guy known as “The Merchant of Death”. Larry then chooses to write — or perhaps have ghostwritten — a book about it, portraying himself as a victim.
Would the same folks loving and praising Griner’s book have quite a different take on the fictitious White, heterosexual NBA star Larry Stockton, whose only connection to lettered communities is maybe belonging to the NRA? You BETCHA they would, it really isn’t even arguable.
But let’s suppose Larry Stockton were a Black or Hispanic or Asian NBA player, heterosexual, Christian, and he won’t refuse to come out for the Anthem because he deems it disrespectful, despite being against endless wars and many other things? How would that version of Larry make out in these scenarios? Not much better than White Larry, that’s how. Because it’s about far more than that.
The blatant hypocrisy and misandry is strong in today’s leftist woke activists and radical feminists with their angry, violent, incendiary rhetoric — off the charts strong. If the flimsy argument made for Larry Stockton being anointed as an iconic hero and victim, being lauded as a trail-blazing “role” model, doesn’t make sense — and it doesn’t — then as Dave Chappelle said about another hot-button issue, maybe this entire argument doesn’t make sense. In fact, it seems pretty delusional.
That has nothing to do with race or gender, it is simply common sense, and a truthful observation shared by the millions who won’t be buying this book because they’ve seen enough and heard enough already to know what the deal is with this. But that’s something the woke loathe. They try to cancel/bully you for having an opinion based on facts, applying your own personal values and standards for conduct. If your conclusion is different from their own, all you’ll get is an angry cacophony of vitriol and hate, name calling or deadly silence, the black-balling cold shoulder for not kneeling to their absurd wishes to remake society in an image contrary to your own personal values and moral center.
I don’t have to agree with someone’s lifestyle and/or actions to still have a degree of sympathy, even empathy, for another human being in an awful situation. Your instincts are to feel compassion. But this embracing of victimhood for the end result of terrible actions brought about by a chosen lifestyle, and by ignoring all common sense, while at the same time being so preachy about both, just doesn’t cut it for me — nor does it I suspect, for the millions upon millions of others commonly referred to as the silent majority.
Coming Home does, however, highlight the social activism and mindset of much of the WNBA league, which Black sportswriter Jason Whitlock has pointed out time and again. This book in fact seems to be — from my long but admittedly incomplete sampling — a kind of microcosm of the biggest reason people don’t watch the WNBA, which has needed to be subsidized by the NBA (dreaded MEN) for decades because it’s been such a money-losing venture. That won’t change, until the WNBA ceases to be about gender and social activism more than it’s about basketball…
Only one star, because zero stars is not an option.
May 27, 2024
Coming Home is a heartbreaking and inspiring story of resilience, strength, survival, and hope. Not only did Brittney have to endure being a prisoner in Russia under inhumane conditions but she also faced horrible discrimination for being black, gay, and an American. Following Brittney’s journey from being arrested in Russia, to awaiting her trial/sentencing in jail, to a labor camp, and finally to freedom and her struggles to adjust back home was such an emotional rollercoaster.
Brittney is such an amazing role model and I am astounded by her grace and humility. Since her release, she has worked with the BOFH (Bring Our Families Home) campaign and used her platform to bring awareness to all those who are unjustly detained overseas. Her story is a reminder of all the Americans who are political prisoners around the world like Paul Whelan who are still imprisoned in Russia and how we should not forget them.
I listened to the audiobook version (which was phenomenal) of Coming Home which was read mostly by Andia Winslow but Brittney read the prologue, epilogue, and acknowledgments.
Coming Home by Brittney Griner was published on May 7 so it is available now. Many thanks to Penguin Random House Audio for the gifted audiobook!
Brittney is such an amazing role model and I am astounded by her grace and humility. Since her release, she has worked with the BOFH (Bring Our Families Home) campaign and used her platform to bring awareness to all those who are unjustly detained overseas. Her story is a reminder of all the Americans who are political prisoners around the world like Paul Whelan who are still imprisoned in Russia and how we should not forget them.
I listened to the audiobook version (which was phenomenal) of Coming Home which was read mostly by Andia Winslow but Brittney read the prologue, epilogue, and acknowledgments.
Coming Home by Brittney Griner was published on May 7 so it is available now. Many thanks to Penguin Random House Audio for the gifted audiobook!
September 19, 2024
I was vaguely aware that Brittney Griner was a player on the women's pro basketball team, the Phoenix Mercury. But when she was arrested in Russia in early 2022, she was front and center in the news headlines around the world. I was mostly interested in reading about her experience in Russia, but I discovered that it was about so much more than that. She talks about her family, the influences of her parents, and how difficult it was growing up being so much taller than the other kids and not looking like the average girl. It doesn't take long before she gets into her arrest in Russia. She's very honest and detailed in her writing. She accepted full responsibility for her actions which led to her arrest and never played the victim card. Incarceration in Russia is no joke- the fact that she survived as long as she did is a testament to her strength of character. After being traded and returned to the U.S., she talks about the difficulties of her physical training to get back to basketball, dealing with PTSD issues, the challenges of reuniting with her wife, and so much more. Highly recommend! – Kristine E.
