Bestselling Books by Author Athlete Olympians
This week, in honor of the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, I want to share with you a handful of books written by Olympians. As a reader, writer and athlete, I love how the concepts of passion, hard work and craft can coalesce in the form of physical pages. If you are wanting to take your Olympic consumption to a deeper level, check out these amazing olympic books by the multitalented humans who have proudly represented the USA in the World’s greatest sporting event. You may think you know Simone Biles, Chris Bosch, Abby Wambach and Greg Louganis… but not like this!
Before we dive into the list, let me say that there are dozens of bestselling books written by (and about) Olympians. The ones I am choosing to highlight are books that are of particular interest to me, caught my eye, or overlap with another personal connection in my life. At the bottom of the post you will find a larger list, along with links to purchase them in you are interested. Please know that buying one of these books through the blog link will give me a small comission (at no additional cost to you). I’ll also get a commission on anything else you put in your cart on that “shopping trip”. Purchasing a book this way is a small and easy way to support me and my dream, so thanks in advance.
And now, on to the books, which are all gold medal worthy!
Chris Bosh, Gold Medal in Basketball (2008 Summer Olympics)
Letters to a Young Athlete - Chris Bosh, NBA Hall of Famer, eleven-time All-Star, two-time NBA champion, Olympic gold medalist, and the league’s Global Ambassador, had his playing days cut short at their prime by a freak medical condition. His extraordinary career ended not at a time of his choosing but “in a doctor’s office in the middle of the afternoon.” Forced to reckon with how to find meaning to carry forward, he found himself looking back over his path, from a teenager in Dallas who balanced basketball with the high school robotics club to the pinnacle of the NBA and beyond.
Reflecting on all he learned from a long list of basketball legends, from LeBron and Kobe to Pat Riley and Coach K, he saw that his important lessons weren’t about basketball so much as the inner game of success—right attitude, right commitment, right flow within a team. Now he shares that journey, giving us a fascinating view from the inside of what greatness feels like and what it takes, formulated as a series of letters to younger people coming up and to all wisdom seekers. A timeless gift for anyone in pursuit of excellence, Letters to a Young Athlete offers a proven path for taming your inner voice and making it your ally, through the challenges of failure and the challenges of success alike.
Hard work, passion, lessons learned AND basketball? Yes please! You can get your copy here.
Lopez Lmong #10 in 5,000m Run (2012 Summer Olympics) #12 in 1,500m Run (2008 Summer Olympics)
Running for My Life - Lopez Lomong chronicles his inspiring ascent from a barefoot lost boy of the Sudanese Civil War to a Nike-sponsored athlete on the U.S. Olympic Team. Though most of us fall somewhere between the catastrophic lows and dizzying highs of Lomong's incredible life, every reader will find in his story the human spark to pursue dreams that might seem unthinkable, even from circumstances that might appear hopeless.
This book caught my attention because when I taught 7th Grade English Language Arts, we read the book, A Long Walk to Water, a fictionalized (but very accurate) book about the Civil War in Sudan and the resulting disasterous consequences including The Lost Boys. My students were fascinated by the obstacles these boys overcame and I’m interested to read more. To get your copy of Running for My Life, click here. To listen to the first chapter of A Long Walk to Water, click here.
Greg Louganis Silver Medal in Diving (1976 Summer Olympics) Gold Medals in Diving (184 & 1988 Summer Olympics)
Breaking the Surface - Born to a young Samoan father and Northern European mother, and adopted at nine months, Greg began diving at age nine, and at sixteen won a silver medal at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. But despite his astonishing athletic skill, Greg struggled with late-detected dyslexia, prejudice toward his dark skin coloring and anguish over his homosexuality, which he felt compelled to hide. Being in the spotlight intensified his difficulties with relationships and substance abuse.
However, Louganis went on to win double gold medals at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics. His triumph at the 1988 Olympics came several months after he tested positive for HIV. This is the haunting, searingly candid story of the world's greatest diver. To purchase, click here:
P.S. If the title sounds familiar, it’s because i have a YA science fiction novel by the same name, which you can see here. This was my very first solo self-published book, so go easy on me… several typos are included in this fun, eco-focused book.
Alexi Pappas Represented Greece in 2016 Summer Olympics (10,000m Run)
Bravey - When “Renaissance runner” (New York Times) Alexi Pappas—Olympic athlete, actress, filmmaker, and writer—was four years old, her mother died by suicide, drastically altering the course of Pappas’s life and setting her on a search for female role models. When her father signed his bereaved daughter up for sports teams as a way to keep her busy, female athletes became the first women Pappas looked up to, and her Olympic dream was born. At the same time, Pappas had big creative dreams, too: She wanted to make movies, write, and act. Despite setbacks and hardships, Pappas refused to pick just one lane. She put in a tremendous amount of hard work and wouldn’t let anything stand in her way until she achieved all of her dreams, however unrelated they may seem to outsiders. In a single year, 2016, she made her Olympic debut as a distance runner and wrote, directed, and starred in her first feature film.
