Biography & Autobiography : Sports

When Jon Krakauer reached the summit of Mt. Everest in the early afternoon of May 10,1996, he hadn't slept in fifty-seven hours and was reeling from the brain-altering effects of oxygen depletion. As he turned to begin the perilous descent from 29,028 feet (roughly the cruising altitude of an Airbus jetliner), twenty other climbers were still pushing doggedly to the top, unaware that the sky had begun to roil with clouds. more...

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Written by the UK leading wheelchair athlete, this work reveals what has motivated the author through her best and worst times. She has won 14 medals, nine of which are gold, countless European titles, six London Marathons and over 30 world records have catapulted this Welsh wheelchair athlete so firmly into the public consciousness. more...

Price: $3.99

Legendary University of North Carolina basketball coach Dean Smith tells the full story of his fabled career, and shares the life lessons taught and learned over forty years of unparalleled success as a coach and mentor. For almost forty years, Dean Smith coached the University of North Carolina men's basketball program with unsurpassed success- on the court and in shaping young men's lives. more...

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“When I walk out of the tunnel, I can see the lights, hear the music, feel the crowd, but it all begins to close off as I near the cage. By that point I’m thinking, I’ve been training hard, it’s time to focus....Every man is born with a fight-or-flight instinct, and mine is to fight. It always has been.” —From the Prologue. What’s it like to have no fear, to make people cower in their shoes, to know the sweet satisfaction of knocking a guy out with a single, devastating punch? You have to read my book to find out. I’ve been called the baddest man on the planet. I’m the face of Ultimate Fighting Championship, the leader in mixed martial arts and the fastest growing sport in America. In 1998 I won my first MMA fight. Not long after, the UFC came calling, and eventually fought my way to become the #1 ranked light-heavyweight contender in the world. Not bad for a bartender with a college degree in accounting. I was raised by a single mother and inspired by my grandfather, a first-generation Irish American from Mafia-run Brooklyn. I learned how to fight at a very young age. Now I’m 6'2", 220 pounds, and a trained lethal weapon, but I’m also fiercely loyal, maybe even a bit sensitive, and unexpectedly romantic. In raw detail, and with total honesty, I’m going to tell you the story of my fighting life—both inside and outside the Octagon—including my childhood in the poor section of Santa Barbara, gritty insider accounts of my major fights, stories behind my trademark mohawk and nickname, my ongoing rivalry with Tito Ortiz and deep-rooted friendship with Dana White, and how I balance life as a father, a UFC champ, and a superstar—or try to, anyway. With never-before-seen photos, Iceman is my true, no-holds-barred story of fighting my way to become a champion. more...

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After winning the Olympic Gold in 1976 at age 19, Dorothy Hamill was “America’s Sweetheart” and an idol to millions. She swept the nation with her signature haircut, “Hamill” camel spin, and sparkling smile. But this gifted and supremely talented figure skater lived a life off the ice encumbered with family and financial tribulations. She and her mother spent long months away from her father and siblings so she could properly train, and Dorothy often questioned whether the outcome was worth the sacrifice as she attempted to handle an emotionally unavailable mother, alcoholic father, and a financial toll on her entire family. Skating has always been Dorothy’s only means of escape, but an intense depression took over when Dorothy found that success did not wash away the constant stress of trying to please her parents and coaches. She married the love of her life, Dean Paul Martin, only to face devastation when he was tragically killed in a plane crash shortly after their marriage ended. Dorothy was plummeted into an even deeper depression and struggled to find fulfillment. When she was finally capable of opening her heart to love again, she remarried and gave birth to her daughter, only to be taken advantage of by her philandering second husband who stole her money. The burden of the strained relationship with her parents on top of her broken heart tested Dorothy’s strength—but she prevailed. more...

Price: $18.95