Throw Like a Girl: How to Dream Big and Believe in Yourself [Paperback]

Jennie Finch (Author), Ann Killion (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 29, 2011

Dream Big and Believe in Yourself


In a society that sends incredibly mixed identity messages, sports help preteen and teenage girls make the right choices. Athletic girls not only grow up to be healthier; they learn teamwork, gain self-confidence, and mature into society s leaders.

Throw Like a Girl inspires, motivates, and answers questions about issues specific to today s female athletes. NCAA softball champion, two-time Olympian, and sports icon Jennie Finch offers sound advice on how to translate the lessons she learned from sports into everyday life.

Topics including body image, femininity vs. sports, peer pressure, nutrition, and the balancing act today s young women construct between school, extra-curricular activities, family, and friends are addressed in an engaging and instantly relatable personal style. Fiercely competitive and fashionably cool, Jennie fills the role of girlfriend, big sister, team captain, and mentor as she offers candid observations from personal experience bound to resonate with young women everywhere and inspire them to dream big, work hard, and believe in themselves.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jennie Finch fell in love with softball as a young girl; in the years since, the sport shaped both the course of her life and her character. A two-time Olympian, Finch was a collegiate national player of the year at Arizona and pitched professionally. One of America s most popular athletes, she has worked extensively in television, is an active member of the Women s Sports Foundation, and conducts softball camps around the country. Finch is married to professional baseball player Casey Daigle, and they are the proud parents of two sons.

Ann Killion is an award-winning sportswriter who has written extensively on issues relating to girls and women s sports. Killion has covered the major national and international sports issues of the past two decades, including the rise of Olympic softball. A contributing writer to Sports Illustrated, Killion lives in the San Francisco Bay area with her family, including her athletic teenage daughter.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Triumph Books (August 29, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1600785603
• ISBN-13: 978-1600785603
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,223 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Softball
  • #1 in Books > Teens > Sports & Hobbies > Sports
  • #3 in Books > Teens > Sports & Hobbies > Girls in Sports

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Throw like a girl August 26, 2011

By LoMac

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is absolutely mandatory reading for any parent or young girl who wants to participate in any sport. This is not about learning the fundamentals of any certain sport. It's about learning the fundamentals of living and how athletics can contribute to a healthy and productive life. Too many people can't connect the two. I think Jennie Finch might just deserve another Gold Medal. Maybe we'll get a sequel called "The Cat and the Finch".

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Throw like a girl October 16, 2011

By Thomas B. Craig

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

We have an 11 year old budding fast pitch softball grand-daughter. Jenny's book was terrific as she covers most all of the problems young athletes and their parents will have to deal with in school and sports. Natalie went to a two day Fast pitch, camp a month or so back, run by Lisa Fernandez and this is who Jenny described as the best female player in Women's Softball ever!

We thought the book was great and passed it on to our daughter and granddaughter to read. It covers all the bases and Jenny is a wonderful inspiration and model for young girls to follow

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great gift for the young people in your life December 10, 2011

By Bobby Newman VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

At the NYC marathon, Jennie Finch was running for charity. She was given the last place number and starting time, and money for charity was raised for each person she passed. I joked with friends prior to running that in view of this I would allow her to pass me if I saw her, and puncuated that promise with "as if I could stop her!" (As predicted, she did pass me and finished before me).

There is no doubt that Jennie Finch is a world-class athlete. Her long lists of accomplishments on the softball field speak for themselves. In Throw Like a Girl, we get to read her background story and philosophy of life. Much hangs around softball, of course, but the lessons she aims at young women (and I would argue at young men as well) go beyond the playing field. There are frank discussions of peer pressure and body image and peer relationships and balance in one's life. In a world that seems to honor celebrity, regardless of the reason, this book stands in strong contrast. Readers are told in no uncertain terms that they need to think out the consequences of their actions in view of the long-term benefits and drawbacks (e.g., Jennie's decision to turn down offers from certain men's magazines and the reasons she did so). There are no-nonsense statements about what it takes to be successful, and readers are told quite bluntly that success comes from hard work, not from updating your facebook status. This is excellent reading for the young people in your life, particularly girls, as they struggle with the pressures of their age and deciding who they want to be. This has been a "go to" present for families with young girls/women this holiday season.