The Keeper: Soccer, Me, and the Law That Changed Women's Lives

ker Ervick (Goodreads Author)U 50x66Ashley Gross's reviewOct 30, 2022 · editit was amazingI really loved this book. Her art is beautiful (and so varied!) and the layout is great. I didn't expect to love the story as much as I did because I've never really been an athlete. But Kelcey's story is about so much more than sports. It's about brave women who fought the injustice of gender discrimination in higher education more broadly (women professors who couldn't get hired, etc.) and championed the creation of Title IX. And then the way it opened the doors to sports opportunity for girl and women athletes across the country - changing so many lives in the process, including Kelcey's. I learned so much history from this book - it's a true tribute to the women who perhaps many of us are unfamiliar with but who did so much to make our world a more equitable place for girls and women. (You will love reading about the British Ladies' Football Club!).I also very much enjoyed the open and honest way Kelcey wrote about her personal story - from long friendships that eventually withered to how she has handled parenting a daughter decades after she herself was a soccer pioneer. I couldn't put this book down. I plan to buy it for a number of my friends!

You will laugh and cry when you read this moving and important story of a young woman growing up playing competitive soccer in the 1980s. I loved it. Recommended for all soccer lovers and all women--young and old!

A great book to read, look at, and think about. Kelcey Ervick shows us what it was like to be involved in girls' sports in the '70s and '80s, when schools everywhere began supporting girls teams. There are stories here about early women's soccer teams, Kelcey's own triumphs and disappointments as a goal keeper, and just the difficulties of navigating life as a girl in America. I teared up six times; I laughed out loud seven times. (Those are high scores for me!) I came away with a much more complete sense of how sports have changed the lives of girls and women -- and why we should all celebrate the anniversary of Title IX.

This beautiful and insightful graphic memoir was written and illustrated Kelcey Ervick, professor, artist, athlete and mother. It chronicles her experience as a top notch soccer keeper, adolescent, and young woman maneuvering through her life soon after Title IX was passed theoretically creating equal opportunities for women in sports. Kelcey’s writing style is engaging, funny and poignant. Her amazing illustrations kept me turning the pages to see what treasures awaited. Consider gifting this to any person in your life that you care about!

Rarely do I stay up until 1 am to finish a book and yet I was mesmerized by her insight, honesty and humor. Kelcey cuts through the layers of the complexities young women face and exposes a tenderness and communality that kept me rooting for her! Many images were so exquisite they seemed to take flight. So many of us grew up not knowing we were the recipients of Title IX. She reveals the shoulders of giants that we were standing on before us and what is propelling us forward. Remarkable.Pamela

Kelsey Ervick captures the history of a law that changed her life and the lives of all women athletes. Not only is she a wonderful writer, but her illustrations are so honest and vivid. This book is a must read and should be on the shelves in all school libraries. She is a role model and mentor and I love the way she told her story as a graphic memoir.

This book is an adventure. Every page is full of tidbits of knowledge, of history, and art! This book feels progressive, impactful, and frankly, happy. It's encouraging and it feels good to read about the forward movement of women's sports and the impact of Title IX. Buy this book. It will not be one that just sits there. You'll read it and then want everyone to read it, so you'll share it.

Ervick weaves together her personal history as a soccer with the history of Title IX. And I loved it! It's beautiful and well told. I finished it in a day and immediately loaned it to one of my students. Then I bought another copy for my niece. Inspiring and honest, beautiful and educational. SO GOOD!