{"product_id":"the-happiest-girl-in-the-world-a-novel-isbn-9780063019041","title":"The Happiest Girl in the World: A Novel","description":"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“Propulsive,\u003cbr\u003etransfixing, and disturbing. I could not set the book down. Harrowing and\u003cbr\u003efearlessly honest, \u003cem\u003eThe Happiest Girl in the World\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e is a haunting read\u003cbr\u003ebecause it couldn't have done justice to its subjects – fictional and real –\u003cbr\u003eany other way.” —Popsugar\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOne of \u003cem\u003eGood Morning America\u003c\/em\u003e's Best Books of April!\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom the acclaimed author of \u003cem\u003eMercy House\u003c\/em\u003e comes a gripping\u003cbr\u003e new novel about a young woman’s dreams of Olympic gymnastic gold—and what it\u003cbr\u003e takes to reach the top\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor Sera Wheeler, the Olympics is the reason for everything. It’s\u003cbr\u003ewhy she trains thirty hours a week, starves herself to under 100 pounds, and\u003cbr\u003epops Advil like Tic Tacs.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor her mother, Charlene,  hungry\u003cbr\u003efor glory she never had, it’s why she rises before dawn to drive Sera to\u003cbr\u003epractice in a different state, and why the family scrimps, saves, and\u003cbr\u003efractures. It’s why, when Sera’s best friend reports the gymnastics doctor to\u003cbr\u003ethe authority who selects the Olympic Team, Sera denies what she knows about\u003cbr\u003ehis treatments, thus preserving favor.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eTheir friendship shatters. But Sera protected her dream—didn’t\u003cbr\u003eshe?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eSera doubles down, taping broken toes, numbing torn muscles, and pouring\u003cbr\u003eher family’s resources into the sport. Soon she isn’t training for the love of\u003cbr\u003egymnastics. She’s training to make her disloyalty worthwhile. No matter the\u003cbr\u003ecost.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Happiest Girl in the World\u003c\/em\u003e explores the dark\u003cbr\u003ehistory behind an athlete who stands on the world stage, biting gold. It's\u003cbr\u003eabout the silence required of the exceptional, a tarnished friendship, and the\u003cbr\u003esacrifices a parent will make for a child, even as a family is torn apart. It’s\u003cbr\u003eabout the price of greatness.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e\"For fans of Ann Patchett's \u003cem\u003eThe Patron Saint of Liars\u003c\/em\u003e or Maile Meloy's \u003cem\u003eLiars and Saints\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eMercy House\u003c\/em\u003e is a must-read.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSan Francisco Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A brilliant and often heartbreaking account of a young girl striving to live a complicated dream, \u003cem\u003eThe Happiest Girl In The World\u003c\/em\u003e probes the tragedy of the at-all-costs mentality that fuels Olympic performances.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBlythe Lawrence, co-author of Aly Raisman’s Fierce: How Competing For Myself Changed Everything\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“[A] stirring, fiery debut...Dillon balances her protagonist’s righteous anger with an earnest exploration of Evie’s faith and devotion to justice and community service. This uncompromising story will light up book clubs.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Never underestimate the power of a group of women. Fierce, thoughtful, and dramatic--this is a story of true courage.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSusan Wiggs, New York Times bestselling author\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A life-altering debut featuring fierce, funny, and irreverent women who battle the most powerful institution in the world. This is the book we’ve all been waiting for.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAmy Schumer\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e“In \u003cem\u003eMercy House\u003c\/em\u003e, Alena Dillon gives us one of fiction’s more unlikely lovable heroines: elderly, dynamic Sister Evelyn, whose tale—and that of her housemates—is as unexpected as it is moving. This is a thoughtful, accomplished debut.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTherese Ann Fowler, New York Times bestselling author of Z, A Well-Behaved Woman, and A Good Neighborhood\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"\u003cem\u003eT\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003ehe Happiest Girl in the World \u003c\/em\u003eis a tender reflection on the importance of second chances, the ways in which both courage and cowardice can break a person, and what it takes to make yourself whole again.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMeghan MacLean Weir, author of The Book of Essie\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Whether readers can name every Olympian gymnast from the past 40 years or can't tell a Yurchenko from a Mustafina, Dillon's latest novel will enthrall. A natural next read for fans of Hannah Orenstein's \u003cem\u003eHead over Heels\u003c\/em\u003e (2020) or the Netflix documentary \u003cem\u003eAthlete A\u003c\/em\u003e.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist (starred review)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"As she did with the Catholic Church in \u003cem\u003eMercy House\u003c\/em\u003e, Dillon lays bare the sins of the U.S. gymnastic world and all those who enable this sport... Dillon sticks the landing with this layered book about abuse, drive, family expectations, and trauma.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal (starred review)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Dillon (\u003cem\u003eMercy House\u003c\/em\u003e) explores the dark side of elite gymnastics in her engrossing ripped-from-the-headlines latest... Dillon’s nuanced treatment makes for a stirring and complicated picture... Dillon’s excellent psychological drama will stay with readers.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"\u003cem\u003eHappiest Girl in the World\u003c\/em\u003e is a searing look at elite gymnastics and the lengths an athlete will go to reach her goal. Dillon writes a harrowing story about how hope can be saddled with burdens, and sacrifice can wear down the soul. Timely and spirited, I devoured this book.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eElissa R. Sloan, author of The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Propulsive, transfixing, and disturbing. I could not set the book down. Harrowing and fearlessly honest, \u003cem\u003eThe Happiest Girl in the World\u003c\/em\u003e is a haunting read because it couldn't have done justice to its subjects — fictional and real — any other way.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePopsugar\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"William Morrow Paperbacks","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44889461981413,"sku":"NP9780063019041","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780063019041.jpg?v=1730231305","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-happiest-girl-in-the-world-a-novel-isbn-9780063019041","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}