Thank you to NetGalley and Unbound for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Goodreads Synopsis
Forget what you think you know about wrestling. In the world of Heather Honeybadger, aka Rana Venenosa, there are no steroids, no tans, no million-dollar contracts - there is only lycra, a sweaty underground club and an unbreakable resilience. From the day that Heather steps into the ring of the punk wrestling school Lucha Britannia, she finds herself transformed into a person she never knew she could be. How do you become a wrestler when you hate sports so much you can't do a press-up? What makes feminists and wrestlers both mortal enemies and unlikely best friends? For the first time, an independent female wrestler talks in depth about how she went from a sad, lost riot grrrl to an empowered, persevering fighter who has performed across the world. Unladylike is a feminist romp like no other - hard-hitting, life-affirming and funny, just like the women who find themselves in the ring.
Review
I have been a fan of wrestling since I was a little girl. I grew up watching the likes of The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Degeneration X. I grew up wanting to be a woman’s wrestler, to follow in the footsteps of Chyna, Trish Stratus and Lita.
As time went on, I realised that I would never accomplish this dream. One, I suffer from excruciating back pain at least once a month and two, I would never fit the mould that WWE ever wanted for women wrestlers.
Heather Von Bandenburg opened my eyes to a new world of wrestling in this book. While I knew that smaller organisations existed, having watched ‘indie’ matches on YouTube, it was interesting to read her journey into Lucha wrestling. I loved the transformation of Heather and her in-ring personas. Heather never gave up on her dream even when it seemed like the world and her body were seemingly against her.
Heather also highlights how hard it is for females in this industry. Women are treated differently in the ring and up until a few years ago women were seen as ‘divas’ whose matches were mainly for men to take a toilet break or enjoy the eye-candy. It breaks my heart to see how much the women in this book struggled to make it big, struggled to even start their own group because they weren’t seen as important. While I am impressed with the change in women’s wrestling in the bigger companies such as WWE, there still need to be a lot more improvement.
I think this book needs to be read by young women who are looking to start wrestling, whether for fun or to make it to the big leagues. Heather Von Bandenburg does not hold back in this book and I honestly admire her for that. She enjoys what she is doing and it really shows in this book.
I really do recommend this book for any wrestling fan. It gives you an insight to starting out that most wrestler’s autobiographies tend to ignore. Bandenburg has a way of sucking you into this universe and making you feel as if you were on this journey with her. It was honestly everything I didn’t know I needed in my life.
Rating: 5/5 stars
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