TOW 5 - Solo: A Memoir of Hope (pt. 2)

The second half of Solo’s book was definitely more controversial: while the first half described Solo’s background and history, she went on to explain the drama and gossip that occurred during her time with the US Women’s National Team. The way she portrayed her team at times made them sound like a group of cliquey high school mean-girls. This makes me think that the audience of the autobiography was geared more towards adolescent girls, since they would relate more to Solo’s feelings at the time. The way Solo structured her book was a smart move: since she already described her experiences as a high school teenage girl, Solo would know how to recognize a group of mean girls like the ones on her team. Her teenage audience knows how to recognize them as well. After the audience realizes that Solo is simply repeating the isolation many of them felt in high school, Solo’s actions are justifiable. I still believe that Solo’s purpose is to convince anyone that they can overcome obstacles, but I feel that a strategy she uses to achieve her purpose, or perhaps even a secondary purpose, is to generate sympathy for her struggles. Solo uses her feelings of isolation to drive her to success, thus inspiring her audience to do the same. If Hope can overcome all the adversity of her past and go on to win championships, the Olympics, and World Cups, so can you. In some ways it almost makes everyone else’s problems trivial, which contrastingly uses negative motivation for the same result. No matter which effect worked specifically, Solo’s autobiography inspires her audience to persevere and follow their dreams. Though many people told you it’s impossible, Solo proves that dreams can become a reality with a little bit of talent and a lot of hard work.

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