This week's recommendation: AJ Lee's “Crazy Is My Superpower”

It’s an excellent read. It’s also the least wrestling-centric book of any I’ve read, so make of that what you will. Frankly I’d love for my daughter to read it at an age appropriate time in her life because she really hits home on the idea of what it means to be a girl/woman on her own terms, free of the labels and stigmas society would place on her.

Some notes:

-Maybe a fifth of it really focuses on her wrestling career, though she does sprinkle plenty of those crumbs leading up to it and you do get some joyful glimpses of the depth of her fandom. It is refreshing to hear the female perspective of that fandom.

-Very little is said about her relationship with Punk, though she does take you through a concise montage of that courtship. If you’ve seen the WWE Punk documentary and/or know his history, it makes perfect sense that these two ultimately wound up together.

-“Crazy” refers not just the mental illness within herself and her family but also her but the off-kilter nature of her mentality. Early on she gushes of her love of comic books, explaining at one point how her Barbie playtime consisted of reenacting Jean Gray’s suicide and subsequent rebirth in the Phoenix Saga.

-Some disturbing and heartbreaking moments regarding her mother that illustrate well the mental health aspect of the book.

I found the book deeply relatable on a personal level as there are many elements of her life that I identified with directly, so make of that what you will. It’s definitely a triumphant tale written with a deft and discerning touch. She definitely hits on the darker side of her upbringing without going for the jugular of your heartstrings and it pays off big.

What I love is that I can’t tell if that tonal balancing act was the product of a conscious effort or simply the result of a general spirit of joy and enthusiasm that also shines throughout. As far as pro wrestler bios go this is one of the more productive reads around.

Some have funny stories, others give you a mountain of salacious dirt, but AJ just kind of bares the soul of who she is and what makes her tick in a way that sets her story apart from most others. Pro wrestling is all about establishing a connection with fans and AJ pulls that off in droves here.

Highly recommended read.