Uncommon Champions: Fifteen Athletes Who Battled Back

by Marty Kaminsky

Overview

Just in time for the 2022 Winter Olympics, here is a motivating collection of true stories from athletes, including many former Olympians, who have faced incredible adversity—proving that integrity and honor are not entirely missing from the playing fields.

Readers will learn about blind mountain climber Erik Weihenmayer, who scaled the heights of Mount McKinley; sprinter Gail Devers, who returned from a life-threatening illness to defend her Olympic title... and more. Despite challenges, each of these stars found the heart and stamina to persevere. With themes of resilience and grit, this inspirational book includes a foreword by noted former baseball player and coach Bobby Valentine, with additional stories from the following athletes:   

Michelle Akers: The Fire Within    
Ruben Gonzalez: Street Survivor      
Jim Eisenreich: This Is  Who I Am    
John Lucas: One on One     
Mansour Bahrami: For the Love of the Game  
Greg LeMond: Making a New Plan     
Diana Golden Brosnihan: Gliding on the Edge   
Chris Zorich: Zora’s Gift     
Zina Garrison: No One Is Perfect     
Bob Welch: Living One Day at a Time             
Willie O’Ree: Breaking the Barriers
Dan O’Brien: No Sure Thing
Jean Driscoll: Don’t Look Back

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781590780053
Publisher:	Astra Publishing House
Publication date:	09/01/2003
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	152
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	1090L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

Marty Kaminsky has written for many publications, including Sports Illustrated, Highlights for Children, Parenting, Disney Adventures, and more. He lives in in Ithaca, New York.

Table of Contents

	Foreword	5
	Introduction	7
	Seeing Things His Own Way	10
	The Fire Within	19
	Street Survivor	27
	A Sprinter's Close Call	35
	This Is Who I Am	45
	One on One	53
	For the Love of the Game	64
	Making a New Plan	73
	Gliding on the Edge	82
	Zora's Gift	90
	No One Is Perfect	99
	Living One Day at a Time	109
	Breaking the Barriers	117
	No Sure Thing	124
	Don't Look Back	133
	Index	142

Editorial Reviews

Gr 6-9-A collection of 15 short essays on athletes who have overcome various physical, mental, and socioeconomic difficulties to excel in their chosen sports. While some situations are more familiar and contemporary (runner Gail Devers's battle with Graves disease and professional soccer player Michelle Akers's Epstein-Barr virus), most will be unknown to young readers. These include Ruben Gonzalez's rise from an impoverished childhood in gang-ridden Spanish Harlem to racquetball champion and 1980's basketball star John Lucas's battle with drugs. The more obscure entries bring forward many brave stories that deserve to be told. Unfortunately, the many weaknesses of this book outweigh its strengths. Factual errors include identifying the ruins at Machu Picchu as Mayan rather than Incan, and referring to Akers as "Mustafa" instead of the correct Lion King reference of "Mufasa." The writing shifts between sappy and simplistic; there are fictionalized conversations; and only about half of the entries rate a single photograph. Worse, there is no bibliography or any indication of sources.-Andrew Medlar, Chicago Public Library, IL Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

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