SJPL Picks: Athletes' Stories (Sports Nonfiction)Like this list

48 items

• Make It Count

  My Fight to Become the First Transgender Olympic Runner

  Telfer, CeCé,

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  Chronicling her efforts to achieve her Olympic dreams, the first openly transgender woman to win an NCAA championship shares how she had contended to transphobia on and off the track since childhood and how she found clarity in her sport…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Naomi Osaka

  Her Journey to Finding Her Power and Her Voice

  Rothenberg, Ben,

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  Published to coincide with her return to tennis, this deeply reported, revealing biography of the Haitian-American/Japanese phenomenon and activist chronicles her rise to fame and the incredible impact she's had on the game and on social…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Just Add Water

  My Swimming Life

  Ledecky, Katie, 1997-

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  A candid and inspiring memoir charts a record-breaking and Olympic-medal-winning athlete's life in swimming.

• Kingdom Quarterback

  Patrick Mahomes, the Kansas City Chiefs, and How a Once Swingin' Cow Town Chased the Ultimate Comeback

  Dent, Mark,

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  This inspiring biography of the Black superstar quarterback who brought the Kansas City Chiefs to their first Super Bowl win in 50 years shows how he and the team he led were exactly what was needed to bring this Midwestern city back…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Coming Home

  Griner, Brittney,

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  On February 17, 2022, Brittney Griner arrived in Moscow ready to spend the WNBA offseason playing for the Russian women’s basketball team where she had been the centerpiece of previous championship seasons. Instead, a security checkpoint…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Dear Black Girls

  How to Be True to You

  Wilson, A'ja, 1996-

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  In this empowering and deeply personal collection - adapted from and expanded upon the piece of the same name in The Players' Tribune - WNBA star A'ja Wilson shares stories from her life. Despite gold medals, championships, and a list of…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• One Jump at a Time

  My Story

  Chen, Nathan, 1999-

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  The three-time World Champion, Olympic gold medalist and the first Asian-American man to stand at the highest podium in figure skating reflects on the events that led him to where he is today, in this testament to the love of a family and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Coming Up for Air

  Daley, Tom, 1994-

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  In this deeply personal memoir, the celebrated Olympic Gold Medal diver and LGBTQ+ advocate discusses his struggles, triumphs and how he developed the mindset to compete at an elite level.

• Outofshapeworthlessloser

  a Memoir of Figure Skating, F*cking Up, and Figuring It Out

  Gold, Gracie, 1995-

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  Sharing the less "palatable" parts of her life, revealing her struggles with bulimia, mental illness and family, coaches and federation, the U.S. figure skating champion and Olympic medalist provides an intimate account of surviving as a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Althea

  the Life of Tennis Champion Althea Gibson

  Jacobs, Sally H., 1957-

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  In 1950, three years after Jackie Robinson first walked onto the diamond at Ebbets Field, the all-white, upper-crust US Lawn Tennis Association opened its door just a crack to receive a powerhouse player who would integrate "the game of…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Queen of the Court

  the Many Lives of Tennis Legend Alice Marble

  Blais, Madeleine,

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  In August 1939, Alice Marble graced the cover of Life magazine, photographed by the famed Alfred Eisenstaedt. She was a glamorous worldwide celebrity, having that year won singles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles tennis titles at both…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Unforgiving

  Lessons From the Fall

  Jacobellis, Lindsey, 1985-

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  After one of the biggest "unforced errors" in sports during the 2006 Olympics, the winningest snowboarder of all time shares how, for the next 16 years, she trained harder and learned the power of resilience, reaching the podium as a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Choosing to Run

  a Memoir

  Linden, Des, 1983-

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  This inspirational memoir from the two-time Olympian and Boston Marathon winner traces her unique path to the top of professional running and how she built her own personal business model and brand.

• The Hard Parts

  a Memoir of Courage and Triumph

  Masters, Oksana, 1989-

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  The United States' most decorated winter Paralympic or Olympic athlete tells how she overcame Chernobyl disaster-caused physical challenges through sheer determination and a drive to succeed to win world's best in elite rowing, biathlon,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Rise

  My Story

  Vonn, Lindsey,

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  The skiing world champion and Olympic medalist shares previously undisclosed stories from her life in the fast lane that reveal the bold decisions that helped her overcome barriers and redefine what she believed to be possible.

• Unguarded

  Pippen, Scottie,

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  On the 30th anniversary of the Bulls' first championship, the six-time NBA Champion, two-time Olympic gold medalist and Hall of Famer is finally giving fans a raw, matter-of-fact look into his life, and role within one of the greatest,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Crossing the Line

  a Fearless Team of Brothers and the Sport That Changed Their Lives Forever

  Rosser, Kareem,

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  An inspiring memoir of defying the odds from Kareem Rosser, captain of the first all-black squad to win the National Interscholastic Polo championship. Crossing the Line is the story of bonds of brotherhood, family loyalty, the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Over It

  How to Face Life's Hurdles With Grit, Hustle, and Grace

  Jones, Lolo,

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  Three-time Olympian Lolo Jones delivers a tough yet inspiring look into the strategies she has used to overcome immense obstacles on her way to becoming the number-one women's hurdler in the world.

• Limitless

  the Power of Hope and Resilience to Overcome Circumstance

  Weggemann, Mallory,

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  The Paralympic gold-medalist, world champion swimmer, ESPY winner and NBC Sports commentator shares the lessons she learned about redefining limitations, and realizing that healing is not chronological after a routine medical procedure…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• One Life

  Rapinoe, Megan, 1985-

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  The Olympic gold medalist and two-time Women's World Cup champion describes her childhood in a conservative California town, her athletic achievements and her public advocacy of civil rights and urgently needed social change.