Good for a Girl

A Woman Running in a Man's World

By: Lauren Fleshman

Narrated by: Lauren Fleshman

Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

* A New York Times Bestseller

* Winner of the William Hill Sports Book Of The Year Award

* A Financial Times Best Sports Book of 2023

Fueled by her years as an elite runner and advocate for women in sports, Lauren Fleshman offers her inspiring personal story and a rallying cry for reform of a sports landscape that is failing young female athletes

“Women’s sports have needed a manifesto for a very long time, and with Lauren Fleshman’s Good for a Girl we finally have one.”—Malcolm Gladwell, author of Outliers and David and Goliath

One of the most decorated collegiate athletes of all time and a national champion as a pro, Lauren Fleshman has grown up in the world of running. But every step of the way, she has seen how our sports systems—originally designed for men and boys—fail women and girls. Girls drop out of sports at alarming rates once they hit puberty, and female collegiate athletes routinely fall victim to injury, eating disorders, or mental health struggles as they try to force their way past a natural dip in performance for women of their age.

Written with heart and verve, Good for a Girl is Fleshman’s story of falling in love with running, being pushed to her limits and succumbing to injuries, and fighting for a better way for female athletes. Drawing on not only her own story but also emerging research on the physiology and psychology of young athletes of any gender, Fleshman gives voice to the often-silent experience of the female athlete and argues that the time has come to rebuild competitive sports with women at their center.

©2023 Lauren Fleshman (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“A close-up look at the uncertain and often unhealthy climb toward stardom for women in organized sports . . . The rawness of Good for a Girl serves as a push to demand that the next crop of female athletes has it better.”—The Washington Post

“Good for a Girl is in part a memoir of Fleshman’s failures and successes, but it’s also a call to action for the coaches, parents, and young women of future athletic generations. Fleshman argues convincingly that it’s essential for the sports world to disentangle physical suffering from self-worth. In 288 funny, honest, and sometimes-wrenching pages, she makes clear that empowering girls to better understand the need for balance between pain and elite performance is not only the ethical thing to do—it’s essential to their health and career longevity.”—The Atlantic

“Part memoir, part critique of a sports system built around a man’s body, Fleshman offers a searingly candid look at her own victimhood and complicity, interlaced with compelling data and concrete ideas on how we can change this environment . . . Fleshman is an undeniably masterful storyteller, owning her own complicity in the system while holding others accountable, in a loving and nuanced way.”—Women’s Running

So. Dang. Good!! A true gift from Lauren Fleshman.

I cannot say enough good things about this book. I was blown away as I saw the struggle I faced as an adolescent female athlete in a whole new way. I marveled at Lauren’s story, strength and commitment to shining light on both youth and adult female athletics. If you are a coach, a parent of an athlete or an athlete yourself, go get this one!

Phenomenal

Brilliantly written and narrated. Fantastic book for runners of all types, women of all types, and humans of all types. Incredibly authentic, relatable, and eye-opening. Highly recommend.

Important listen

Steady, deliberate, and engaging narration from the author. Important topics for anyone coaching, parenting, or supporting women and girls in any sport - not just running.

Amazing story

The story gives a unique perspective into the lives of women who pursue athletics. I’d highly recommend this book to anyone.

I thought I knew a lot

Reading Lauren’s brave and honest account of what it looks like for girls and women on the inside. As a mom, to 2 athletes, Im simultaneously grateful and angry. Thank you!

Wonderfully written and eye opening

I am a professional ballet dancer in my late 20s and I noticed many parallels in our fields. Lauren’s work is so important and inspiring!

Thank you for this, Lauren!

It’s few athletes who take the time to advocate for a good cause. Your work in brining light to various stigmas revolving women in sports and the need to help young female athletes is amazing.

An old crone’s reflection

This book is revolutionary in so many ways. The intersection of women’s running and athletics in general need this kind of conversation and truth-telling particularly around eating disorders. One comment about a girl’s body that disturbs an already fragile relationship as she goes through the earthquake of development can unleash the psychic predator that is any eating or body dysmorphic disorder.
As a female competitive runner for almost 30 years from 1976-2005, there were thousands of moments where I doubted myself and blamed myself for how my body felt in a race without a path to self-compassion. Eating disorders kill by being relentless and by insisting on secrecy, just as sexual abuse and other forms of abuse insist that a woman keep her suffering to herself. Thank you Lauren for your courage and persistence. My fingers are in the shape of a big “C” for you!

Necessary for female athletes.

Amazing insight into the world of female athletics. I recommend it to every female, but especially the teen female athlete.

Candid memoir; fathers should read this!

It's easy to say this is a must read for female athletes of any age, but it's really a must read for MEN, especially those who support, love, or profit off female athletes. As the mother of a girl who became a D1 college athlete, I was very familiar with many of the topics that Fleshman touches on in her memoir (eating disorders, female athlete triad, coaching) and I was really glad my husband read and enjoyed this book. We both appreciated the author's candid reflections on her past and her willingness to reveal not just the mistakes of others, but also her own. Fleshman's focus on moving onwards and upwards rather than wallowing in victimhood was refreshing. She managed to do that while also revealing, without shame, that she takes medication for depression. Her writing is crisp and engaging. I wanted to keep turning the pages and did. I learned a lot from this book including some sad truths (RED-S, unethical and discriminatory sponsorship practices). Fleshman proposes what needs to change in the world of women's competitive running (and sports in general) and has some excellent ideas on how to make that happen. But, sadly, even though we are now in an era of open acknowledgment of the dirty little secrets of elite athletics, I'm not sure there will ever be a way to prevent ALL the harm that befalls so many who try to reach the highest peaks, no matter their age or gender. As a species, humans can't seem to resist the quest for glory and pre-eminence even when it means lasting injury to our psyche, our body, or our conscience. Whether we are the athlete ourself or whether we are "just the fan" watching, we can be complicit. At a minimum, we should try harder to protect girls and developing young women from irreparable physical damages.