July 6, 2024
I enjoy a good story of someone overcoming adversity. This is an inspiring one. The shock and horrors of Russian prisons is even worse than I imagined.
June 8, 2024
Wow.
I remember walking down Fountain Mall on my way to class, and seeing Brittney Griner for the first time on Baylor’s campus. I remember thinking “now that is power and strength embodied; what must it be like to walk around with everyone always seeing you?”
This book broke my heart and put it back together again. What a powerful story of one mistake completely changing your path in life and how you have to forgive yourself in order to fully heal.
She owed no one this story, but I hope that similarly to how she listed every hostage that is still out there, this book sheds light on the stories of so many other people locked up abroad.
I remember walking down Fountain Mall on my way to class, and seeing Brittney Griner for the first time on Baylor’s campus. I remember thinking “now that is power and strength embodied; what must it be like to walk around with everyone always seeing you?”
This book broke my heart and put it back together again. What a powerful story of one mistake completely changing your path in life and how you have to forgive yourself in order to fully heal.
She owed no one this story, but I hope that similarly to how she listed every hostage that is still out there, this book sheds light on the stories of so many other people locked up abroad.
May 9, 2024
You will never read another story like Brittney Griner’s. A professional basketball player, a Black lesbian, imprisoned in Russia for 293 days. Her memoir is a vulnerable account of a harrowing experience and her struggles after coming home - the residual effect of being an inmate in a gulag (labor camp). Griner’s strength and fortitude, scaffolded by her loving partner and family, is a testament to the power of the human spirit.
May 14, 2024
I am a Baylor alum and an ardent athletic supporter. I was a student when the women’s basketball team won their first national championship and followed along during their historic 40-0 season. Brittney Griner is responsible for a large part of Baylor’s rise to success (no thanks to coach Kim Mulkey—their tension post-college is not a well-kept secret), but I will admit that I had mixed feelings about some of her choices after she stopped playing for Baylor (kneeling during the anthem, drug use, etc.). However, after reading her harrowing, traumatic story of her 10 months spent in a Russian prison, I realize that much of what I thought about BG was influenced by the media and not actually factual. Her memoir of her fight to come home is gripping, maddening, uplifting, and inspiring.
To supplement her WNBA Phoenix Mercury income (a pay disparity from the NBA that is a whole separate story), Griner spent several months of each year playing basketball abroad. China, Italy, and Russia are popular markets for American athletes. The morning of her flight to start her season in Russia, she was in a rush and forgot to remove two small cartridges of cannabis oil from her duffel bag. She has doctor’s approval to use medical cannabis, but in a lockdown country like Russia, even the gram that she had was cause for arrest. Her detainment, incarceration, and complete violation of human rights was an atrocity for months on end. Because of her celebrity, she was used as a pawn in negotiations between Russia and the US for potential prisoner exchanges, but the time and the toll on her mental health almost cost her the ultimate price.
Griner endured her months away in the most inhumane and humiliating conditions by making the correct friends in prison, learning not to trust certain people, leaning on her talented Russian lawyers, renewing her faith (she devotes an entire chapter to her deepening faith, often quoting entire passages of Scripture that were meaningful to her in that time), and especially her family who worked tirelessly to keep her name and cause front and center. Her wife, Cherelle, graduated from law school and passed the bar exam during the time BG was gone and became close friends with President and Dr. Biden. Griner’s eventual release came at the controversial cost of a well-known Russian arms dealer and did not include the release of longtime detainee Paul Whelan. In the time since her release she has continued to be an advocate for the release of those unfairly detained internationally and has used her voice to amplify their stories.
BG’s story is sad and powerful and difficult to read. I was hopeful that she would narrate it, but she chose a wonderful narrator and voiced the prologue and afterword (which takes 30 minutes to explain all the examples of detainees abroad and ways people can help advocate for their release). Listening to her story gave me some new perspective and opened my mind even more about her plight. She is someone’s daughter, spouse, sister, cousin, teammate, and friend. Her celebrity status might have helped her story become widespread more easily, but using her voice to continue to fight the atrocities and tragedies others face is the silver lining from such a dark time.
To supplement her WNBA Phoenix Mercury income (a pay disparity from the NBA that is a whole separate story), Griner spent several months of each year playing basketball abroad. China, Italy, and Russia are popular markets for American athletes. The morning of her flight to start her season in Russia, she was in a rush and forgot to remove two small cartridges of cannabis oil from her duffel bag. She has doctor’s approval to use medical cannabis, but in a lockdown country like Russia, even the gram that she had was cause for arrest. Her detainment, incarceration, and complete violation of human rights was an atrocity for months on end. Because of her celebrity, she was used as a pawn in negotiations between Russia and the US for potential prisoner exchanges, but the time and the toll on her mental health almost cost her the ultimate price.
