Carli Lloyd’s, When Nobody Was Watching, reveals the determination and hardships she had to overcome to become the world-class athlete she is today. Beginning to play soccer at the age of five, Lloyd developed a passion for the game like no other. Not many girls played soccer at the time or would even be interested in the sport, it was considered a man’s game, so that led to Carli being around guys most of the time. Unlike any ordinary player, she had determination and ambition for bettering herself every day, but what inspired Lloyd to try even harder was a game she had watched in 1999 of the US Women’s World Cup game. This game inspired her to lead herself into making it into the National team.
A quote that stood out for me throughout the book was one that tied the whole purpose of the concept together. “It’s always hard to deal with injuries mentally, but I like to think about it as a new beginning. I can’t change what happened, so the focus needs to go toward the healing and coming back stronger than ever” (Lloyd page 88). The power that this quote reveals is uncanny. The quote implies challenge, determination, and a solution all in one. This shows how strong of a player Lloyd is and how she wouldn’t give up on her goals.
Personally, I would recommend this book to any soccer player or athlete who enjoys inspirational stories that motivate you to want to become better at anything, whether it’s a sport, a talent, even in academics. It portrays the hardships that almost anyone will go through during their lifetime, and how many times they’ll be told they can’t and denied their dreams. Carli does an incredible job of characterizing what it means to be a strong person, especially a woman in today’s society. Lloyd emphasizes mostly on how she overcame those challenges, instead of elaborating on the negatives of how hard it was to prevail over everyone’s disbelief on someone willing to give it they’re all. It can also be justified by her second book, My Dedication and Determination to Become One of Soccer’s Best, which goes into more detail about what she did to become a professional athlete, outside of her personal life, meaning the book stated more facts.
The book was full of clarity on the innovation of the risking athlete, but some of the innovation factors left out were events from her personal life. Lloyd did write some background to help the reader better understand where she came from, but when it got to the point of what inspired her to go professional, the book only shares the part of her life that belongs on the pitch. Yes, the purpose of the book is to inspire others and share her journey through the world of soccer, but in my opinion, there should’ve been more details included about her personal life that many have contributed to her career. I feel that the author didn’t add much of a variety with details, because of her vision for what that intended audience is supposed to be, but the additional details would’ve provided a more open audience who would still be able to enjoy the book.
Carli Lloyd’s book had many strengths, but they also contributed to the weaknesses of the book as well. The book was mostly about motivation, a constant reminder to not give up, but the concept was used so much in this book, it was repetitive. It’s what makes a boom predictable, which leads it to not be as enjoyable as it could be. In today’s world, the autobiographies of athletes aren’t a popular genre, (or topic) to read about because they all send the same message, the same plot, and plot twists. Only determined fans, and athletes would take time to read these books, as I did myself. Whether it’s because they’re interested to learn about their favorite athlete’s lives’, or find inspiration for their gain. My argument is that because the entire vision of these books is so focused on the intended audience, the author’s don’t think about how readable their book will be, or even if other audiences might enjoy it.
