Bravey (Adapted for Young Readers): Chasing Dreams, Befriending Pain, and Other Big Ideas

Alexi Pappas is not only an Olympic runner, actress, filmmaker, she is a writer whose heartwarming and life-affirming memoir will inspire young readers, as she shares the touchstone moments in her life that helped her learn about confidence and self-reliance, compassion and forgiveness, and loss and hope, in this accessible and motivating memoir.

What is a bravey? For Alexi Pappas, it means to chase the goals that seem scary. She has not shied away from the challenge.

In this honest and hopeful memoir written especially for young readers, Alexi Pappas details key moments that had profound effects on her life, including the loss of her mother when she was just four years old, to her formative years at school where she felt different from her peers, and into her young adult life, including the incredible year she experienced in 2016 when she made her Olympic debut as a distance runner and wrote, directed, and starred in her first feature film. Through it all, Alexi worked hard--physically, mentally, and emotionally, but not without setbacks and difficulties, all of which helped her learn about confidence and self-reliance, compassion and forgiveness, loss and hope. Even with good things happening, Alexi found herself facing anxiety and mental health issues. Isn't winning supposed to make a person happy? How does one make life better when it already seems good? Alexi doesn't provide all the answers, but she offers ideas to consider when life gets complicated.

Young readers will be inspired by Alexi's journey to create an abundant life filled with loving friends and family and strong female role models and mentors--who helped to shape the bravey she is today.

Author: Alexi Pappas
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Published: 08/22/2023
Pages: 240
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.30lbs
Size: 7.60h x 5.10w x 0.70d
ISBN: 9780593562741
Audience: Ages 9-12


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 06/01/2023

About the Author
Alexi Pappas is an award- winning writer, filmmaker, and Olympic athlete. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Runner's World, Women's Running, Sports Illustrated, The Atlantic, and Outside, among other publications, and she has been profiled in The New York Times, Sports Illustrated, New York, and Rolling Stone. Pappas co- wrote, co- directed, and starred in the feature film Tracktown with Rachel Dratch and Andy Buckley. Most recently, she co- wrote and starred along-side Nick Kroll in Olympic Dreams, the first non- documentary style movie ever to be filmed at the Olympic Games. A Greek American, Pappas holds the Greek national record in the 10,000 meters and competed for Greece in the 2016 Olympics. She lives in Los Angeles, California.