But great highs are often accompanied by deep lows; with joy comes sorrow. In Bravey, Pappas fearlessly and honestly shares her battle with post-Olympic depression and describes how she emerged on the other side as a thriving and self-actualized woman. Unflinching, exuberant, and always entertaining, Bravey showcases Pappas’s signature, charming voice as she reflects upon the touchstone moments in her life and the lessons that have powered her career as both an athlete and an artist—foremost among them, how to be brave.
I was excited to read this book because Alexi pursued both sports and writing in college. I connected with her decision to try many things and loved the lessons I learned from her insightful memior. Potential Trigger Warning: there are a few graphic details from Alexi’s life. If mental illness, depression, suicide or self harm are triggers for you, try another one of the books on this list. But if you’d like to give it a try, you can pick up your copy here.
Abby Wambach 2 Gold Medals in Soccer (Summer Olympics 2004 and 2012)
Forward - Abby Wambach has always pushed the limits of what is possible. At age seven she was put on the boys’ soccer team. At age thirty-five she would become the highest goal scorer—male or female—in the history of soccer, capturing the nation’s heart with her team’s 2015 World Cup Championship. Called an inspiration and “badass” by President Obama, Abby has become a fierce advocate for women’s rights and equal opportunity, pushing to translate the success of her team to the real world.
As she reveals in this searching memoir, Abby’s professional success often masked her inner struggle to reconcile the various parts of herself: ferocious competitor, daughter, leader, wife. With stunning candor, Abby shares her inspiring and often brutal journey from girl in Rochester, New York, to world-class athlete. Far more than a sports memoir, Forward is gripping tale of resilience and redemption—and a reminder that heroism is, above all, about embracing life’s challenges with fearlessness and heart.
I am not a soccer fan, but through my exposure to Abby through her wife’s (Glennon Doyle’s) book and social media platforms, I’ve come to respect her as a totally amazing human. And even though I do not even enjoy watching soccer, I want to read this book. To get your copy, click here.
Simone Biles, 4 Gold Medals (2016 Summer Olympics)
Courage to Soar - Simone Biles’ entrance into the world of gymnastics may have started on a field trip in her hometown of Spring, Texas, but her God-given talent, along with drive to succeed no matter the obstacle, are what brought her to the national spotlight during the Olympic Games and have catapulted her ever since—including 25 World Championship medals. But there is more to Simone than her accomplishments.
In this book Simone shares how she has relied on her faith and family to stay focused and positive, the ways she’s continued competing at the highest level and having fun doing what she loves, a behind-the-scenes looks at gymnastics events, including the Olympics, he events and challenges that carried her from an early childhood in foster care to a coveted spot on the U.S. Olympic team. Along the way, Simone shares the details of her inspiring personal story—one filled with daily acts of courage that led her, and can lead you, to even the most unlikely of dreams. Get your copy here.
I couldn’t create this list and not include the G.O.A.T. I am waiting with baited breath to see her (and the other three amazing US gymnasts chosen to represent our country) compete on the Olympic stage. Speaking of gymnastics… as a former gymnast, I see many similarities between being an athlete and being a writer. In fact, I once gave an entire presentation at a writer’s conference on the topic called The Writer’s Workout: The Athletics of Writing.
If you’d like me to present on this or any other writing topic, head to the WordNerdopolis post office and email me.
Until next week Word Nerds, happy Olympic watching, cheering and reading. Go USA!
More Great Books by Author-Athlete Olympians
In the Water They Can’t See You Cry by swimmer Amanda Beard
Off-Balance by gymnast Dominque Moceanu
On the Line by tennis player Serena Williams
Jesse: A Spiritual Autobiography by runner Jesse Owens
Triumph on Ice by skater Tara Lipinski
Greater Than Gold by diver David Boudia
A Kind of Grace by runner Jackie Joyner Kersee
Misty: Digging Deep in Volleyball and Life by beach volleyball player Misty May-Treanor
Beneath the Surface by swimmer Michael Phelps
Fierce: How Competing for Myself Changed Everything by gymnast Aly Raisman
The Fencers: A Cold War Escape Memoir by fencer Geza Tatrallyay
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P.S. I have since read all of these books and they were (are) AMAZING!!! Click the image to learn more about them and find links to purchase.
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