Rising Above: Inspiring Women in Sports

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The inspirational real-life stories of superstar athletes Serena and Venus Williams, Simone Biles, Carli Lloyd, and more! For sports fans, aspiring athletes and readers of sports biographies.

Some of the most accomplished and famous athletes in the world—tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams, Olympic Gold Medalist Simone Biles, World Cup superstar Carli Lloyd and others—faced earthshaking challenges in their youth. But they refused to give up. Through hard work and determination, they rose above their circumstances and went on to conquer the sports world. This collection of mini biographies, complete with firsthand content drawn from in-depth interviews, is a source of inspiration and self-empowerment for kids and sports fans of all ages.

Included in the book: Venus and Serena Wiliams (tennis), Simone Biles (gymnastics), Carli Lloyd (soccer), 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).

“An inspiring, empowering collection of true stories of perseverance and resolve.” —Kirkus Reviews

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 JournalGregory Zuckerman is a Special Writer at The Wall Street Journal and the bestselling author of The Frackers: The Outrageous Inside Story of the New Billionaire Wildcatters; and The Greatest Trade Ever: The Behind-the-Scenes Story of How John Paulson Defied Wall Street and Made Financial History. He appears regularly on CNBC, Fox Business, National Public Radio, BBC, and other major media outlets. He lives with his wife and two sons, Elijah and Gabriel. 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.Carli Lloyd
 
After 120 grueling minutes of play, the score remained tied at 2–2. The final match in the 2011 Women’s World Cup would come down to penalty kicks to decide the winner. A palpa­ble tension filled the stadium as the US and Japanese soccer teams retreated to their benches to prepare for the shootout. Carli Lloyd and her American teammates felt the pressure building.
 
The US team had endured a difficult journey to get to the finals. They were nearly knocked out in a quar­terfinals match against Brazil, surviving after tying the match in the 122nd minute and then winning on penalty kicks in one of most riveting games in the his­tory of the Women’s World Cup.
 
It had been twelve years since the US Women’s National Team had reached the finals. Carli knew a single goal could make the difference. She had been benched during the early matches of the World Cup but she knew this was the perfect opportunity to solid­ify her spot on the team and become an instant legend.
 
Carli approached the penalty box, preparing for her shot.
 
“All these mixed emotions are going through your head,” she says.
 
Does the goalkeeper know where you’re going? Do you hit it harder or softer?
 
Focused, Carli approached the ball hard and blasted a powerful shot toward the middle of the goal. The goalkeeper dove to her right, leaving an opening close to the top of the goal, exactly where Carli was aiming. For a moment, it looked like her shot would find net and Carli would be a hero.
 
Glancing up, however, Carli watched in horror as the ball soared high over the crossbar, badly missing its target. Carli stared ahead, almost in disbelief, cupped her mouth with her left hand, and quietly walked back to join her teammates. The US Women’s National Team had lost to Japan, extending their trophy drought.
 
For days, Carli was dejected and depressed.
 
“It was a really tough thing to go through,” she said. “I felt kind of like a failure, felt like I let the team down . . . I was pretty devastated.”
 
It was the lowest moment of Carli’s life, an expe­rience that would have completely demoralized many players and even ended some careers.
 
Somehow, Carli would have to find a way to turn this major setback into something more positive.US

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