Reviews for Becky Lynch : The Man : not your average average girl
Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.
Rebecca Quin may be the author's given name, but as one of the most famous World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) female professionals, she plays a character named Becky Lynch, “The Man,” when she’s in the ring. Having grown up outside of Dublin, Ireland, Quin describes herself as “Satan with a poorly cut bob” who played sports and regularly watched WWE with her brother. Flunking gym class led her to get fit, and she began training at a wrestling school during her teenage years. It wasn’t until she dropped out of college that she fully committed to pursuing her dream and unconventional career path: professional wrestler. Told with candor, Quin reveals herself as a vulnerable trailbreaker navigating a male-dominated profession. With each title earned, including SuperGirls champion, first SmackDown Women’s Champion, and first woman to win the main event of WrestleMania, Quin gained self-confidence, confronted impostor syndrome, and helped change the culture around female wrestling. This book offers a fascinating peek behind the curtain of a theatrical combat sport, and readers do not need to be WWE fans to connect to this inspirational career journey.
Publishers Weekly
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Pro wrestler Quin, who performs as Becky Lynch, delivers an endearing debut memoir about her life and athletic career. Born in Ireland in 1987, Quin began wrestling professionally in 2002 under the name Rebecca Knox, and concentrated initially on playing the role of the “heel,” or villain. She joined WWE in 2013, a time in the organization when women “couldn’t punch, couldn’t throw uppercuts, and were encouraged to pull hair and slap each other.” She was a key figure in the move away from such sexist limitations, first making a splash in 2018 when she impulsively slapped champion Charlotte Flair in the face during a match she was scheduled to lose. Though she lost anyway, the Becky Lynch persona was born in that moment: “The one who... was never the best, or the strongest, or the most naturally gifted, but who had heart and fire and fight. They knew what it was like to be passed over for that promotion or not asked to that dance.” Quin was a hit with audiences, and she went on to become the first woman to win WrestleMania. She grounds her accomplishments with candid discussions of body image issues, her unglamorous pre-wrestling days as an Aer Lingus flight attendant, and moments when she acted like a “jerk,” being petulant at work or an “asshole” on social media. Such honesty sets her account apart from other professional athlete memoirs. Even non–wrestling fans are likely to enjoy this. Agent: Mel Berger, WME. (Mar.)
Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
A memoir from the Irish wrestler known as The Man. Quin (b. 1987), aka Becky Lynch, a native of Dublin, is a different character from her main role in professional wrestling, the latter being “vulnerable, often foolish, and a whole lot more complex.” She describes herself average “in every aspect of life, average height, average weight, average anxieties, average grades, average upbringing.” Thanks to wrestling, she’s traveled the world and battled challengers as the longest-reigning women’s champion on the WWE Raw program. Quin started off as a kid without much direction, thanks to a father with none of his own to speak of, always staying a step ahead of the school authorities and occasionally the police. As a disgruntled teen, Quin discovered wrestling—the real kind, with real rivalries and broken bones—and found her calling. After time on the Irish circuit, she got called up to the big league by Vince McMahon, “our almighty overlord,” a mercurial and volatile fellow who had made televised pro wrestling a huge hit in the U.S. and abroad and who paid attention to every last detail of the script, the arc of which, character by character, was as complex and unshakable as any soap opera. Woe be to the actor who went off-script, as Quin did from time to time, bringing down McMahon’s wrath: “Why the fuck did you no-sell it? You fucked everything up.” Still, McMahon knew to back off once the point was made, and Quin knew to be careful next time out, even if she describes herself as “a firecracker of emotion” inclined to take all the make-believe seriously. Happily, she doesn’t take herself as seriously as the game, and WWE aficionados will enjoy the craic. A treat for fans of The Man and pro wrestling, with plenty of peeks behind the curtain. Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