Griner endured her months away in the most inhumane and humiliating conditions by making the correct friends in prison, learning not to trust certain people, leaning on her talented Russian lawyers, renewing her faith (she devotes an entire chapter to her deepening faith, often quoting entire passages of Scripture that were meaningful to her in that time), and especially her family who worked tirelessly to keep her name and cause front and center. Her wife, Cherelle, graduated from law school and passed the bar exam during the time BG was gone and became close friends with President and Dr. Biden. Griner’s eventual release came at the controversial cost of a well-known Russian arms dealer and did not include the release of longtime detainee Paul Whelan. In the time since her release she has continued to be an advocate for the release of those unfairly detained internationally and has used her voice to amplify their stories.
BG’s story is sad and powerful and difficult to read. I was hopeful that she would narrate it, but she chose a wonderful narrator and voiced the prologue and afterword (which takes 30 minutes to explain all the examples of detainees abroad and ways people can help advocate for their release). Listening to her story gave me some new perspective and opened my mind even more about her plight. She is someone’s daughter, spouse, sister, cousin, teammate, and friend. Her celebrity status might have helped her story become widespread more easily, but using her voice to continue to fight the atrocities and tragedies others face is the silver lining from such a dark time.
October 4, 2024
4.5 stars
I am basically new to woman's basketball. Basketball was never a game I paid much attention to after leaving high school, and especially not to the women's side of it. I knew who Brittney Griner was and that she played basketball, but I was not a follower.
However all that changed this last year. Having caught onto the Caitlin Clark bandwagon as she transferred from college to pro ball, I became a big WNBA fan. Which in turn made me more curious as to who some of the other players were. Although not on the same team as Clark, Griner is a competitor, and I knew she had been detained in Russia, but I knew little about it. I also knew she had brought out a biography and I decided to read it.
And I am happy that I did. I remember the news stories about her detainment in Russia and the portion of the talks about trading prisoners that was released to the public. I remember seeing her on the news when her plane touched down in the United States. However it took reading the book to fully understand what she had actually gone through while she was detained.
I came away from this book with a whole new appreciation for the individual rights that I have in the US and the fact that they are something that must be maintained. Griner overall had it fairly easy. She was humiliated, but never tortured. She was afraid, as anyone would be, but she held her own and found ways to cope.
I cannot imagine losing my "United States given" rights. When detained in a foreign country, our 'rights' mean nothing. A person is stripped clean of any and all rights we possess in the US. You are at
the mercy of wherever you are detained, and it is usually not to your benefit. This book gives you the chance to see what it is like to live under the rule of a dictator and to make sure that it never happens in the US, least we end up living like the Russian society.
I am basically new to woman's basketball. Basketball was never a game I paid much attention to after leaving high school, and especially not to the women's side of it. I knew who Brittney Griner was and that she played basketball, but I was not a follower.
However all that changed this last year. Having caught onto the Caitlin Clark bandwagon as she transferred from college to pro ball, I became a big WNBA fan. Which in turn made me more curious as to who some of the other players were. Although not on the same team as Clark, Griner is a competitor, and I knew she had been detained in Russia, but I knew little about it. I also knew she had brought out a biography and I decided to read it.
And I am happy that I did. I remember the news stories about her detainment in Russia and the portion of the talks about trading prisoners that was released to the public. I remember seeing her on the news when her plane touched down in the United States. However it took reading the book to fully understand what she had actually gone through while she was detained.
I came away from this book with a whole new appreciation for the individual rights that I have in the US and the fact that they are something that must be maintained. Griner overall had it fairly easy. She was humiliated, but never tortured. She was afraid, as anyone would be, but she held her own and found ways to cope.
I cannot imagine losing my "United States given" rights. When detained in a foreign country, our 'rights' mean nothing. A person is stripped clean of any and all rights we possess in the US. You are at
the mercy of wherever you are detained, and it is usually not to your benefit. This book gives you the chance to see what it is like to live under the rule of a dictator and to make sure that it never happens in the US, least we end up living like the Russian society.
June 9, 2024
If I went to Russia and got arrested, I wouldn't be rescued. Neither should anyone else. The gall to write a book about it and capitalize on it is just beyond the pale.
Hope she didn't rub it in the face of the journalist that is still trapped there, but she very likely did. The "Merchant of Death" for one woman. What a poor bargain.
Hope she didn't rub it in the face of the journalist that is still trapped there, but she very likely did. The "Merchant of Death" for one woman. What a poor bargain.
February 17, 2025
I love basketball. I really love women's basketball. But because I don't really watch the news, I hadn't known about Griner's ordeal until she was nearly released. Her experience makes me never want to visit Russia for any reason, even as a tourist. I felt safer in China. I felt safer in Myanmar.
I'm so sorry for all she went through. I'm sure it'll take a long time to recover, but it sounds like she's doing a lot of hard work to get there. I'd like to say that she'll be stronger for it all, but that's not for me to say. I'd like to think she'll leverage her imprisonment to fight for others wrongfully imprisoned like so many others who have been released. But again, it's not for me to say. It's her life. All I want to say is that while I'd love to see her back on the court for a few more seasons, I mostly hope she and her family find happiness, that she finds total healing, and that she maintains her health.
