Rendered inactive, forced to be still, Gabe realizes she needs to heal her emotional wounds as much as her physical ones she must confront her fear and self-diminishment in order to feel truly alive. She soon finds community and a sense of belonging, reveling in the tattoos, glitter, and campiness.īut when Gabe suffers a catastrophic injury, she can no longer ignore the parallels between the physicality of roller derby and the unresolved trauma of her upbringing.

Gabe instantly falls in love with the sport’s roughness, intensity, and open embrace of people who are literally and figuratively scarred. With no prior experience, she joins Arch Rival, one of the top-ranked roller derby leagues in the world. Louis, she is determined to put the baggage of her childhood behind her. A competitive swimmer, she turned to perfectionism and self-control to create a sense of safety, only to develop an eating disorder and constantly second-guess her instincts.

Growing up queer in a conservative Midwestern town, Gabe Montesanti never felt comfortable in her own skin. “A universal story of healing and triumph, made all the more beautiful, wild, and free by Gabe’s fierce love for roller derby and her team, who become her family.”-ABBY WAMBACH, Olympian, activist, and author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Wolfpack A powerful and redemptive story of how the dazzling world of roller derby helped one young woman transform her fear and self-doubt into gutsy, big-hearted, adventurous living

Brace for impact gabe montesanti