Embracing Victory

"In this book, author and athlete Mariah Burton Nelson urges women to stop denying that they're competitive. She teaches them how to compete without losing their dignity and sense of humor. She shows how competition can, under the right circumstances, enhance both intimacy and success at work, at home, and in sports. She challenges women to follow in the footsteps of the female athletes who compete openly and unapologetically.". "Think of competition as a relationship, Nelson advises. Opponents can be respectful, even helpful, as they challenge each other to succeed. Think of competition as a process, she says; winning matters, but how you win matters, too. Think of competition as an opportunity - to get to know yourself, your desires, your capabilities. Think of competition as a risk, making wise decisions about when to compete and when not to. And think of competition as a feminist issue, since women's impressive and pervasive victories are changing the very nature of society.". "Using personal stories, interviews with more than two hundred women, and original survey research involving a thousand women and girls nationwide, Nelson counsels women to reject both the masculine "Conqueror" style and the feminine "Cheerleader" style of competition. Instead, embrace victory as a Champion does: honorably, compassionately, with intensity and integrity."--BOOK JACKET.

Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Nonfiction, Self-Help, Mental Health. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.