On Your Mark, Get Set, Read: Books About the OlympicsLike this list

12 items

• The Boys in the Boat

  Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics

  Brown, Daniel James, 1951-

  Add The Boys in the Boat to your for later shelf

  The incredible true story of the struggles and sacrifices made by the University of Washington's eight-oared rowing crew, and their journey to the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin.

• Fast Girls

  A Novel of the 1936 Women's Olympic Team

  Hooper, Elise

  Add Fast Girls to your for later shelf

  As international tension grows, three women defy society's expectations of women and join the United States' first integrated women's Olympics team. This is a novel based on the real lives of three little-known trailblazing women.

• The Greatest Athlete (you've Never Heard Of) :

  Canada's First Olympic Gold Medallist /

  Hebscher, Mark

  Add The Greatest Athlete (you've Never Heard Of) : to your for later shelf

  Canada's first Olympic gold medalist was told as a child that he would never walk again. Yet he would go on to become the greatest distance runner of his generation - not to mention a world-class hockey player, the inventor of numbered…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Gold

  a Novel

  Cleave, Chris

  Add Gold to your for later shelf

  A novel about two world-class cyclists who are simultaneously best friends and arch-rivals. The women and their friendship will be tested as they compete for the one remaining spot on their Olympic team.

• Foxcatcher :

  the True Story of My Brother's Murder, John Du Pont's Madness, and the Quest for Olympic Gold /

  Schultz, Mark, 1960-

  Add Foxcatcher : to your for later shelf

  The tragic and fascinating true story of two Olympic wrestler brothers and the wealthiest convicted murderer of all time.

• Head Over Heels

  Orenstein, Hannah

  Add Head Over Heels to your for later shelf

  A feel-good rom-com meets gymnastics drama in this funny and thoughtful romance novel about a former gymnast trying to figure out who she is without the sport that defined her.

• My Mother's Daughter /

  Felicien, Perdita, 1980-

  Add My Mother's Daughter / to your for later shelf

  Perdita Felicien's mother faced numerous hurdles when she came to Canada to create a new life. While facing poverty, racism, domestic violence, and homelessness, she taught her Olympian daughter how to leap, and to pick herself up when…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Bone Cage

  Add The Bone Cage to your for later shelf

  A novel about two athletes hoping for spots on the Canadian Olympic team while contemplating what life will look like after they achieve their life's dream.

• Open Heart, Open Mind

  Hughes, Clara

  Add Open Heart, Open Mind to your for later shelf

  Clara Hughes is one of Canada's most decorated Olympians, and the first athlete to win multiple medals at both Summer and Winter Olympic Games. Yet ultimately her biggest competitor was herself. This is a raw, life-affirming memoir about…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Girl Runner

  a Novel

  Snyder, Carrie

  Add Girl Runner to your for later shelf

  Part historical fiction, part mystery, this is the story of a 104 year old former Olympian who was once an ambitious young woman but now lives forgotten in a nursing home. When two mysterious visitors take her on an outing to her family…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Reclaiming Tom Longboat

  Indigenous Self-determination in Canadian Sport

  Forsyth, Janice,

  Add Reclaiming Tom Longboat to your for later shelf

  A deeply compelling look at the history of Indigenous sport in Canada, from the colonial regulations in residential schools to the present-day exclusion of Indigenous activities in mainstream sports.

• The Horsewoman

  a Novel

  Patterson, James, 1947-

  Add The Horsewoman to your for later shelf

  The thrilling tale of a mother and daughter, both equestrian show-jumpers, who share a dream of becoming the best horsewoman in the world. They vowed to never compete against each other - until the upcoming Olympic trials pit them against…Read moreRead more of this annotation