One Life

Megan Rapinoe is recognizable worldwide as an activist, an Olympic gold medalist, and a two-time World Cup champion. Her brilliant book, One Life, tells the story of how she became this figure and why the causes she has championed are so important to her.

Rapinoe relates how she was raised to believe in equality—in her house, on the field, and in the world. When she and her twin sister Rachel wanted to play soccer, it was in part due to their elder brother Brian’s success in the sport. There was never a suggestion that he could do something they couldn’t, and his encouragement, along with their parents’ support, propelled Megan and Rachel into adulthood as athletes.

For that reason, the foundation of equality in Rapinoe’s life was set early. Later, when she came out as a lesbian, supported marriage equality, knelt during the national anthem—inspired by Colin Kaepernick—and stood up for pay equity for the women’s national soccer team players, it became clear that her activism would be lifelong.

The fabulous One Life is equal parts sports memoir, activist’s journal, and feminist’s call to action. It asks the reader, through an epigraph from Mary Oliver, “What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”