Live Like a Champion: 7 Must-Read Athlete Memoirs
A roundup of the best recent nonfiction.
Few experiences in life are as electrifying as a big win. When all that effort, focus, and preparation culminates in a moment of victoryโthat rush is unforgettable. Even witnessing an awesome win can fill viewers with the adrenaline of success. Whether youโre striving towards your next championship moment, or if you enjoy the thrilling stories of athletes who have achieved greatness, make the hard-earned wisdom in these sports memoirs a part of your training and inspiration.
Strive: 8 Steps to Find Your Awesome
By Venus Williams
Publication Date: September 10, 2024
An inspiring and innovative guide towards living your best lifeโmade easyโfrom Venus Williams, one of the greatest tennis players of all time. View on Amazon
Just Add Water: My Swimming Life
By Katie Ledecky
Publication Date: June 11, 2024
Katie Ledecky is one of the best swimmers ever to compete. She has won more individual Olympic races than any female swimmer in history. A three-time Olympian, a seven-time gold medalist, a twenty-one-time world champion, eight-time NCAA Champion, and world record-holder in individual swimming events, Ledecky shares what it takes to compete at an elite level. View on Amazon
Playing from the Rough: A Personal Journey through Americaโs 100 Greatest Golf Courses
By Jimmie James
Publication Date: June 11, 2024
The story of one manโs quest to become the first person to play each of Americaโs 100 greatest golf courses in a single year, an odyssey that brings him face to face with the gulf between his impoverished childhood in the Jim Crow South and the successful executive he became. View on Amazon
The Way of the Champion: Pain, Persistence, and the Path Forward
By Paul Rabil
Publication Date: May 7, 2024
From lacrosse legend Paul Rabil, lessons on becoming a true championโ in sports, business, and life. View on Amazon
Coming Home
By Brittney Griner
Publication Date: May 7, 2024
From the nine-time womenโs basketball icon and two-time Olympic gold medalistโa raw, revelatory account of her unfathomable detainment in Russia and her journey home. View on Amazon
The Fruit Cure: The Story of Extreme Wellness Turned Sour
By Jacqueline Alnes
Publication Date: January 16, 2024
Alnes was a Division I runner in college, only to have mysterious neurological symptomsโepisodes of losing speech and her ability to walkโcut her athletic career short. Despite a battery of testing, doctors could not determine a diagnosis, leaving Alnes desperate for answers and hope. She seemed to find both in the online fruitarian community, which promotes an all-fruit raw diet, claiming it can cure a slew of conditions. Alnesโs personal story provides scaffolding for an exposรฉ of fruitarianism and a critique of how the U.S. healthcare system drives vulnerable people into the scammy recesses of wellness culture. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Jacqueline Alnes, in the Next Big Idea App.
Religion of Sports: Navigating the Trials of Life through the Games we Love
By Gotham Chopra
Publication Date: December 5, 2023
From the sports documentarian and executive producer of the docuseriesย The Religion of Sports, a memoir-meets-manifesto about the overwhelming power of sports and how they provide meaning and purpose in peopleโs lives all over the world. View on Amazon
The Key Ideas in 15 Minutes
โIf you are going to get anywhere in life, you have to read a lot of books,โ Roald Dahl once famously said. The only trouble is, reading even one book from cover to cover takes hoursโand you may not have many hours to spare.
But imagine for a moment: What if you could read a groundbreaking new book every day? Or even better, what if you could invite a world-renowned thinker into your earbuds, where they personally describe the 5 key takeaways from their work in just 15 minutes?
With the Next Big Idea App, weโve turned this fantasy into a reality. We partnered with hundreds of acclaimed authors to create โBook Bites,โ short audio summaries of the latest nonfiction that are prepared and read aloud by the authors themselves. Discover cutting-edge leadership skills, productivity hacks, the science of happiness and well-being, and much moreโall in the time it takes to drive to work or walk the dog.
โI love this app! The Book Bites are brilliant, perfect to have in airports, waiting rooms, anywhere I need to not doomscrollโฆ You guys are the best!โโ Missy G.