Our Fight: A Memoir

Martial artist Rousey and her sister, Burns-Ortiz, return with a scattered follow up to their joint memoir My Fight/Your Fight. The narrative gets off to a strong start, with a stirring description of Rousey’s defeat in her 2015 UFC title fight against Holly Holm. The loss triggered an existential crisis, leading to suicidal thoughts remedied only by her husband’s reassurance she was “more than a fighter.” From there, the narrative fractures, with Rousey covering aspects of her life and career before and after the defeat in diffuse, episodic chapters. For example, she recounts her tightly stage-managed time as a pro wrestler, her experiences acting in the Expendables and Fast and Furious franchises, her fertility struggles, and her adjustment to finally becoming a mother. The book concludes with an account of her loss to Shayna Baszler in a WWE wrestling match, which Rousey says she was better able to handle after her bout with Holm. While the narrative excites in its opening pages, readers not well-versed in the worlds of mixed martial arts and wrestling might struggle to sustain interest all the way through. This will appeal mostly to Rousey diehards. Photos. Agent: Erin Malone, WME. (Apr.)