Author Guide · Sports Memoir
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Abby Wambach scored 184 goals for the United States, won two Olympic gold medals and, in her last tournament, the 2015 Women’s World Cup. Months after she retired, in April 2016, she was arrested in Portland, Oregon, for driving under the influence. Her memoir Forward, published that autumn, puts the two stories side by side. Her later books move from her own life to advice: a commencement speech turned into a short manifesto, and a book of questions written with her wife, Glennon Doyle. This guide covers her 3 key books, in order, and where to begin.
By Lisanne Swart · 3 key books · 2016–2025 · Updated October 2026
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Quick answer
Abby Wambach has written three books: Forward (2016), her memoir; Wolfpack (2019), based on her 2018 commencement speech at Barnard College; and We Can Do Hard Things (2025), written with Glennon Doyle and Amanda Doyle. Start with Forward; read on for how the three books differ.
Where to Start with Abby Wambach
If you want her life story
→ Forward (2016) — the 2016 memoir.
If you want something short about leadership
→ Wolfpack (2019) — her “new rules” for women.
If you listen to the podcast
→ We Can Do Hard Things (2025) — written with her wife and sister-in-law.
3 Abby Wambach Books, in Order
Forward
Her memoir, published in September 2016, less than a year after she retired. Alongside her international career it describes her years of abusing alcohol and prescription drugs, including Vicodin, Ambien and Adderall. It came out five months after her arrest for driving under the influence in Portland, Oregon, which she has called one of the best things that ever happened to her.
Wolfpack
A short book that grew out of her commencement speech at Barnard College in May 2018, which was widely shared online. She turns lessons from her years in a team into “new rules” for women, about leadership, ambition, failure and supporting other women. A young readers’ edition followed in 2020.
We Can Do Hard Things
Written with her wife Glennon Doyle and her sister-in-law Amanda Doyle, her co-hosts on the podcast of the same name. Published by the Dial Press in 2025, it is organised around 20 questions about life.
In What Order to Read Abby Wambach
Read them in publication order. Forward gives the life, and Wolfpack draws on that life for its lessons without retelling it, so it lands better once you know the story. We Can Do Hard Things is a different kind of book: shared with two co-authors and built from questions, so it can be read at any point.
If you only want one, choose by what you are after: Forward for the story, Wolfpack for a short read on leadership.
A reading path
1. Forward (2016)
2. Wolfpack (2019)
3. We Can Do Hard Things (2025)
The years · 1980–2025
Quick facts about Abby Wambach
- Known for
- Scoring 184 goals for the US women’s national team and winning two Olympic golds and the 2015 World Cup
- 1980
- Born in Rochester, New York
- 2016
- Forward
- Born
- 2 June 1980, Rochester, New York
- Played
- Forward for the US women’s national team, 2001–2015
- International goals
- 184
- Titles
- Olympic gold 2004 and 2012; Women’s World Cup 2015
- Honours
- FIFA World Player of the Year, 2012
- Married
- The writer Glennon Doyle, in 2017
The red mark is 2016: Forward, her memoir, published the year after she retired.
How Abby Wambach Writes: The Team as the Lens
Wambach writes the way she talks in interviews: short sentences, first person, sporting images. Forward is the most traditional of the three, a chronological memoir that moves between the matches people saw on television and the private life they did not.
Her sporting career is the source of almost every idea in her books. Wolfpack began as a commencement speech and keeps the shape of one: a list of “new rules”, illustrated with moments from her career.
The most recent book is not hers alone. We Can Do Hard Things is built from the podcast she hosts with Glennon Doyle and Amanda Doyle, and reads as three voices in conversation. For Doyle’s own books, see Glennon Doyle’s books in order.
Watch
Abby Wambach on Wolfpack
Abby Wambach talks to The Daily Show in 2019 about Wolfpack and gender equality on and off the field.
Frequently asked questions about Abby Wambach’s books
How many books has Abby Wambach written?
Three: Forward (2016), Wolfpack (2019) and We Can Do Hard Things (2025), the last written with Glennon Doyle and Amanda Doyle. Wolfpack also has a young readers’ edition (2020).
What are Abby Wambach’s books in order?
Forward: A Memoir (2016), Wolfpack (2019) and We Can Do Hard Things (2025).
Where should I start with Abby Wambach?
With Forward (2016), her memoir. The other two books draw on the life it describes.
What is Abby Wambach’s most famous book?
Forward (2016), her full memoir, and Wolfpack (2019), the short book based on her widely shared 2018 commencement speech at Barnard College.
What is Wolfpack about?
It turns her Barnard College commencement speech of May 2018 into a short book of “new rules” for women, about leadership, ambition, failure and supporting each other.
Does Forward talk about her addiction?
Yes. Forward, published in September 2016, describes her years of abusing alcohol and prescription drugs. Five months earlier, in April 2016, she had been arrested in Portland, Oregon, for driving under the influence; she pleaded guilty and entered a diversion programme that included treatment.
Is Abby Wambach married to Glennon Doyle?
Yes. They married on 14 May 2017. With Doyle’s sister Amanda they host the podcast We Can Do Hard Things, which gave its name to their 2025 book.
Is Forward worth reading if you don’t follow football?
The book is as much about identity, addiction and recovery as about matches, so it does not assume you know the game.
Is there a children’s version of Wolfpack?
Yes. Wolfpack (Young Readers Edition), published in 2020, adapts the book for younger readers.
Footnotes
- Abby Wambach — Wikipedia
- Books — Abby Wambach official site
- Abby Wambach: I abused alcohol, prescription drugs for years — AP via Boston.com, 2016
- Abby Wambach’s commencement speech at Barnard College: ‘Failure is fuel’ — WBUR On Point, 2018
- We Can Do Hard Things — Publishers Weekly
Bibliography last verified 9 October 2026. Where sources give different first-publication years, this page uses the year in library catalogues or the publisher’s own record.
This list was not put together by a machine.
The notes are all mine,
and the books are all his.
Lisanne x
Written by Lisanne Swart, who has curated reading lists and author guides at lisanneswart.com since 2021.
See more on her personal bookshelf.
“Failure is fuel.”
— Abby Wambach, commencement speech at Barnard College, May 2018
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