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Kellie
Kellie Harrington grew up in Dublin's north inner city and was in danger of going down the wrong path in life before she discovered boxing. Her local boxing club was all-male and initially wouldn't let her join, but she persisted. Her development into an elite boxer was confirmed with medals at the 2016 and 2018 world championships, and crowned with a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Meanwhile, Kellie won the hearts of the Irish public through her sparkling personality. Working with Booker Prize-winning author Roddy Doyle, Kellie will tell the story of her sometimes troubled childhood, her unlikely rise to greatness, and her continuing commitment to living a normal life - which in her case has involved deciding to stay amateur as a boxer and keeping her job as part of the household/domestic staff team at a psychiatric hospital.
- GenresNonfiction
320 pages, Hardcover
Published January 20, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 25, 2023
An enjoyable read from Kellie Harrington and Roddy Doyle. I read it not because I have any great interest in boxing (indeed, I have no none) but because I was curious about 'the person behind the gloves'. The best sports autobiographies, after all, aren't so much about the sport but rather are about the person and what drives them to live such a focused, disciplined life in the pursuit of a specific goal (think Open by Andre Adassi). Conversely, bad sports autobiographies are just a dull litany of training regimes and event results.
Harrington comes across as forthright and genuine, and Doyle has clearly had a part in drawing her story out from her and framing it well. The text started and finished, for example, with two very different vignettes of Harrington in the north inner city, going from teenage drinking to her Olympic victory bus tour, which framed her story well. Aspects of the text disturbed me, for example the absolute obsession with the number on the scale when boxers are making weight, and how they will go hungry and thirsty to meet it. I mean, objectively speaking that is hugely disordered behaviour, but it is not only sanctioned but in fact encouraged in the boxing world. If that is elite sport, I thought, I'm very glad to stick to being a midpack parkrunner instead.
Harrington comes across as forthright and genuine, and Doyle has clearly had a part in drawing her story out from her and framing it well. The text started and finished, for example, with two very different vignettes of Harrington in the north inner city, going from teenage drinking to her Olympic victory bus tour, which framed her story well. Aspects of the text disturbed me, for example the absolute obsession with the number on the scale when boxers are making weight, and how they will go hungry and thirsty to meet it. I mean, objectively speaking that is hugely disordered behaviour, but it is not only sanctioned but in fact encouraged in the boxing world. If that is elite sport, I thought, I'm very glad to stick to being a midpack parkrunner instead.
October 12, 2023
Is Kellie
September 1, 2023
“I have that staying power because of where I’m from, Dublin’s inner city.”
Kellie Harrington’s biography is an inspiring story that follows the amateur boxer on her journey from being a troubled teen to an Olympic gold medalist. By closely observing Kellie’s thoughts and experiences through her authentic voice and Irish vernacular, we are able to watch her grow and learn to fight for herself both in and out of the ring.
Growing up in North Dublin, Harrington was denied access to boxing clubs because of her gender and instead she turned to drinking and petty theft during her teenage years. Her persistence eventually got her into Corinthians Boxing Club, and she spent nearly every day training and sparring. As she grew up and her boxing career continued, Harrington moved away from home, got a job at a hospital and began competing in more tournaments. However, she was still quite disheartened by the lack of support she received from some of her coaches and by the overall lack of respect for women’s boxing in Ireland. It seemed that Harrington’s focus in the ring was split between her frustration over a lack of support and the fight itself. Nevertheless, her training, diet, self-confidence and focus all developed over the course of her fifteen-year boxing career. In 2016, she won silver at the Women’s World Boxing Championship and when she returned to the international stage in 2018, she won the gold. Her next dream became the 2020 Olympics. After a broken thumb in the qualifiers and a worldwide pandemic, she eventually made it to Tokyo in August 2021 and became a gold medalist.
