Sports biographies, autobiographies, or memoirs can be fascinating reading, and not just in a sport you already love. They provide an inside look at how a person’s choices, opportunities, or drive led them to become an athlete, coach, sports agent, or commentator. A behind the scenes look at the sports world from someone inside.
The books below were suggested during the Let's Talk Books group discussion of Sports Biographies and Memoirs. Let's Talk Books is not a traditional book group. We meet on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month on Zoom to talk about our favorite books in a specific genra or on a set topic, and we all come away with some new book ideas. To find the upcoming Let's Talk Books events check out https://www.icpl.org/events/ages/adults
Across the river : life, death, and football in an American city
Babb, Kent, author.
796.33262 /Babb
Short on hope but big on dreams, the mostly poor and marginalized residents of the New Orleans neighborhood of Algiers find joy on Friday nights when the Cougars of Edna Karr High School take the field. For years, this football program has brought glory to Algiers, winning three consecutive state championships and sending dozens of young men to college on football scholarships. Head coach Brice Brown is focused on something else: keeping his players alive during an epidemic of gun violence. Babb follows the Karr football team through its 2019 season as Brown and his team vie to again succeed-- both on and off the field. -- adapted from jacket
All in : an autobiography
King, Billie Jean, author.
796.342092 /King
In this spirited account, Billie Jean King details her life's journey to find her true self. She recounts her groundbreaking tennis career--six years as the top-ranked woman in the world, twenty Wimbledon championships, thirty-nine grand-slam titles, and her watershed defeat of Bobby Riggs in the famous "Battle of the Sexes." She poignantly recalls the cultural backdrop of those years and the profound impact on her worldview from the women's movement, the assassinations and anti-war protests of the 1960s, the civil rights movement, and, eventually, the LGBTQ+ rights movement.
The boys in the boat : nine Americans and their epic quest for gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
Brown, Daniel James, 1951- author.
797.1230922 /Brown
Daniel James Brown's robust book tells the story of the University of Washingtons 1936 eight-oar crew and their epic quest for an Olympic gold medal, a team that transformed the sport and grabbed the attention of millions of Americans.
Forward : a memoir
Wambach, Abby, 1980- author.
796.334092 /Wambach
Abby Wambach has always pushed the limits of what is possible. Named by Time magazine as one of the most influential people of 2015, the iconic soccer player captured the nation's heart when she led her team to its recent World Cup Championship. Admired for her fearlessness and passion, Abby is a vocal advocate for women's rights and equal opportunity, pushing to translate the success of her team to the real world. She has become a heavily requested speaker to a wide a range of audiences, from college students to executives at Fortune 500 companies. In Forward, Abby recounts her own decisions, wins, losses, and the pivotal moments that helped her become the world class athlete and leader she is today. Wambach's book goes beyond the soccer field to reveal a soulful person grappling universal questions about how we can live our best lives, and become our truest selves. Written with honesty and heart, Forward is an inspiring blueprint for individual growth and rousing call to action.
Giannis : the improbable rise of an NBA champion
Fader, Mirin, author.
796.323092 /Antetokounmpo
"As the face of the NBA's new world order, Giannis Antetokounmpo has overcome unfathomable obstacles to become a symbol of hope for people all over the world, the personification of the American Dream. But his backstory remains largely untold, and Fader unearths new information about the childhood that shaped 'The Greek Freak'--from sleeping side by side with his brothers to selling trinkets on the side of the street with his family to the racism he experienced in Greece. Antetokounmpo grew up in an era when Golden Dawn, Greek's far-right, anti-immigrant party, patrolled his neighborhood, and his status as an illegal immigrant largely prevented him from playing for Greek's top clubs, making his rise to the NBA all the more improbable. Fader tells a deeply-human story of how an unknown, skinny, Black-Greek teen, who played in the country's lowest pro division and was seen as a draft gamble, transformed his body and his game into MVP material"--Provided by publisher.
Good for a girl : a woman running in a man's world
Fleshman, Lauren, author.
