Uphill: A Memoir

Written by Jemele Hill

Narrated by Jemele Hill

This program is read by the author.

"[Hill] narrates the facts of her path with understandable pride but without bragging. Even difficult career choices, such as her decision to leave ESPN, are presented in a thoughtful way, though it is clear that Hill still feels deeply about the choices she made. Every story told is more powerful for being narrated by Hill."- AudioFile Magazine

An empowering, unabashedly bold memoir by the Atlantic journalist and former ESPN SportsCenter coanchor about overcoming a legacy of pain and forging a new path, no matter how uphill life’s battles might be.

Jemele Hill’s world came crashing down when she called President Trump a “white supremacist”; the White House wanted her fired from ESPN, and she was deluged with death threats. But Hill had faced tougher adversaries growing up in Detroit than a tweeting president. Beneath the exterior of one of the most recognizable journalists in America was a need—a calling—to break her family’s cycle of intergenerational trauma.

Born in the middle of a lively routine Friday night Monopoly game to a teen mother and a heroin-addicted father, Hill constantly adjusted to the harsh realities of not only her own childhood but the inherited generational pain of her mother and grandmother. Her escape was writing.

Hill’s mother was less than impressed with the brassy and bold free expression of her diary, but Hill never stopped discovering and amplifying her voice. Through hard work and a constant willingness to learn, Hill rose from newspaper reporter to columnist to new heights as the coanchor for ESPN’s revered SportsCenter. Soon, she earned respect and support for her fearless opinions and unshakable confidence, as well as a reputation as a trusted journalist who speaks her mind with truth and conviction.

In Jemele Hill’s journey Uphill, she shares the whole story of her work, the women of her family, and her complicated relationship with God in an unapologetic, character-rich, and eloquent memoir.

A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt and Company.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio
• Release date: Oct 25, 2022
• ISBN: 9781250791047

Jemele Hill

Jemele Hill is the Emmy Award–winning former cohost of ESPN’s SportsCenter and 2018 NABJ Journalist of the Year. Hill is a contributing writer for the Atlantic, where she covers the intersection of sports, race, politics, and culture. She is also the producer of a Disney/ESPN documentary with Colin Kaepernick. She grew up in Detroit, graduated from Michigan State University, and now lives in Los Angeles.

[Tee S · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A good read filled with many lessons but the main lesson is that one should recognize when you should move on. Thanks for making your private life public J so we can take the gems to grow.

[Torri Brown · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great book. Jemele’s story is one that will inspire, give you a good chuckle, and cause you to question what is your calling.

[LaTanya Johnson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a great book. I loved the history that Jemele shared with her life story. Also, Jemele’s life story is incredible. I love her work and definitely respect her opinions. Thank you for sharing your life story.