PS, despite the recent executive order regarding gender definition and identity, they are 100% wrong, and it is NEVER ok to wonder about someone's gender. Their gender is theirs to define based on how they identify and relate to the world. In this case, Brittney Griner is a woman who's been subjected to a lot of harassment and humiliation because she presents less femininely than most and because of her stature. Even if she was trans, cross dressing, gender neutrally dressed, whatever - it DOES NOT MATTER, and it is NO ONE's business but hers.
I'm so sorry for all she went through. I'm sure it'll take a long time to recover, but it sounds like she's doing a lot of hard work to get there. I'd like to say that she'll be stronger for it all, but that's not for me to say. I'd like to think she'll leverage her imprisonment to fight for others wrongfully imprisoned like so many others who have been released. But again, it's not for me to say. It's her life. All I want to say is that while I'd love to see her back on the court for a few more seasons, I mostly hope she and her family find happiness, that she finds total healing, and that she maintains her health.
PS, despite the recent executive order regarding gender definition and identity, they are 100% wrong, and it is NEVER ok to wonder about someone's gender. Their gender is theirs to define based on how they identify and relate to the world. In this case, Brittney Griner is a woman who's been subjected to a lot of harassment and humiliation because she presents less femininely than most and because of her stature. Even if she was trans, cross dressing, gender neutrally dressed, whatever - it DOES NOT MATTER, and it is NO ONE's business but hers.
July 22, 2024
Thank you Knopf for the finished copy.
This has to be one of the most well-written memoirs I have ever read.
BG's authenticity and vulnerability shine through in this memoir. The timing of this memoir is almost perfect. Everything from her upbringing, sexuality, race, and image all connects to her wrongful detainment. And that is what I loved about the connections made; they gave me an insight into not only her mindset during the detainment but also before and after. It all made for a well-rounded memoir where I left with more knowledge than what I went in knowing. And that's what I personally look for in a memoir.
Prior to this memoir, I had known little about BG's life and career, to the extent of what all happened in Russia. I didn't watch interviews or seek out information. I just basically waited for the right moment for BG to tell her story through a vessel I communicate well through, a literary piece. As I listened to this book, I felt the emotions BG wanted to convey, I believe. It was anger, sadness, happiness, hopefulness, and gratitude. The point that BG wanted to make was made.
It is such a powerful story. BG is a survivor, and no one will know the torment she endures daily because of the decisions that she made that caused that moment in time. I am happy she made it through, and now she is looking forward to her next chapter.
I do wish we would've gotten more of an inside look at her mental state now after everything, but I realize some things do need to be held back for the sake of healing, which BG is absolutely still doing and probably will continue to do so. I’d highly recommend this one.
One of my favorite quotes from the book:
“When your life has been stolen. You stop counting in months, instead you count the memories you’re not making.”
This has to be one of the most well-written memoirs I have ever read.
BG's authenticity and vulnerability shine through in this memoir. The timing of this memoir is almost perfect. Everything from her upbringing, sexuality, race, and image all connects to her wrongful detainment. And that is what I loved about the connections made; they gave me an insight into not only her mindset during the detainment but also before and after. It all made for a well-rounded memoir where I left with more knowledge than what I went in knowing. And that's what I personally look for in a memoir.
Prior to this memoir, I had known little about BG's life and career, to the extent of what all happened in Russia. I didn't watch interviews or seek out information. I just basically waited for the right moment for BG to tell her story through a vessel I communicate well through, a literary piece. As I listened to this book, I felt the emotions BG wanted to convey, I believe. It was anger, sadness, happiness, hopefulness, and gratitude. The point that BG wanted to make was made.
It is such a powerful story. BG is a survivor, and no one will know the torment she endures daily because of the decisions that she made that caused that moment in time. I am happy she made it through, and now she is looking forward to her next chapter.
I do wish we would've gotten more of an inside look at her mental state now after everything, but I realize some things do need to be held back for the sake of healing, which BG is absolutely still doing and probably will continue to do so. I’d highly recommend this one.
One of my favorite quotes from the book:
“When your life has been stolen. You stop counting in months, instead you count the memories you’re not making.”
December 29, 2025
I finished the book in one sitting. I'm riveted by BG's story. Deeply moving and honest. I am so touched at her gratitude and advocacy for American hostages held throughout the world. I've always been in awe of her on the basketball court; now I am in awe of her resilience, honesty, and love for her wife, family and friends. Just listening to her credits section was heartwarming. This is a great book, exemplifying the toughness of the human spirit.
November 2, 2024
I still can’t think about the book without making a bawl-baby face.
