Cathy

'I'm just a little black girl who can run fast, and here I am sitting in the Olympic stadium, with 112,000 people screaming my name. How the hell did I get here?' Few of us will forget Cathy Freeman's victorious 400-metre run at the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000. In that euphoric moment she symbolised Australia's best and broadest vision of itself, a reconciled nation. For the first time, in her own words, Cathy Freeman tells the story of her remarkable life. With characteristic honesty she talks about growing up black in a white world, about her complicated personal relationships, about how it feels to have the expectations of an entire nation resting on her shoulders, about the price of fame, and about the real reasons for her heart-wrenching decision to retire. Cathy tells us what it's like to be Cathy Freeman. Her strength, courage and magnetic personality are reflected on every page.