Gabby Douglas to Release 'Grace, Gold, Glory' Memoir on Overcoming Struggles With Faith
Gabby Douglas, the first woman of color in Olympic history to win an individual all-around competition, is gearing up to release her first book in time for the holidays.
Douglas, 16, gained notoriety after appearing in the 2012 Olympics and even recently performed at the MTV Video Music Awards. However, the gold medalist recently opened up to People magazine about penning a memoir that will hit bookshelves in December.
The book will be published by the Zondervan division of Harper Collins with the title Grace, Gold and Glory: My Leap of Faith. According to Douglas, her dreams of writing a book started long before her dreams of becoming a gold medalist.
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"Even before I competed in the Olympics, I always wanted to write a book," Douglas told People magazine.
Lisa Sharkey, vice president at Harpers, spoke about the publishing house's decision to work with Douglas in a Reuters report.
"Gabby Douglas shines even more brightly than her Olympic gold medals," Sharkey said. "The reason is her inner strength and strong faith."
According to Douglas, the memoir "will also be about how much my family and I have overcome during our journey. It hasn't been easy." She told People magazine that she wants others to read her story "and think anything is possible."
Douglas left her home in Virginia at the tender age of 12 when she decided to train with a new gymnastics coach in Iowa. The gymnast recently conducted an interview with Vanity Fair magazine and gave readers a glimpse of her struggles which included dealing with racism.
Douglas recalled one incident years ago when she was told to get a nose job and called a slave at Excalibur Gymnastics in Virginia Beach. Although the 16-year-old gold medalist said she dealt with comments about her being a slave and needing a nose job which she said were "very hurtful," she has also had to combat negativity about her hair while participating in the Olympic games recently.
However, Douglas also stood up for herself in a USA Today report.
"Are you kidding me? I just made history? And you're focusing on my hair," Douglas questioned at the time. "I just want to say we're all beautiful inside out. Nothing is going to change."..