I pay very little attention to sports in my daily life. But I adored the 2024 Paris Olympics. Two weeks where I got to pretend to be an expert in all things sweaty and amazing that the human body can do. I’ve always been a little uncomfortable with how well the US does in the medal count, it seems we should allow some other countries a chance (well, not Serbia). A switch flipped for me on the final day after watching the gold medal Women’s basketball final. I’m assuming the world will agree with me that it was the best basketball played in any arena EVER. I had already purchased this book to cover two different prompts in one of my least favorite genres - memoir. Although I hadn’t begun the book when I watched the game, it as exciting the see B.G. Play, if just for a few minutes. However, it was seeing her face during the medal ceremony as our anthem played. Knowing the little I did in that moment of her ordeal, her face undid me and so many others. Without having the whole story as yet, I was struck that while our county is flawed we collectively keep trying move forward, offering opportunity denied in other places and protecting our citizens. It was the medal ceremony that took me to my face.
Now that I’ve read Brittney’s story, my heart still hurts for what she went through. I am filled with so much pride in how she handled such horror. I feel honored that she was willing to share her story. And I wish the best for her and her wife and family. I highly recommend this book, even to those of us who find most memoirs, self-serving and navel-gazing.
I feel like I cheated myself out seeing her play in the WNBA when she couldn’t have been anything short of magnificent to watch.
Summer mini24: 24) Memoir / Biography about an Olympian
Popsugar24: #41 - A memoir that explores queerness
I pay very little attention to sports in my daily life. But I adored the 2024 Paris Olympics. Two weeks where I got to pretend to be an expert in all things sweaty and amazing that the human body can do. I’ve always been a little uncomfortable with how well the US does in the medal count, it seems we should allow some other countries a chance (well, not Serbia). A switch flipped for me on the final day after watching the gold medal Women’s basketball final. I’m assuming the world will agree with me that it was the best basketball played in any arena EVER. I had already purchased this book to cover two different prompts in one of my least favorite genres - memoir. Although I hadn’t begun the book when I watched the game, it as exciting the see B.G. Play, if just for a few minutes. However, it was seeing her face during the medal ceremony as our anthem played. Knowing the little I did in that moment of her ordeal, her face undid me and so many others. Without having the whole story as yet, I was struck that while our county is flawed we collectively keep trying move forward, offering opportunity denied in other places and protecting our citizens. It was the medal ceremony that took me to my face.
Now that I’ve read Brittney’s story, my heart still hurts for what she went through. I am filled with so much pride in how she handled such horror. I feel honored that she was willing to share her story. And I wish the best for her and her wife and family. I highly recommend this book, even to those of us who find most memoirs, self-serving and navel-gazing.
I feel like I cheated myself out seeing her play in the WNBA when she couldn’t have been anything short of magnificent to watch.
Summer mini24: 24) Memoir / Biography about an Olympian
Popsugar24: #41 - A memoir that explores queerness
June 23, 2024
Edit: I changed from 5 stars to 4 stars on 6/23/24 on further reflection. It was well executed for what it was, but it was a relatively narrow scope, basically just describing what happened to her.
Brief detour from NASA books as a lot of people are waiting for this book behind me. I’m glad BG wrote this book so that people can see how she was treated which was awful. She keeps it pretty focused on retelling everything that happened in Russia with some brief detours into her past to explain her relationships with certain people and how she became who she is today. Her dad was very homophobic and she had to leave home in high school when another parent outed her to him. Eventually he came around somewhat and they have a better relationship today.
The Russia experience is about what you’d expect - BS charge, no due process, awful conditions, 12 hour work days, freezing cold. There are a few English-speaking prisoners who are nice to her and without them it would have been even worse.
The main takeaway here is to never go to Russia, and to hope that one day things get better there.
Kim Mulkey is nowhere to be found in this book. Not a word of support for your former star wrongfully detained in Russia? Hmmmmm. Dawn Staley and Tara VanDerveer are both shouted out for their support. Also shout out Steph Curry for calling for her release multiple times.
As far as books about Russia doing terrible things that I have read, I liked Red Notice better than this because it was broader in scope and had the finance angle. But I would still recommend this to anyone.
As BG points out, there are still more Americans wrongly detained in Russia. Bring home Evan Gershkovich, Andre Khachatoorian, and Paul Whelan!
Brief detour from NASA books as a lot of people are waiting for this book behind me. I’m glad BG wrote this book so that people can see how she was treated which was awful. She keeps it pretty focused on retelling everything that happened in Russia with some brief detours into her past to explain her relationships with certain people and how she became who she is today. Her dad was very homophobic and she had to leave home in high school when another parent outed her to him. Eventually he came around somewhat and they have a better relationship today.
The Russia experience is about what you’d expect - BS charge, no due process, awful conditions, 12 hour work days, freezing cold. There are a few English-speaking prisoners who are nice to her and without them it would have been even worse.
The main takeaway here is to never go to Russia, and to hope that one day things get better there.
Kim Mulkey is nowhere to be found in this book. Not a word of support for your former star wrongfully detained in Russia? Hmmmmm. Dawn Staley and Tara VanDerveer are both shouted out for their support. Also shout out Steph Curry for calling for her release multiple times.
As far as books about Russia doing terrible things that I have read, I liked Red Notice better than this because it was broader in scope and had the finance angle. But I would still recommend this to anyone.
