Throw Like a Girl: How to Dream Big & Believe in Yourself Paperback – August 1, 2011

I just bought this for my granddaughter who is 10. I put it in her Easter basket. She is the picture for her rec team. A lot of good information in there to help girls self-esteem and help them with their sports journey.

My 10 year old loves this book!! She has been working on pitching but after reading this book she is completely inspired to put in the work, believe in herself, and having fun doing what she loves. Today at pitching practice she threw an especially good pitching, pumped her fist and said “thank you, Jennie Finch!!”

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.

Very interesting, informative, and compelling.

bought for my 11 year old daughter, to encourage reading. Shes not really a leisurely reader, but I try to encourage reading as much as possible! Anyway, she keeps bringing up facts to me, nochalantly, about Jennie Finch, and her journey. That definately tells me she has been reading it on her own, and that's a great thing in my book.

This is a great book! My 10 year old daughter is just learning to be a pitcher and LOVES this book! As a Dad, I spend a lot of time with her. Practicing, encouraging, correcting and it is something that brings us together. This book teaches her things I as a father can't. Like how to handle teams, coaches, disappointments, balancing girl things, etc. My daughter loves the book but as a Dad, I love that she talks to me about things because of this book! Something happens in a game and she will come to me and say, "I read about this in Jenny Finch's book and she said the same thing happened to her!" Then we can talk about it. Without the book, I think she would just try to internalize it and get frustrated and down. It is great for kids to see even someone like Jenny struggled with things.

Jenny touches on positives and negatives of being a standout athlete, including effects of good and bad coaches (in all levels of play) and effects on school and social life. I have a junior high travel team granddaughter, and it was good for her to see that Jenny also struggled in some of the same situations.

I have a 4th grade softball player who got "upgraded" to pitcher because the team needed someone. With dad as a coach, sometimes you have to step up. Reading this book together, she has opened up a bit about how she feels and is processing the changes. My favorite quote from her about the book, "It's like she's reading my mind." The vocabulary is a little hard for her at times, but she's pushing through it and learning new words. This book is empowering and relatable. We are only on chapter 2, but I recommend it.