Before reading Kellie, I knew next to nothing about boxing. While it wasn’t my intention to learn about boxing when I first picked up this book, through her words I found a new appreciation for the sport and female boxers in particular. During each fight, the reader is transported into the mind of Harrington, listening to her analyse her opponent and predicting their next move. She constantly adjusts her stance to throw them off and uses every ounce of strength not to show weakness after a painful jab. Every time she steps into the ring, her resilience, motivation and anxiety are all at the surface of the story. The amount of self doubt and fear she shares with readers both leading up to and during each fight is impressive. Going into the novel, I was aware of her status as an Olympic champion. However, I had not followed Harrington’s career up to that point which made every fight feel like an action movie, leaving me on the edge of my seat wondering if she would win. It can be difficult to endure so many losses in a row, but this suspense made Harrington’s journey all the more inspirational.
As a reader who is not an athlete, many of the details about Harrington’s training and daily eating habits slowed down the narrative for me. That being said, this repetition of content can be reassuring to young athletes as it shows how her dedication paid off. While reading about her eating habits may not have been very exciting, it can be helpful for reinforcing that dedication in young female athletes and helping them understand that what you put in your body is important.
There were several things that pulled me out of the narrative, one of which was the consistent listing of full names for every character throughout the book even after they had been introduced. The inclusion of full names for coaches and other competitive boxers is understandable for recognition of their talent, but when that same person was mentioned again, just the first name would have been enough. In addition to this repetition, many of Harrington’s statements were a bit contradictory, and there was a lack of emotional development in the transition between such statements. Chapters thirteen through sixteen consisted primarily of fights, and there was not enough display of psychological transformation. So, when she claimed to truly understand the benefits of both winning and losing, it wasn’t clear how she got there. Nevertheless, there is still a change in her approach to fights moving forward which did show some degree of progress.
At first, the choice to use short sentences was off-putting, making it feel as though the story didn’t flow; but as you continue reading and Harrington begins to describe her fights in more detail, you develop an appreciation for how the pace of the narrative matches her way of thinking both inside and outside the ring. Harrington’s step-by-step approach to life seemed to be one of the biggest keys to her success. Unlike many athletes who describe the peak of their careers as being their lifelong dream, becoming an Olympic gold medalist was something Harrington began to work toward only after placing first at the Women’s World Boxing Championship in 2018. For Harrington, her love for boxing started with her admiration for professional Irish boxer Katie Taylor (whom she would fight alongside later in her career) and evolved as a way to channel all of her natural aggression and keep her out of trouble. Then, when she began to compete, her goal was to become the best amateur female boxer in the world and later to win gold at the Olympics. This approach to life can be very self-assuring and help build confidence gradually as one progresses in their career without generating too much pressure which might keep them down.
In addition to the close-up lens provided during her fights, there were two parts of the novel that were particularly intriguing. The first was her time in the Army. It was a pleasant surprise to learn that Harrington earned the rank of a two-star private, a powerful demonstration of her commitment and national pride. Her reason for leaving the Army was extremely moving, not because it was too difficult for her physically, but because she was lonely and wasn’t supported emotionally. Those same feelings followed her into the ring; and every time her coaches didn’t support her one hundred percent, she wasn’t able to handle the pressure. The other part of the story that was most interesting was how she highlighted the clear lack of understanding for women in sport on a public and institutional level. Women’s health differs greatly from that of men, and her acknowledgement of that in the book, however brief, is important to the visibility of the issue overall.
Initially, I gave Kellie a three-star rating because the story didn’t flow and was weighed down by trivial details and repetition. However, upon reflection, Kellie earned four stars because of her authentic voice which proved true to her mindset in life and as an amateur boxer. This is a truly inspirational story, especially for female athletes. I would recommend this book because it effectively communicates the incredible amount of strength and dedication leading to Kellie Harrington’s amazing win at the Tokyo Olympics after a gruelling fifteen-year career in boxing.
Kellie Harrington’s biography is an inspiring story that follows the amateur boxer on her journey from being a troubled teen to an Olympic gold medalist. By closely observing Kellie’s thoughts and experiences through her authentic voice and Irish vernacular, we are able to watch her grow and learn to fight for herself both in and out of the ring.