As BG points out, there are still more Americans wrongly detained in Russia. Bring home Evan Gershkovich, Andre Khachatoorian, and Paul Whelan!
August 13, 2024
I usually rate most memoirs around 5 stars because it’s their story and I respect that. I struggled a few times with how I felt about some things in the book but the ghost writer/co-author mostly stuck the landing and addressed many of my ongoing thoughts. The best/only conclusion for this story is to shed light on releasing all of the American political prisoners across the world, even if it comes at the price of releasing the Merchant of Death in exchange for a mostly empty dab pen forgotten in the bottom of a bag. I wish that BG had discussed the weight of carrying that load— I get that personal freedom was the main/only concern but I felt that it was handled too cavalierly. I also wish it had addressed all of the people currently sitting behind bars in the US for similar reasons as BG’s arrest in Russia. It does a great disservice to suggest that what happened could only have happened in Russia— except maybe that’s true because it was the privilege of celebrity that ensured BG’s release over others who didn’t have that visibility, which likely would have allowed BG to not be behind bars in the US either. I’m glad the book addressed that on the international stage but don’t let’s pretend that this isn’t an issue in the US as well.
January 11, 2025
Huge shoutout to Hannah for suggesting I listen to the audiobook!! Amazing book to start the year off strong.
September 11, 2024
“What I have is a hope that we can be gentler with one another - that we can imagine what it feels like not to fit” - Brittney Griner.
Who knew I was a fan of BG? Welp, I am now! What an intense life story that Griner now uses to move forward with strength, grace and an eye focused on gratitude and justice. Between 4.5 / 5 ⭐️
Who knew I was a fan of BG? Welp, I am now! What an intense life story that Griner now uses to move forward with strength, grace and an eye focused on gratitude and justice. Between 4.5 / 5 ⭐️
January 31, 2026
I’ve wanted to read this book ever since it first came out. I remember when BG was arrested and I loosely followed the efforts to free her. At the time, I remember thinking that a gay, black, woman in a Russian prison would probably not end well because of Russia’s attitude and treatment of not only LGBTQ+ people, but women and people of color as well. Like so many others, I chose to read the book because I wanted to know more about what she went through and how she survived.
I’m always kind of puzzled when I hear stories of Americans who actually choose to travel to places like Russia, where the citizens have little to no freedom and where Americans are treated even worse simply because they are Americans. Brittney made a simple mistake of not checking her travel bag before leaving the US, where she had inadvertently left two vape pens that had less than a total gram of CBD (that she had a prescription for) in them. Here in the US, it’s legal, but in Russia, she was arrested and charged with smuggling.
She’s held in limbo for most of her incarceration as her case goes through the Russian legal system and she is transferred from county to a detention center. It’s not necessary to get into the nitty gritty details but suffice it to say that her incarceration was horrible and it took a tremendous toll on her mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. The things that kept her hoping and praying was her love for her wife, family and the people advocating for her release and her faith in God. While she had grown up in a religious home, she had strayed from her religion but found it again in prison.
Getting sentenced to a Russian gulag for nine years nearly broke her and everyday was a struggle. Once again, without getting into the nitty gritty details, suffice it to say that her time in the gulag was so much worse. I remember seeing some news footage on the day she returned to the US and I remember getting a little choked up when I saw the video. The same thing happened when I got to that point in the story.
I’m glad I finally got around to reading BG’s story; it’s an important story that needed to be told if for nothing else as a cautionary tale. I love that BG has become an advocate for other Americans around the world who are being illegally detained and held hostage, in addition to her advocacy for LGBTQ+ people, as well as people of color and women athletes.
As with all non-fictions that I read, I only rate on the material that was provided and the manner in which it was provided. I’m looking at an overall rating of 4.75 that I will be rounding up to a 5star review. I want to thank NetGalley and Random House Children's Books, for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.
#NetGalley #RandomHouseChildrensBooks #ComingHome
I’m always kind of puzzled when I hear stories of Americans who actually choose to travel to places like Russia, where the citizens have little to no freedom and where Americans are treated even worse simply because they are Americans. Brittney made a simple mistake of not checking her travel bag before leaving the US, where she had inadvertently left two vape pens that had less than a total gram of CBD (that she had a prescription for) in them. Here in the US, it’s legal, but in Russia, she was arrested and charged with smuggling.
She’s held in limbo for most of her incarceration as her case goes through the Russian legal system and she is transferred from county to a detention center. It’s not necessary to get into the nitty gritty details but suffice it to say that her incarceration was horrible and it took a tremendous toll on her mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. The things that kept her hoping and praying was her love for her wife, family and the people advocating for her release and her faith in God. While she had grown up in a religious home, she had strayed from her religion but found it again in prison.
Getting sentenced to a Russian gulag for nine years nearly broke her and everyday was a struggle. Once again, without getting into the nitty gritty details, suffice it to say that her time in the gulag was so much worse. I remember seeing some news footage on the day she returned to the US and I remember getting a little choked up when I saw the video. The same thing happened when I got to that point in the story.