796.42092 /Fleshman
Fueled by her years as an elite runner and advocate for women in sports, Lauren Fleshman offers her inspiring personal story and a rallying cry for reform of a sports landscape that is failing young female athletes Lauren Fleshman has grown up in the world of running: one of the most decorated collegiate athletes of all time and a national champion as a pro, she was a major face of women's running for Nike before leaving to shake up the industry with feminist running brand Oiselle and now coaches elite young female runners. Every step of the way, she has seen the way that our sports systems-originally designed by men, for men and boys-fail young women and girls as much as empower them. Girls drop out of sports at alarming rates once they hit puberty, and female collegiate athletes routinely fall victim to injury, eating disorders, or mental health struggles as they try to force their way past a natural dip in performance for women of their age. Part memoir, part manifesto, Good for a Girl is Fleshman's story of falling in love with running as a girl, being pushed to her limits and succumbing to devastating injuries, and daring to fight for a better way for female athletes. Long gone are the days when women and girls felt lucky just to participate; Fleshman and women everywhere are waking up to the reality that they're running, playing, and competing in a world that wasn't made for them. Drawing on not only her own story but also emerging research on the physiology and psychology of young athletes, both male and female, Fleshman gives voice to the often-silent experience of the female athlete and argues that the time has come to rebuild our systems of competitive sport with women at their center.
In my skin : my life on and off the basketball court
Griner, Brittney.
796.323092 /Griner
From the sports phenomenon - called by ESPN the world's most famous female basketball player - and youth role model comes an inspirational memoir exploring the highs and lows of her life, the bullying she endured, and the assumptions she has redefined, as well as her passion for the game, and empowering readers to be true to themselves and love who they are on the inside and out.
The mamba mentality : how I play
Bryant, Kobe, 1978- author.
796.323092 /Bryant
The NBA great nicknamed "The Black Mamba" shares his knowledge and understanding of basketball, outlining his detailed approach to preparing both physically and mentally to succeed at the game and revealing the core of his "Mamba mentality."
99 Gretzky : his game, his story
Strachan, Al, author.
796.962092 /Gretzky
Whether wearing his Edmonton oil-drop, the black and silver colours of L.A., or the famous Rangers sweater from New York, all hockey fans agree that Wayne Gretzky was the best hockey player of all time. His point totals, his puck control, and the manner in which he conducted himself both on and off the ice reflected the very best of the game. You can't talk about Gretzky without talking about his records and achievements: 50 goals in just 39 games, 9 Hart Trophies, 10 Art Ross Trophies, 4 Stanley Cups, 215 points in a single season, and, of course, retiring with 2856 points. Each record is a remarkable achievement by the game's most remarkable player, and each will be broken down in this book. Published with Wayne Gretzky's approval and written with his cooperation, this is the Gretzky biography that his fans have so anxiously awaited. Veteran sports journalist Al Strachan has enjoyed an extremely close friendship with Gretzky for well over 25 years, and during this time Strachan has reported on every aspect of his professional career. The two have spent thousands of hours talking about the game and such details as Wayne's move to L.A., managing the 2002 Canadian Olympic team and coaching in Phoenix. Their close friendship has offered each man the opportunity to discuss the game that they both love, and in this book Strachan takes readers on a most remarkable journey and details the life of Wayne Gretzky like it has never been told.
No limits : the will to succeed
Phelps, Michael, 1985-
797.21092 /Phelps
This inspirational memoir by Olympic medalist Michael Phelps gives readers an up-close view of the swimming champion's record-breaking performance at the Beijing Games.
One life
Rapinoe, Megan, 1985- author.
796.334092 /Rapinoe
Rapinoe was four years old when she kicked her first soccer ball. Her parents encouraged her love for the game, but taught her that winning was much less important than how she lived her life. Here she reflects on the choices she has made, her victories and her failures, and embarks on a thoughtful and candid discussion of her personal journey into social justice. After the 2011 World Cup, discouraged by how few athletes were willing to discuss their sexuality, Rapinoe decided to come out publicly as gay and use her platform to advocate for marriage equality. In 2016 she took a knee during the national anthem to protest racial injustice and police brutality. Rapinoe discusses the obligation we all have to speak up, and the impact each of us can have on our communities. -- adapted from jacket
Open : an autobiography
Agassi, Andre, 1970-
796.342092 /Agassi
From Andre Agassi, one of the most beloved athletes in history and one of the most gifted men ever to step onto a tennis court, a beautiful, haunting autobiography. Agassi’s incredibly rigorous training begins when he is just a child. By the age of thirteen, he is banished to a Florida tennis camp that feels like a prison camp. Lonely, scared, a ninth-grade dropout, he rebels in ways that will soon make him a 1980s icon. He dyes his hair, pierces his ears, dresses like a punk rocker. By the time he turns pro at sixteen, his new look promises to change tennis forever, as does his lightning-fast return. And yet, despite his raw talent, he struggles early on. We feel his confusion as he loses to the world’s best, his greater confusion as he starts to win. After stumbling in three Grand Slam finals, Agassi shocks the world, and himself, by capturing the 1992 Wimbledon. Overnight he becomes a fan favorite and a media target.
