The Keeper: Soccer, Me, and the Law That Changed Women's Lives

From the New York Times Book Review,

"[R]eaders will certainly want to linger on the beautiful depictions of birds, people and scenes from her life. She weaves in historical context in graceful and necessary ways."

A beautifully illustrated coming-of-age graphic memoir chronicling how sports shaped one young girl's life and changed women's history forever.

Growing up playing on a top national soccer team in the 1980s, Kelcey Ervick and her teammates didn't understand the change they represented. Title IX was enacted in 1972 with little fanfare, but to seismic effect; between then and now, girls' participation in organized sports has exploded more than 1,000 percent. Braiding together personal narrative, pop culture, literature, and history, Ervick tells the story of how her adolescence was shaped by this boom. Ervick also explores her role as a goalkeeper--a position marked by outsider status and observation--and reveals it has drawn some of the most famed writers of our time. With wit and poignant storytelling, The Keeper brings to life forgotten figures who understood the importance of athletics to help women step into their confidence and power--and push for equality. Full of 1980s nostalgia and heart, The Keeper is a celebration of how far we have come and a reminder of how far we have to go.

Author: Kelcey Ervick
Publisher: Avery Publishing Group
Published: 10/04/2022
Pages: 336
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.4lbs
Size: 8.98h x 6.08w x 0.70d
ISBN: 9780593539187


Review Citation(s):
Booklist 07/01/2022 pg. 38
Publishers Weekly 08/08/2022
Library Journal 08/12/2022 pg. 1

About the Author
Kelcey Ervick was a goalkeeper for nationally ranked soccer teams as a girl. These days, she is an author, artist, mother, and professor of creative writing at Indiana University in South Bend.