What Made Maddy Run

The Secret Struggles and Tragic Death of an All-American Teen

De: Kate Fagan

Narrado por: Kate Fagan

The heartbreaking story of college athlete Madison Holleran, whose life and death by suicide reveal the struggle of young people suffering from mental illness today in this number one New York Times Sports and Fitness best seller. If you scrolled through the Instagram feed of 19-year-old Maddy Holleran, you would see a perfect life: a freshman at an Ivy League school, recruited for the track team, who was also beautiful, popular, and fiercely intelligent.

This was a girl who succeeded at everything she tried, and who was only getting started. But when Maddy began her long-awaited college career, her parents noticed something changed. Previously indefatigable Maddy became withdrawn, and her thoughts centered on how she could change her life. In spite of thousands of hours of practice and study, she contemplated transferring from the school that had once been her dream.

When Maddy's dad, Jim, dropped her off for the first day of spring semester, she held him a second longer than usual. That would be the last time Jim would see his daughter. What Made Maddy Run began as a piece that Kate Fagan, a columnist for espnW, wrote about Maddy's life. What started as a profile of a successful young athlete whose life ended in suicide became so much larger when Fagan started to hear from other college athletes also struggling with mental illness.

This is the story of Maddy Holleran's life, and her struggle with depression, which also reveals the mounting pressures young people - and college athletes in particular - face to be perfect, especially in an age of relentless connectivity and social media saturation.

©2017 Kate Fagan (P)2017 Hachette Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"It is impossible not to be affected by Holleran's heart-wrenching story. An appropriate (if difficult) read for current and future college athletes, their coaches, and parents." (Library Journal)

"A compassionate and frank look at depression and the social pressure faced by many college students as seen through the eyes of one young woman." (Kirkus)

"Fagan's book is well-researched and the message is timely and important." (Publishers Weekly)

Tackles an uncomfortable topic

Well-written. The author made a great effort to discuss the events of Maddy's life in a way that is informative and compassionate.

Amazing, agonizing story

An incredibly powerful story that is difficult to listen to because the subject matter is so painful. A must-read for parents whose children experience the constant pressure of social media and the pressure to succeed.

strong story until the end

This was the first audible book I purchased and I’d been wanting to read/listen for a while. The story is, of course, very tragic. You learn that from the title. I enjoyed the first 75% or so of the book. Strong narrative and very detailed. I felt the end kind of just “happened” and that was that. I would’ve like to have had the last part be as good as the first. It is still a good book and eye opening, just don’t hold your breath for the ending (not what happens, just the story itself).

An exceptional inside look.

The author of this book did an exceptional job telling Madison’s story. This story was so real, so important, and truly needed to be told. As someone who works in Higher Education, I can truly say the content of this book will guide my professional practices differently having heard it. We often times forget people are people, and people have lives. Thank you to the Madison’s family to allow this book to be written in order to help others.

The struggles everyone faces as an athlete

It was very good and open my eyes to everyone and how people view themselves not only as humans but so much more open my eyes to sports and they aren’t everything

Good Read for Parents of Stressed Teens

Worthwhile read for parents of stressed children. I didn’t particularly like the author’s insertion of her own story, nor the authors assumptions of how Maddy was feeling. I was able to overlook my issues and still felt it was a worthwhile read. I also attended UPenn, lived near the suicide scene, and my roommate died 2 months into my freshman year in college. Fast forward, my 14 year old daughter is perpetually stressed. So, this story is close to my heart and put me on alert to be sensitive to my daughter’s pressures.

Thank You Kate

Thank you for sharing this story...I cried, was angry and maybe a bit at peace by the end. I hope parents and schools take the message here and help all students. RIP Maddy...your storm has subsided. Joe Gargiul

college student must read

loved it and recommend it to begining college students or even high school students to read

Very compelling story and informative

I can’t think of anything scarier as a parent than my child feeling this desperate and alone. I felt like I knew Maddy by the end of the book. So thankful to the author and family for sharing her story to help others. Beautifully and respectfully written with lots of great information.

Very sad!

This book started out very relatable to me as my son shared most of the same struggles with college as Maddy. At the time (13 years ago) my husband and I faced the same fears and pain as did Maddy’s parents and friends. Thankfully, our son is doing well in life now but it took bringing him home from college to get to that point.

While I enjoyed the book, it was too lengthy at times and I began to wonder if the author was more about telling her own story of struggling in college than showcasing who the book was supposed to be about.

All in all, the book was informative and probably should be a prerequisite for ANY parent sending their child off to college.