TRUE

A Novel

This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
Buy on Amazon Buy on BN.com Buy on Bookshop.org
*This page contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app

1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date 01 Jun 2018 | Archive Date 15 Jun 2018

Talking about this book? Use #True #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!


Description

A deft and unflinching coming-of-age story about an angry teenage girl and her discovery of the nature of the biggest game of all, and what it really means to be a team player, a sister, a daughter, and a born survivor—from the acclaimed author of Triburbia and Boy Alone.

“It’s a dark and thrilling exploration of changing relationships and rivalries and times the desires of your heart don’t necessarily line up with the expectations of real life.” —Marie Claire

True has a singular path: to be the greatest soccer player of her generation. But to realize her dream, she’ll need to make the Under-17 National Team, then the Residency Program, and the ultimate: the US Women’s National Team. Otherwise she can say goodbye to the Women’s World Cup. And True will do whatever it takes to be the top girl on the field.

True has to stay focused because her family is crumbling. With the loss of her mother, True is forced to take care of her autistic younger sister while her grieving father wastes his time gambling. And high school isn’t much better. While True’s teammates are getting taller and growing up, she’s hardening around the edges, at a loss for what it means to be a typical teen girl. But when she’s in the game, the anxieties of family and fitting in just fade away. True—with her soft feet and deft first touch—can knock anyone off the ball. And more importantly, she can throw an elbow harder than anybody else. On the pitch, she’s a soccer player first, a sister second. On the pitch, she’s free.

A deft and unflinching coming-of-age story about an angry teenage girl and her discovery of the nature of the biggest game of all, and what it really means to be a team player, a sister, a daughter...


A Note From the Publisher

New York Times bestselling author Karl Taro Greenfeld penned the novels The Subprimes and Triburbia, a New York Times Editor’s Choice. His memoir, Boy Alone, was a Washington Post Best Book of the Year. Karl has also written Dr. J: The Autobiography (co-authored with Julius Erving), NowTrends, China Syndrome, Standard Deviations, and Speed Tribes. His prize-winning writing has appeared in Harper’s Magazine, the Atlantic, the Paris Review, Vogue, GQ, the New York Times, and others. His books have been translated into twelve languages.

Karl currently lives in California with his wife and two daughters—both of whom played youth soccer with neither distinction nor enthusiasm.

New York Times bestselling author Karl Taro Greenfeld penned the novels The Subprimes and Triburbia, a New York Times Editor’s Choice. His memoir, Boy Alone, was a Washington Post Best Book of the...


Advance Praise

“This book broke my heart and put it back together again. This isn’t just about the culture of high-stakes, highly competitive youth sports; True is about how friendship grows into rivalry, the powerful conflict between ambition and image, and the responsibilities to family pitted against responsibility to the whims and desires of your own heart. I was rooting for True through every suspenseful and chaotic page; believe me, you will too.” —Charles Bock, bestselling author of Alice & Oliver

“I can’t recall the last time I encountered a narrator as compelling as True. She is as strong as she is vulnerable and as talented as she is isolated and as single-minded as she is reckless. Have you ever wanted anything so badly that you broke bones for it? This is the story of that kind of want, the point at which drive and desire collude, commiserate, combust. And the prose. Karl Taro Greenfeld writes with a disarming, almost subversive intimacy that will own you from the very first page. I want this book in the hands of every reader I know. Yes. It’s that good.” —Jill Alexander Essbaum, author of New York Times bestselling novel Hausfrau

True is a dark and lively ode to the single-minded dedication required of greatness, a Black Swan on the pitch. I couldn't put it down.” —Amelia Gray, author of Isadora and Gutshot: Stories

“There’s only one thing you can say after reading True: Karl Taro Greenfeld is one of the best writers around. Get ready. This book will destroy you.” —Scott McClanahan, author of The Sarah Book

“Greenfeld writes from the perspective of a young woman with ease and believability; there are no false notes here, not a single moment that I didn’t feel completely invested in, and half in love with, True. True feels as if it were written in a dream, as if Greenfeld was only there to transcribe it, which is what every writer hopes to achieve in a novel.” —Mary Miller, author of Big World, The Last Days of California, and Always Happy Hour

True held me in thrall as I followed its namesake narrator from girlhood to adulthood. With so many coming-of-age stories showcasing characters searching for themselves, True knows exactly who she is. It’s the rest of her world—father, sister, coach, teammates, lovers—that expects more from her, that expects her to fall in line as countless girls and women before her have done. This is a heartbreaking, riveting tale of what it is to be yourself, no matter what.” —Lindsay Hunter, author of Ugly Girls, Don’t Kiss Me, and Eat Only When You’re Hungry

 

“This book broke my heart and put it back together again. This isn’t just about the culture of high-stakes, highly competitive youth sports; True is about how friendship grows into rivalry, the...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781542046831
PRICE $24.95 (USD)