Rise

Surviving the Fight of My Life

By: Paige VanZant

Narrated by: Chloe Cannon, Paige VanZant

AN INSPIRING MEMOIR FOR ANYONE WHO'S BEEN KNOCKED DOWN AND CAME UP SWINGING

As a young girl growing up in Newberg, Oregon, Paige Sletten was all energy and full of potential. A natural athlete, Paige excelled at dancing, made the cheerleading squad earlier than most, and even had aspirations of becoming a Disney child star. With a tight-knit family, Paige's life was on track for greatness. Then, one fateful fall night in high school, everything changed when Paige faced a life-threatening sexual assault. It was in the gym where she "pounded the life out of those ashen memories," becoming stronger with every punch, kick, and lunge. In this beautiful tale of survival, she writes:

I inhale the power.
I exhale the bullshit.
One strike at a time.

Fighting became Paige's safe haven; something to live for, and Rise is the inspiring story of how she ultimately transformed into a bone-breaking, head-smashing fighter known as Paige VanZant. It is the deeply moving story of a warrior who transformed her pain into power and has become one of the toughest women in the world; an inspiring journey of someone who was knocked down in the most devastating way and came up swinging.

Critic reviews

"MMA fighter Paige VanZant had to defeat obstacles in and out of the Octagon."—ESPN.com

"[A] book about surviving the face of evil."
—MMA Mania

"Paige VanZant is some warrior....the journey VanZant has had to endure before reaching the bright lights of the UFC is what makes her truly remarkable....VanZant conveys the fear, anxiety, and hopelessness that consumed her during those years with such stirring honesty.... [Rise] provides other[s] vital hope that recovery and survival can be achieved. Paige VanZant is a hero and an inspiration. Her story of remarkable courage and survival needs to be read."—TheSportsBookClub.com

Love Paige

Her story is both heartbreaking and inspiring. Got choked up a few times listening to her pain. Only thing that would make this one better is if Paige was the narrator.

A strong woman!!

I was surprised by the horror she has survived, and it was difficult to listen to those parts, just because they are so horrific. But her rise is inspiring. Can’t wait to see what she does next!

Paige shows us what it is to Rise

I absolutely love this book and the message that it sends to everyone. I had no clue what she went through as a young kid and what she overcame to succeed. This book is a must read and should be read in schools to eliminate bullying.

Chole Cannon did good bringing emotions and life to the book. It was easy to listen too and was overall enjoyable!

Riveting and inspirational story - so much more than just a memoir!

I loved every minute of Paige’s story, and the narrator was excellent. Often, an audiobook lacks in one of these areas a little bit, but not on this one. It is surprisingly well written. There were no parts I wanted to speed through and never a moment where I wanted a different voice to hear reading it. Although I love Paige’s written words, it was a good choice to have Chloe read it. Paige’s own voice is very brief at the beginning.

I want my daughter to read this book to be inspired to be all parts of herself and to know she can rise if she’s ever knocked down. I want my son to read it to understand what women are capable of and to recognize what a good man is - and isn’t. For both of my children to learn that anyone can push through, stay focused, and dominate life, just like she did. I now re-listen to the end to remind myself to purposefully place people and things I love in my corner, to drive myself to action when I’m feeling lazy, and to inspire myself to grab the life I want to have and keep. AND that all that is possible.

Amazing Story

Very heart wrenching at times. What an amazing young woman. I’d love to give her a hug and tell her how proud I am of her.