Rising Above: Inspiring Women in Sports

Behold the power of women These are the inspirational real-life stories of female superstar athletes Serena and Venus Williams, Simone Biles, Carli Lloyd, and more -- role models all. For sports fans, aspiring athletes and readers of sports biographies.

Growing up in a crime-plagued, gang-infested neighborhood, Venus and Serena Williams were led to believe their environment was not a place where dreams could come true. It took a relentless determination, a burning desire to be the best, and a willingness to conquer racial barriers for them to emerge as tennis legends. Simone Biles was raised by a single mother with addiction issues, forcing her grandparents to intervene. But Simone soon discovered balance beams and gymnastics mats, setting her on a path toward Olympic greatness. Carli Lloyd, meanwhile, believed her youth soccer career was really starting to take off, only to be cut from her team. Instead of quitting the sport she loved, Carli rebuilt her confidence from the ground up, ultimately becoming one of the leaders on the World Cup Champion US Women's Soccer team.

The athletes featured in this book met earth-shaking challenges head on, and through hard work and perseverance, went on to conquer the sports world. This collection of mini biographies, complete with first-hand content drawn from interviews, is a source of inspiration and self-empowerment for kids and sports fans of all ages.

Also included in the book: Wilma Rudolph (track and field), Mo'ne Davis (Little League baseball), Swin Cash (basketball), Elena Delle Donne (basketball), Bethany Hamilton (surfing), Ronda Rousey (mixed martial arts), and Kerri Strug (gymnastics).

Praise for Rising Above: Inspiring Women in Sports

An inspiring, empowering collection of true stories of perseverance and resolve. --Kirkus Reviews

This is a good choice for libraries where biographies about current newsmakers are in demand. --School Library Connection

What will inspire athletes of any ability or gender is how these women turned to help when needed and learned to accept themselves inside and out. --Booklist

A varied and inspiring collection of sports biographies. --School Library Journal


Author: Gregory Zuckerman, Elijah Zuckerman, Gabriel Zuckerman
Publisher: Philomel Books
Published: 02/20/2018
Pages: 224
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.80w x 0.90d
ISBN: 9780399547478
Audience: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 7.4
Point Value: 6
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 194729 / Rising Above: Inspiring Women in Sports


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 12/01/2017
Booklist 02/15/2018 pg. 69
School Library Journal 03/01/2018 pg. 146
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2018 pg. 182 - Below Average, With Minor Flaw

About the Author
Gregory Zuckerman (www.gregoryzuckerman.com) is a Special Writer at The Wall Street Journal, a 20-year veteran of the paper and a three-time winner of the Gerald Loeb award -- the highest honor in business journalism. Greg is the author of The Frackers: The Outrageous Inside Story of the New Billionaire Wildcatters, a national bestseller named among the best books of 2014 by The Financial Times and Forbes Magazine, and The Greatest Trade Ever: The Behind-the-Scenes Story of How John Paulson Defied Wall Street and Made Financial History, a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller published December 2010.

At the Journal, Greg writes about big financial firms, personalities and trades, hedge funds, the energy revolution and other investing and business topics. Greg appears regularly on CNBC, Fox Business, Yahoo Finance, Bloomberg Television and various television networks. He makes regular appearances on National Public Radio, BBC, ABC Radio, Bloomberg Radio, and radio stations around the globe. Greg gives speeches to business groups on a variety of topics.

A graduate of Brandeis University, Greg lives with his wife and two sons in West Orange, N.J., where they enjoy the Yankees in the summer, root for the Giants in the fall, and reminisce about Linsanity in the winter. Follow him on Twitter @gzuckerman.