I’m glad I finally got around to reading BG’s story; it’s an important story that needed to be told if for nothing else as a cautionary tale. I love that BG has become an advocate for other Americans around the world who are being illegally detained and held hostage, in addition to her advocacy for LGBTQ+ people, as well as people of color and women athletes.
As with all non-fictions that I read, I only rate on the material that was provided and the manner in which it was provided. I’m looking at an overall rating of 4.75 that I will be rounding up to a 5star review. I want to thank NetGalley and Random House Children's Books, for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.
#NetGalley #RandomHouseChildrensBooks #ComingHome
August 24, 2024
Yes, dit was een goeike! Nadat Stien letterlijk nergens meer kwam zonder dit boek was ik geïntrigeerd. Normaal gaat de non-fictie niet zo vlot bij mij, maar ik ben door deze gevlogen. Heel aangenaam geschreven en hoewel ik wist hoe het verhaal eindigde wou ik toch de hele tijd weten wat er ging gebeuren. Nieuwe appreciatie gevonden voor BG na wat ze allemaal heeft meegemaakt.
May 14, 2024
#ad I received a finished copy of this book / many thanks to @aaknopf + @penquinrandomhouse #partner
“It is said that no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones.” - Nelson Mandela (Part IV: Labor Camp)
I recently just watched Brittney Griner’s first TV interview, and the very next day this beauty of a book showed up on my doorstep. What a coincidence.
One massive mishap changed Griner’s life forever when she landed in Russia with her medical marijuana vape cartridges - which she had forgotten in her bag and which is illegal in Russia. Sentenced to 9 years, BG didn’t know what her future would look like again.
I love that I got to watch her interview before reading this book. You can see the shame, pain, and regret in Griner’s face. My heart goes out to her. Although some blame her for everything that happened - it’s not that simple. It’s not always black and white. People need to judge less and understand more.
To me, this is a story of survival. There were moments that Griner wanted to give up. Conditions that most would not accept were her living quarters for almost a year. I can only imagine her despair.
This book gives us the whole picture of BG’s life before, during, and after her time as a prisoner in Russia. I loved the pictures she shares with us.
#ComingHome #BrittneyGriner
“It is said that no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones.” - Nelson Mandela (Part IV: Labor Camp)
I recently just watched Brittney Griner’s first TV interview, and the very next day this beauty of a book showed up on my doorstep. What a coincidence.
One massive mishap changed Griner’s life forever when she landed in Russia with her medical marijuana vape cartridges - which she had forgotten in her bag and which is illegal in Russia. Sentenced to 9 years, BG didn’t know what her future would look like again.
I love that I got to watch her interview before reading this book. You can see the shame, pain, and regret in Griner’s face. My heart goes out to her. Although some blame her for everything that happened - it’s not that simple. It’s not always black and white. People need to judge less and understand more.
To me, this is a story of survival. There were moments that Griner wanted to give up. Conditions that most would not accept were her living quarters for almost a year. I can only imagine her despair.
This book gives us the whole picture of BG’s life before, during, and after her time as a prisoner in Russia. I loved the pictures she shares with us.
#ComingHome #BrittneyGriner
August 12, 2024
If you were in my life in almost anyway in 2022, I probably went on a rant about how the U.S. establishments abandoned Brittney Griner. Her wrongful arrest, detainment, and conviction affected me deeply. As someone who’s had interactions with post-Soviet systems I was infuriated that her story was not the top story. I had said multiple times that if LeBron James or Steph Curry, both of whom I love, the story would’ve unfolded differently. Unsurprisingly the people driving the #WeAreBG movement were women - let me be explicit- primarily queer women and women of color. Her wife and her agent are fucking awesome.
I flew through this book. Griner’s writing is informal but so engaging and poignant. I appreciate that she was so candid in everything she shared. She calls out the racism, the homophobia, and in some cases transphobia. She was violated on so many levels at every different turn. Her story and journey mean so much to me. I highly recommend reading this for yourself.
And as of Sunday, 8/11/24 BG has another Olympic medal to add to her resume. 💪
I flew through this book. Griner’s writing is informal but so engaging and poignant. I appreciate that she was so candid in everything she shared. She calls out the racism, the homophobia, and in some cases transphobia. She was violated on so many levels at every different turn. Her story and journey mean so much to me. I highly recommend reading this for yourself.
And as of Sunday, 8/11/24 BG has another Olympic medal to add to her resume. 💪
June 30, 2024
I know I love celebrity memoirs, but this one was next level good to me. I remember watching Brittney play for Baylor in Ames when I was little! (you know me a women’s basketball fan for a hot min!) I was genuinely curious about this book because I tended to lean towards the thinking that she committed a crime, she should serve out her sentence. I learned SO much. This book focuses on the day Brittney left the US to fly to Russia until present day, with background here and there about her life. I’m so encouraged by her story and how she talks about her faith that became real because of her time in Russian prison. It’s incredible that no detail of Brittney’s life has been wasted. She made a mistake, and has since used her position to advocate for other wrongfully detained hostages and used her story to share about her hope in Jesus. Maybe I’m just emotional, but I was weeping at the end of this book.