Growing up in North Dublin, Harrington was denied access to boxing clubs because of her gender and instead she turned to drinking and petty theft during her teenage years. Her persistence eventually got her into Corinthians Boxing Club, and she spent nearly every day training and sparring. As she grew up and her boxing career continued, Harrington moved away from home, got a job at a hospital and began competing in more tournaments. However, she was still quite disheartened by the lack of support she received from some of her coaches and by the overall lack of respect for women’s boxing in Ireland. It seemed that Harrington’s focus in the ring was split between her frustration over a lack of support and the fight itself. Nevertheless, her training, diet, self-confidence and focus all developed over the course of her fifteen-year boxing career. In 2016, she won silver at the Women’s World Boxing Championship and when she returned to the international stage in 2018, she won the gold. Her next dream became the 2020 Olympics. After a broken thumb in the qualifiers and a worldwide pandemic, she eventually made it to Tokyo in August 2021 and became a gold medalist.
Before reading Kellie, I knew next to nothing about boxing. While it wasn’t my intention to learn about boxing when I first picked up this book, through her words I found a new appreciation for the sport and female boxers in particular. During each fight, the reader is transported into the mind of Harrington, listening to her analyse her opponent and predicting their next move. She constantly adjusts her stance to throw them off and uses every ounce of strength not to show weakness after a painful jab. Every time she steps into the ring, her resilience, motivation and anxiety are all at the surface of the story. The amount of self doubt and fear she shares with readers both leading up to and during each fight is impressive. Going into the novel, I was aware of her status as an Olympic champion. However, I had not followed Harrington’s career up to that point which made every fight feel like an action movie, leaving me on the edge of my seat wondering if she would win. It can be difficult to endure so many losses in a row, but this suspense made Harrington’s journey all the more inspirational.
As a reader who is not an athlete, many of the details about Harrington’s training and daily eating habits slowed down the narrative for me. That being said, this repetition of content can be reassuring to young athletes as it shows how her dedication paid off. While reading about her eating habits may not have been very exciting, it can be helpful for reinforcing that dedication in young female athletes and helping them understand that what you put in your body is important.
There were several things that pulled me out of the narrative, one of which was the consistent listing of full names for every character throughout the book even after they had been introduced. The inclusion of full names for coaches and other competitive boxers is understandable for recognition of their talent, but when that same person was mentioned again, just the first name would have been enough. In addition to this repetition, many of Harrington’s statements were a bit contradictory, and there was a lack of emotional development in the transition between such statements. Chapters thirteen through sixteen consisted primarily of fights, and there was not enough display of psychological transformation. So, when she claimed to truly understand the benefits of both winning and losing, it wasn’t clear how she got there. Nevertheless, there is still a change in her approach to fights moving forward which did show some degree of progress.
At first, the choice to use short sentences was off-putting, making it feel as though the story didn’t flow; but as you continue reading and Harrington begins to describe her fights in more detail, you develop an appreciation for how the pace of the narrative matches her way of thinking both inside and outside the ring. Harrington’s step-by-step approach to life seemed to be one of the biggest keys to her success. Unlike many athletes who describe the peak of their careers as being their lifelong dream, becoming an Olympic gold medalist was something Harrington began to work toward only after placing first at the Women’s World Boxing Championship in 2018. For Harrington, her love for boxing started with her admiration for professional Irish boxer Katie Taylor (whom she would fight alongside later in her career) and evolved as a way to channel all of her natural aggression and keep her out of trouble. Then, when she began to compete, her goal was to become the best amateur female boxer in the world and later to win gold at the Olympics. This approach to life can be very self-assuring and help build confidence gradually as one progresses in their career without generating too much pressure which might keep them down.
In addition to the close-up lens provided during her fights, there were two parts of the novel that were particularly intriguing. The first was her time in the Army. It was a pleasant surprise to learn that Harrington earned the rank of a two-star private, a powerful demonstration of her commitment and national pride. Her reason for leaving the Army was extremely moving, not because it was too difficult for her physically, but because she was lonely and wasn’t supported emotionally. Those same feelings followed her into the ring; and every time her coaches didn’t support her one hundred percent, she wasn’t able to handle the pressure. The other part of the story that was most interesting was how she highlighted the clear lack of understanding for women in sport on a public and institutional level. Women’s health differs greatly from that of men, and her acknowledgement of that in the book, however brief, is important to the visibility of the issue overall.
