Olympic Reads

Learn more about the Summer Olympics with these reads for adults, teens, and kids. Available to borrow at SCLS.

Updated August 9, 2024
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Courage to soar :
Biles, Simone,
Paper Book
In Courage to Soar, the official autobiography from four-time Olympic gold-winning and record-setting American gymnast Simone Biles, Simone shares how her faith, family, passion, and perseverance has made her one of the top athletes and gymnasts in the world--and how you too can...
The boys in the boat : nine Americans and their epic quest for gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
Brown, Daniel
Paper Book
Now a Major Motion Picture Directed by George Clooney The #1 New York Times-bestselling story about the American Olympic rowing triumph in Nazi Germany--from the author of Facing the Mountain. For readers of Unbroken, out of the depths of the...
Jesse Owens /
Buckley, James,
Paper Book
Discover the inspiring story of Jesse Owens, African American track-and-field athlete and Olympic gold medalist, in this fascinating kids' biography. Jesse Owens is one of the most famous athletes of all time, but he experienced discrimination throughout his athletic career, such...
The science behind gymnastics /
Carmichael, L. E.
Paper Book
Behind every jump, spin, and flip of Olympic gymnastics, science is at work. Centrifugal force is at work in a midair spin, and center of gravity is involved in balance beam routines. Newton's Third Law of Motion springs into action as a gymnast flies into the air in the vaulting event. Find out how...
Work With What You Got :
Clark, Zion/ Hirsch, James S.
Paper Book
Elite wheelchair racer, wrestler, and America's Got Talent contestant Zion Clark joins with New York Times best-selling author James S. Hirsch for a stunning memoir--recounting childhood adversity, awe-inspiring perseverance, and self-invention. When a baby named...
She persisted in sports : American Olympians who changed the game
Clinton, Chelsea
Paper Book
From Chelsea Clinton and Alexandra Boiger, the #1 New York Times bestselling team behind She Persisted, comes a new book featuring women athletes who overcame and inspired--perfect for fans of the Olympics! Throughout history, women have been told that they couldn't...
Team sports of the summer games
Derr, Aaron
Paper Book
Only a few countries were represented by athletes at the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 in Athens. But now, more than 10,000 athletes from more than 200 countries compete in the Summer Olympic Games. These athletes compete in more than 300 events. The games showcase the strength, skills,...
Olympic pride, American prejudice :
Draper, Deborah Riley,
Paper Book
Discover the astonishing, inspirational, and largely unknown true story of the eighteen African American athletes who competed in the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games, defying the racism of both Nazi Germany and the Jim Crow South. Set against the turbulent backdrop of a segregated...
How to watch the Olympics :
Goldblatt, David,
Ebook
The Olympics is the world's biggest sporting event - and it moves centre stage for London 2012. Yet the sports the world is familiar with - football, cricket, rugby, baseball, motor sports - are either missing or have a token presence. In their place are games that most of us have not a clue how to...
What are the Summer Olympics? /
Herman, Gail,
Ebook
Back in 775 BC, athletes from all over Ancient Greece came together to compete in various games. The contests were held every four years and winning athletes brought honor and respect to their homelands. The tradition of the Olympic Games faded over time until 1896, when they were...
Unbroken :
Hillenbrand, Laura.
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * The incredible true story of survival and salvation that is the basis for two major motion pictures: Unbroken and Unbroken: Path to Redemption. "Extraordinarily moving . . . a powerfully drawn survival epic."--The Wall Street...
Fast girls :
Hooper, Elise
Paper Book
ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF THE SUMMER BY POPSUGAR, FROLIC, PARADE, TRAVEL & LEISURE, SHE KNOWS, and SHE READS!  NAMED A REAL SIMPLE BEST BOOK OF 2020 (SO FAR). "Fast Girls is a compelling, thrilling look at what it takes to be a female Olympian in pre...
Women in sports : 50 fearless athletes who played to win
Ignotofsky, Rachel
Paper Book
A charmingly illustrated and inspiring book, Women in Sports highlights the achievements and stories of fifty notable women athletes--from well-known figures like tennis player Billie Jean King and gymnast Simone Biles, to lesser-known athletes like skateboarding pioneer Patti McGee and Toni...
All in :
King, Billie Jean