May 9, 2024
This book was both riveting and heartbreaking. Brittney so vividly expressed her entire experience and emotional rollercoaster throughout her struggle. I strongly recommend reading or listening to this book.
November 8, 2024
4.5 stars, actually. I don't usually read memoirs, but this one seemed important and intriguing. And it was even better than I expected. She touches on so many aspects of identity, but the one that is really resonating right now is how much she loves and appreciates her country. And she expresses this alongside her many negative experiences of being black and queer living in this country. And that both/and is complex and also just right.
Ch 3 - "You don't realize how much you rely on human contact until you lose it. You know you need love and friendship, but you can forget you also need brief interactions: a smile from a cashier, chit chat with neighbors. Those people aren't in the front row of your life, but they're still part of what keeps you sane."
Ch 7 - "I hurt because I knew I'd handed the world a weapon. When you're black, you behavior is never just about you; it's about your entire community. You live with this responsibility to represent the best of us, to prove the haters wrong. It doesn't matter if you actually want that job; how you act will be seen through that lens."
Ch. 10 - I loved that she names and describes the books she read in prison, noting "I had no appointments to cancel, but if I had, I would've cleared the calendar." lol
Ch. 11 - About crafting the campaign to free BG - "Imagery is powerful, often moreso than words. Folks won't always read or listen but they will stop and look. I've represented my country on the world stage, earned two olympic golds. At every turn we wanted to remind Americans how I'd made us proud. This wasn't about pretending to be someone I wasn't; it was about ensuring I'd be seen fully." She then talks about the concept of "hostage deservingness", which incorporates the hostage's actions, but also their identities.
Ch. 16 - Brittney's voice is authentic throughout the book and sometimes it catches me offguard. She's talking about a witness called to the stand in her trial and she says "this guy looked like a legit crackhead" lol
Ch. 23 - "When your world is violently upended, you don't just mourn your immediate losses. You also grieve a future that no longer feels possible, the peace that might have been."
Ch. 26 - About the church they attend: "The key teaching resonates with me: that I'm more flawed than I can know, and more cherished than I can hope." Sounds like Lutheran theology in her voice :) Also she references one of my favorite verses, Job 38:4, and I appreciated hearing her reflection on that verse in the context of her circumstances.
Ch 3 - "You don't realize how much you rely on human contact until you lose it. You know you need love and friendship, but you can forget you also need brief interactions: a smile from a cashier, chit chat with neighbors. Those people aren't in the front row of your life, but they're still part of what keeps you sane."
Ch 7 - "I hurt because I knew I'd handed the world a weapon. When you're black, you behavior is never just about you; it's about your entire community. You live with this responsibility to represent the best of us, to prove the haters wrong. It doesn't matter if you actually want that job; how you act will be seen through that lens."
Ch. 10 - I loved that she names and describes the books she read in prison, noting "I had no appointments to cancel, but if I had, I would've cleared the calendar." lol
Ch. 11 - About crafting the campaign to free BG - "Imagery is powerful, often moreso than words. Folks won't always read or listen but they will stop and look. I've represented my country on the world stage, earned two olympic golds. At every turn we wanted to remind Americans how I'd made us proud. This wasn't about pretending to be someone I wasn't; it was about ensuring I'd be seen fully." She then talks about the concept of "hostage deservingness", which incorporates the hostage's actions, but also their identities.
Ch. 16 - Brittney's voice is authentic throughout the book and sometimes it catches me offguard. She's talking about a witness called to the stand in her trial and she says "this guy looked like a legit crackhead" lol
Ch. 23 - "When your world is violently upended, you don't just mourn your immediate losses. You also grieve a future that no longer feels possible, the peace that might have been."
Ch. 26 - About the church they attend: "The key teaching resonates with me: that I'm more flawed than I can know, and more cherished than I can hope." Sounds like Lutheran theology in her voice :) Also she references one of my favorite verses, Job 38:4, and I appreciated hearing her reflection on that verse in the context of her circumstances.
October 10, 2024
This was a really moving story and very well told. We all remember learning that Griner was detained/arrested in Russia and that happened just before Russia's invasion of Ukraine. She was held, went to trial and was sentenced (to 9 years) in 2022.
She describes terrible conditions and degrading experiences and gives us pieces of the process that ultimately led her home via a prisoner swap. Like Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder, this also feels like a love/appreciation letter to her wife, another reminder that our connections are always important but never more so than in desperate, crisis situations.
Well worth a listen!
She describes terrible conditions and degrading experiences and gives us pieces of the process that ultimately led her home via a prisoner swap. Like Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder, this also feels like a love/appreciation letter to her wife, another reminder that our connections are always important but never more so than in desperate, crisis situations.
Well worth a listen!
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July 1, 20245/5 had me crying in the lab
August 21, 2024
If you want a non-fiction book that reads like fiction, this is the one. I can’t believe all BG went through, I can’t stop thinking about how awful it must’ve been, and the kindness the few Russians showed BG.
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