Olympic Gold Medalist Alex Morgan to Publish Memoir with Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
New York, NY — Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers announced today that it will publish Breakaway, a memoir by soccer star and Olympic Gold Medalist Alex Morgan. Written for a teen audience, Breakaway will publish on June 2, 2015, in advance of the 2015 Women’s World Cup.
As a talented and successful female athlete, Alex Morgan is a role model to thousands of girls who want to be their best, not just in soccer, but in other sports and in life. This inspirational memoir chronicles her path to success, including playing in the 2011 Women’s World Cup, winning gold in the 2012 London Olympics, and ranking as one of the national team’s top scorers. From her beginnings with the American Youth Soccer Organization to her key role in the 2015 Women’s World Cup, Alex shares the details that made her who she is today.
“Setting goals has always been so important to me in soccer, in school, and in all areas of my life,” Morgan says. “By sharing these stories and thoughts, I hope to inspire others to create their own journey and turn their dreams into reality.”
“Alex Morgan is more than just a soccer phenom—she’s an inspiration to her young fans,” says editor Kristin Ostby. “While she makes scoring goals look easy, her story reveals the incredible amount of hard work and determination that have gotten her where she is today.”
North American rights were acquired by Ostby from Eric Simonoff at William Morris Endeavor.
Morgan is also the author of The Kicks, a series of middle – grade novels about a girls soccer team. The fourth book in the series, Hat Trick, will be published by Simon & Schuster on June 2, 2015.
Alex Morgan became the youngest member of the US women’s national soccer team in 2009 and competed in the 2011 FIFA World Cup. She was the first overall pick in the 2011 Women’s Professional Soccer draft and landed a spot on the US Olympic women’s soccer team in 2012. At the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, held in London, Morgan won her first Olympic medal, a gold, with the American team. The team beat Japan, 2–1, in a match watched by nearly 80,300 fans—the largest soccer crowd in Olympics history. She now plays for the Portland Thorns FC in Oregon. She is the author of three books in the Kicks series for young readers: Saving the Team, Sabotage Season, and Win or Lose.
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