Five Books By Winter Paralympians You Should Read Now

by Shuan Butcher

The way people view disability is far from reality. Sports have always been a unifying force, while also being at the forefront of societal change. Sports make us more—more determined, more powerful, more ourselves. And they show the world what is possible.

Through sports, athletes with disabilities show people what they are capable of so that it’s no longer a surprise, so that they’re not always an inspiration.

But sport isn’t the only way that defines an athlete’s identity or humanity. So as the 2022 Beijing Paralympics get underway, there are five books by Winter Paralympians that you should read now. In various ways, these books shed light into the individual and unique journeys of the authors as well as provide you with insights into questions that you may have wanted to ask, but didn’t.

Driven to Ride: The True Story of an Elite Athlete Who Rebuilt His Leg, His Life, and His Career by Mike Schultz

When “Monster” Mike Schultz won snowboarding gold in PyeongChang, South Korea, it was the culmination of a decade of reinvention, in every sense of the word. Ten years earlier he’d lain bleeding on the side of a mountain after a devastating snowmobile accident. Now he stood tall on the Paralympic podium, supported by a prosthetic knee and foot of his own creation.

From a place of debilitating pain and depression, Schultz tapped into the same sense of adventure that had once taken him to the top of competitive snowmobile racing and followed it to the pinnacle of an entirely new sport: adaptive snowboarding. Driven to Ride is a singular story of uncommon strength, ingenuity, and seizing golden opportunities. It highlights how Schultz designed and created his own prosthetic leg (Moto Knee) which allowed him (and now many of his fellow competitors) to get back in action and how he started his company BioDapt.

On My Own Two Feet: From Losing My Legs to Learning the Dance of Life by Amy Purdy

When Amy Purdy was just nineteen, she contracted bacterial meningitis and was given less than a two percent chance of survival. But she wouldn’t just beat meningitis and walk again, she would go on to create a life filled with bold adventures, big dreams, and boundless vitality—and share that spirit with the world. In 2014, Purdy was the only competitor, male or female with two prosthetic leg to claim a bronze medal for the U.S. Paralympic team in adaptive snowboarding. She was a finalist on season eighteen of Dancing With the Stars and then return to the Paralympics in 2018 to win a silver and bronze medal.

Purdy’s journey is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the capacity we all have to dream bigger, defy expectations, and rewrite our stories. Purdy was given a second chance for a reason—to use her life to inspire others. Her powerful memoir urges us to live life to the fullest, because we are all a lot more capable than we could ever imagine. Purdy also founded Adaptive Action Sports, a Move United member organization that helps youth, young adults, and wounded veterans with physical disabilities get involved with action sports.

You D.E.C.I.D.E. by Steve Emt

Many people in the world today are stuck in their everyday lives, thinking about making a change, but either don’t want to change or don’t know how to change. Because of this, they are not being the absolute best version of themselves and leading incredibly happy and successful lives. This needs to change. You D.E.C.I.D.E. is both a memoir and a self-help book written to empower you to believe in yourself, inspire you to manage the important decisions to get you through life and motivate you to become the hero of your own life by following a simple 6-step action plan.

Emt was a star athlete, former West Point cadet, and UCONN basketball player; he had everything going for him. He felt invincible until an automobile accident in March 1995. He woke up from a coma days later in a hospital bed and began a long, painful journey to recovery, not just physical but also mental, emotional, and spiritual. He would never fully recover physically, as he was paralyzed from the waist down. But he recovered and excelled in other parts of his life, going on to finish his degree, become a teacher, high school basketball coach, mentor, Paralympian, motivational speaker, and now an author.

Just Don’t Fall: A Hilariously True Story of Childhood, Cancer, Ampuation, Romantic Yearning, Truth, and Olympic Greatness by Josh Sundquist

This winning memoir of triumph over tragedy tells a story that has deeply affected thousands of readers. When he was just nine years old, Sundquist was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer that eventually claimed his left leg. Just Don’t Fall is the story of an utterly heroic struggle through numerous hospitalizations and worse to become an award-winning skier in the Paralympics and renowned motivational speaker.

At the time of the diagnosis, Sundquist was given a fifty percent chance to live. He spent a year on chemotherapy treatments. Doctors declared him cured of the disease at age thirteen and Sundquist took up ski racing three years later. He trained for the next five years and was named to the U.S. Paralympic Ski Team for the 2006 Paralympics in Turino, Italy. Today, Josh represents the United States in international competition as a member of the U.S. Amputee Soccer Team. He has also written two other books, including We Should Hang Out Sometime and Love and First Sight.

Live Your Joy by Bonnie St. John

Bonnie St. John has faced some of life’s toughest challenges—and still maintains a life filled with JOY. Live Your Joy is a powerfully inspiring collection of real-life, modern-day stories that reveal the power of joy: living it, pursuing it, sharing it, and making it a top priority. Throughout her life, St. John has struggled with daily “joy stealers.” In this book, she shares her experiences along the perpetual journey for joy—stories that will teach you how to find joy in each and every day, no matter how unlikely it may seem. Each chapter holds a piece of the puzzle, the building blocks to living a life with joy: hope, confidence, positivity, authenticity, humility, friendship, resilience, and faith.

As an amputee, St. John became the first African-American to win medals in Winter Paralympic competition as an alpine skier at the 1984 Winter Paralympics. She is also a Harvard graduate, Rhodes scholar, business CEO, and White House official. Two of her other more recent books are How Great Women Lead and Micro-Resilience.

We know the power of sport and how it pushes what’s possible for people with disabilities. Hopefully these books will help fuel conversation, confront ignorance, and incite action that leads us to a world where everyone’s included. And hopefully, each of these books help shift the narrative from disabled to this abled.