Seven days in Augusta : behind the scenes at the Masters
Cannizzaro, Mark, author.
796.35266 /Cannizzaro
"The Masters is unquestionably the crown jewel of golf's major tournaments, not only for the transcendent performances it has inspired over the years, but for the incomparable sights and sounds of Augusta National and its environs, each distinct element contributing to the storied, rarefied atmosphere which draws tens of thousands to Georgia each spring. Seven Days in Augusta spans everything from the par-3 contest, to Amen Corner, to Butler Cabin. Mark Cannizzaro goes behind the scenes of the exclusive competition, covering wide-ranging topics including green jacket rituals, tales from The Crow's Nest atop the clubhouse, the extreme lengths some fans have gone to acquire tickets, and what goes on outside the gates during Masters week. Also featuring some of the most memorable and dramatic moments from the tournament's history, this is an essential, expansive look at golf's favorite event"--
Solo : a memoir of Hope
Solo, Hope, 1981-
796.334092 /Solo
A candid and moving memoir about family, loss, and reconciliation from the supremely talented and headline-making goalkeeper for the U.S. women's national soccer team. During the 2011 Women’s World Cup, Solo became an idol, role model, and sex symbol to a new generation of young American sports enthusiasts, inspiring the kind of intense devotion not seen since the days of Mia Hamm.
Tall men, short shorts : the 1969 NBA finals: Wilt, Russ, Lakers, Celtics, and a very young sports reporter
Montville, Leigh, author.
796.32364 /Montville
1969. Bill Russell and his juggernaut Boston Celtics, winners of ten of the previous twelve NBA championships, squeak through one more playoff run and land in the Finals again. Russell's opponent? The fearsome 7' 1" superstar, Wilt Chamberlain, recently traded to the LA Lakers to form the league's first dream team. The 1969 Lakers are unstoppable. Montville, a young reporter covering the epic series,is writing about his luminous heroes, the biggest of big men, in an era when newspaper journalism and the written word served as the crucial lifeline between sports and sports fans. -- adapted from jacket
Tiger Woods
Benedict, Jeff, author.
796.352092 /Woods
Based on years of reporting and interviews with more than 250 people from every corner of Tiger Woods's life--a sweeping, revelatory, and defining biography of an American icon.
Triumph : the untold story of Jesse Owens and Hitler's Olympics
Schaap, Jeremy.
796.42092 /Owens
In 1936, against a backdrop of swastikas flying and storm troopers goose-stepping, an African-American son of sharecroppers won a staggering four Olympic gold medals and single-handedly crushed Hitler's myth of Aryan supremacy. The story of Jesse Owens at the 1936 games is that of a high-profile athlete giving a performance that transcends sports. But it is also the intimate and complex tale of the courage of one remarkable man.Drawing on access to the Owens family, previously unpublished interviews, and exhaustive archival research, Jeremy Schaap transports us to Nazi Germany to weave this dramatic tale
A wrestling life : the inspiring stories of Dan Gable
Gable, Dan.
796.812092 /Gable
What does it take to be an Olympic gold medalist and to coach a collegiate team to fifteen NCAA titles? In A Wrestling Life: The Inspiring Stories of Dan Gable, famed wrestler and wrestling coach Dan Gable tells engaging and inspiring stories of his childhood in Waterloo, Iowa; overcoming the murder of his sister as a teenager; his sports career from swimming as a young boy, to his earliest wrestling matches, through the 1972 Olympics; coaching at the University of Iowa from the Banachs to the Brands; life-changing friendships he made along the way; and tales of his family life off the mat. A celebration of determination, teamwork, and the persevering human spirit, A Wrestling Life captures Gable’s methods and philosophies for reaching individual greatness as well as the incredible amount of fulfillment and satisfaction that comes from working as part of a team. Whether we are athletes or not, we all dream of extreme success and are all looking to make our future the best it can be, but along the way we will undoubtedly need time to recover and rejuvenate. Let these stories inspire you to find your path to strength and achievement along whatever path you take.