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER * An inspiring and intimate self-portrait of the champion of equality that encompasses her brilliant tennis career, unwavering activism, and an ongoing commitment to fairness and social justice. "A story about the personal strength, immense growth,...
Just add water :
Ledecky, Katie,
Paper Book
A New York Times bestselling memoir from Olympic gold medalist, world champion, and the most decorated US female Olympian in history: Katie Ledecky. Katie Ledecky has won more individual Olympic races than any female swimmer in history. She is a four-time Olympian, a nine...
Choosing to run :
Linden, Des,
Paper Book
Choosing to Run takes readers through both the triumphs and greatest challenges of Des Linden's career, including the day that, despite freezing rain and gusting winds, she experienced her career-defining win at the 2018 Boston Marathon. She discusses her unique journey, and how she got there...
Simone Biles /
Magoon, Kekla.
Paper Book
Chelsea Clinton introduces tiny feminists, mini activists and little kids who are ready to take on the world to thirteen inspirational women who never took no for an answer, and who always, inevitably and without fail, persisted. Throughout United States history, there...
Games of deception :
Maraniss, Andrew.
Paper Book
*"Rivaling the nonfiction works of Steve Sheinkin and Daniel James Brown's The Boys in the Boat....Even readers who don't appreciate sports will find this story a page-turner." --School Library Connection, starred review *"A must for all library collections." --...
Inaugural ballers :
Maraniss, Andrew.
Paper Book
From the New York Times bestselling author of Strong Inside comes the inspirational true story of the birth of women's Olympic basketball at the 1976 Summer Games and the ragtag team that put US women's basketball on the map. Perfect for fans of Steve Sheinkin and Daniel James Brown...
Path Lit by Lightning :
Maraniss, David
Paper Book
A riveting new biography of America's greatest all-around athlete by the bestselling author of the classic biography When Pride Still Mattered. Jim Thorpe rose to world fame as a mythic talent who excelled at every sport. He won gold medals in the decathlon and pentathlon...
Dream team :
McCallum, Jack,
Paper Book
They were the Beatles of basketball, the Mercury Seven in sneakers.   In Dream Team, acclaimed sports journalist Jack McCallum delivers the untold story of the greatest team ever assembled: the 1992 U.S. Olympic Men's Basketball Team that captivated the world, kindled the...
Hour of the Olympics /
Osborne, Mary Pope
Paper Book
The #1 bestselling chapter book series of all time celebrates 25 years with new covers and a new, easy-to-use numbering system! No girls allowed at the Olympic Games! That's the rule when the Magic Tree House whisks Jack and Annie back to ancient Greece. But when Annie tells jack to go...
The horsewoman : a novel
Patterson, James
Paper Book
This "hugely entertaining, riveting page-turner" (Louise Penny) follows the complicated relationship between mother and daughter as they face off in the Olympics--and into a ride they can barely control. Maggie Atwood and Becky McCabe, mother and daughter, both champion...
One life /
Rapinoe, Megan,
Paper Book
Megan Rapinoe, Olympic gold medallist and two-time Women's World Cup champion, has become a galvanizing force for social change; here, she urges all of us to take up the mantle, with actions big and small, to continue the fight for justice and equality. Using anecdotes from her own life and career,...
Naomi Osaka :
Rothenberg, Ben
Paper Book
Most tennis fans met the Haitian-American/Japanese player Naomi Osaka for the first time as they watched her win the 2018 US Open in an unforgettably dramatic and controversial match against Serena Williams. Since then, Osaka has galvanized the tennis world not only by winning three more grand slams...
Simone Biles /
Sâanchez Vegara, Ma Isabel
Paper Book
In this book from the best-selling Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the inspiring life of Simone Biles, the record-breaking gymnast and mental-health advocate. Growing up in foster care, Simone's gymnastics training was an anchor in her life. She first tried the sport...
Forward :
Wambach, Abby,
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "Lucid and wrenching...Forward puts [Wambach's] achievement in context with painful and beautiful candor." --NPR "Forward is the powerful story of an athlete who has inspired girls all over the world to believe in themselves."  -...
The other Olympians :
Waters, Michael,
Paper Book
Named one of the Best Books of 2024 by The New Yorker "Michael Waters performs an Olympian act of storytelling, using the stories of these extraordinary athletes to explore in brilliant detail the struggle for understanding and equality." --Jonathan Eig, author of...

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