Initially, I gave Kellie a three-star rating because the story didn’t flow and was weighed down by trivial details and repetition. However, upon reflection, Kellie earned four stars because of her authentic voice which proved true to her mindset in life and as an amateur boxer. This is a truly inspirational story, especially for female athletes. I would recommend this book because it effectively communicates the incredible amount of strength and dedication leading to Kellie Harrington’s amazing win at the Tokyo Olympics after a gruelling fifteen-year career in boxing.
April 24, 2024
3.5 stars, which I will round up to 4 stars.
Before picking this book up on Bookoutlet.ca, I had no idea who Kellie was. I am not an avid Boxing fan, although I am an Olympic Games super-fan. If you are not into boxing, I would not worry about it. This book is more than just about boxing.
While I did find this book a little hard to read, mostly because of the Irish "slang" and some word choices but, overall, it was very enjoyable. I really liked how Kellie introduced you to her sport, her stories of how she got into it, and then her road to the Olympics. So often in sports memoirs, the person writing them forget that they also a person who has a life outside of the sport. I liked how Kellie still reminded the readers that she is not just an Olympic Gold Medalist Boxing Champion but she is also a person with other interests and goals.
Before picking this book up on Bookoutlet.ca, I had no idea who Kellie was. I am not an avid Boxing fan, although I am an Olympic Games super-fan. If you are not into boxing, I would not worry about it. This book is more than just about boxing.
While I did find this book a little hard to read, mostly because of the Irish "slang" and some word choices but, overall, it was very enjoyable. I really liked how Kellie introduced you to her sport, her stories of how she got into it, and then her road to the Olympics. So often in sports memoirs, the person writing them forget that they also a person who has a life outside of the sport. I liked how Kellie still reminded the readers that she is not just an Olympic Gold Medalist Boxing Champion but she is also a person with other interests and goals.
March 31, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the insight into the preparations for the Olympics, as well as the competition and everything that came before it -- it's not an overnight type of thing; Kellie was 17 years in the game before she became Olympic Champion.
As a boxer myself, and having competed in the National Stadium, I got such nostalgia in Kellie's recollection of National Championships.
This book as really really easy to read and follow.
As a boxer myself, and having competed in the National Stadium, I got such nostalgia in Kellie's recollection of National Championships.
This book as really really easy to read and follow.
February 19, 2023
Kellie Harrington & Roddy Doyle wrote Kellie’s life story in a very natural way. It is showing the growth of a little Dublin girl - not from the riches - to a smart, strong, determined woman - who is a real motivation to the Irish nation and much further.
I really loved this book. Well done Kellie!
I really loved this book. Well done Kellie!
November 19, 2025
probably the quickest I've ever read a book, I enjoyed it, made me emotional at times, got a good feel for how normal a girl she is. I had never driven down Portland row before or seen the 5 lamps but weirdly while reading the book my Google maps took me right passed kellies house which felt a bit weird !
August 6, 2023
Enjoyable read, good insight to her boxing journey and the struggles she’s faced along the way
August 29, 2023
3.75 stars.
October 20, 2024
Enjoyable, Katie is a great character but unless you’re really into the boxing part of it you’ll struggle.
December 26, 2023
A really good read. I am however, a bit biased, being a female irish amateur boxer, and I know or have heard of many of the names she mentions in the book.
It is both fascinating, familiar and sad to hear of the hardships she faced being a female athlete in the game, from not being taken seriously enough, to feeling imposter syndrome, to having to deal with period issues, along with having to root out sparring partners herself, it is all still too familiar in the game, and I live in London, where there are a lot of clubs.
I enjoyed a lot of the honest depictions, but felt she held back on some more personal details.. not sure exactly what extra details I was looking for, though!
It is both fascinating, familiar and sad to hear of the hardships she faced being a female athlete in the game, from not being taken seriously enough, to feeling imposter syndrome, to having to deal with period issues, along with having to root out sparring partners herself, it is all still too familiar in the game, and I live in London, where there are a lot of clubs.
I enjoyed a lot of the honest depictions, but felt she held back on some more personal details.. not sure exactly what extra details I was looking for, though!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews