CELEBRITY
Brittney Griner Memoir ‘Coming Home’ To Be Released May 7
Alfred A. Knopf
The cover, release date, and title for WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner’s forthcoming memoir about her imprisonment in Russia was announced Tuesday by Good Morning America.
Coming Home, from publisher Alfred A. Knopf, will detail the Phoenix Mercury player’s 2022 arrest and imprisonment in Russia on drug charges, and her journey back to the U.S.
‘Coming Home’ is a story of hope and survival, of before and after, Griner said in a statement. Before, on my way to Russia, a place Ive called my second home, I was excited to win another title. For eight seasons I played there, won there and lived there for long stretches. A short time later and a world away, I woke up in an after Id wish on no one.
Griner, 33, played for UMMC Ekaterinburg in Russia during off-seasons from the WNBA in the U.S. On Feb. 17, 2022, Griner was detained at Moscows Sheremetyevo International Airport for possession of cannabis oil, which is strictly illegal in Russia.
Griner was held at a women’s penal colony, and in July pleaded guilty to her charges, receiving a sentence of nine years. That month, the administration of President Joe Biden offered to exchange Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who had been imprisoned in the U.S. since 2012, for Griner’s return.
The memoir also touches on her wife, Cherelle Griner, who sought help from Biden and worked tirelessly to raise awareness. A global online movement, meanwhile, sought Griner’s return through the #WeAreBG campaign.
She eventually made it back to the U.S. in December 2022, after 10 months in Russian custody.
“Coming Home begins in a land where my roots developed and is the diary of my heartaches and regrets,” Griner said. “But, ultimately, the book is also a story of how my family, my faith, and the support of millions who rallied for my rescue helped me endure a nightmare.”
Griner was named one of TIMEs 100 Most Influential People in 2023, and as the first American woman ever held in a Russian penal colony, has since become an outspoken advocate for other Americans arrested abroad, including veteran Paul Whelan and journalist Evan Gershkovitch, who are both held by Russia.
Coming Home is set to be published on May 7.
TMX contributed to this article.
