UPHILL

An accomplished Black sports journalist tells her story.

Atlantic contributing writer Hill, who rose to fame partly due to her online conflicts with Donald Trump, recounts the ups and downs of her early life as well as her successful career at ESPN and beyond. The author grew up in Detroit with a mother who battled a drug addiction and a grandmother who was “a highly functioning alcoholic.” Despite their struggles, however, both worked hard to provide for her. Hill writes about how she was determined to escape the poverty that constricted her childhood, a desire that led to an intense work ethic and a life filled with achievements. As a freshman at Michigan State, she got a job as a sportswriter with the State News, an accomplishment that was partially possible because Hill had already written for a professional publication in high school. She continued her diligent work even in the face of widespread bigotry and “racist hate mail.” During an internship at the Lima News, she took pitches and wrote a series on domestic violence to accompany coverage of the O.J. Simpson trial. In 2006, she reluctantly took a job at ESPN (“I wanted to be a respected journalist, not some flashy television personality”). She stayed for 11 years, serving as co-host of the network’s flagship program, SportsCenter, and developing and co-hosting the groundbreaking show His & Hers, which Hill describes as “unapologetically Black.” Unfortunately, the author felt unsupported at ESPN, often due to her race. She left the network after Trump personally attacked her on Twitter. “Trump didn’t hurt me, but ESPN’s lack of response did,” she writes. “A government official had come after one of its employees and it did nothing.” Hill is relentless but fair, and she is equally comfortable parsing out instances of institutional racism and admitting to her own mistakes. She balances humor, vulnerability, and passion, creating a text that is both exciting and emotionally satisfying.

A frank, fearless, and entertaining memoir.