A gritty and hopeful coming-of-age story set in the harsh landscape of the desert.Eleven-year-old Laura's life is upended when she's sent to live with her uncle Hector. In the hot desert air, she seeks money to pay her uncle rent, and her nights are spent wandering dark alleyways and deserted streets while Hector entertains women with drug-filled parties. Laura comes into her own as a woman, seeking refuge with Luz, a prostitute who works with her uncle; Bea, Luz's...

Who can leap over tall buildings in a single bound, or in this case save a little boy from heartbreak? None other than Horace the Strong!

An inspiring sports memoir from the family who captured America?s heart at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.The Lopez family set new records at the Beijing Olympics with three siblings on the same U.S. taekwondo team?and a fourth sibling as their coach. Mark took the silver medal, and Steven and Diana both brought home the bronze, with big brother Jean coaching them to victory. Here, for the first time, is the inspiring story of a family united behind a dream.In 1...

'Elite athletes aren't born. They're made.'Michael JohnsonFrom a living icon of the Olympic Games – as both an athlete and now as a BBC broadcaster – Gold Rush is a compelling analysis of the fascinating combination of psychological and personal qualities, as well as internal and external factors, that go to create an Olympic champion.This exciting new book is based on Michael Johnson's own experiences as an iconic four-time Olympic champion, and on the knowledge he h...

Lebron James and Kevin Durant are international superstars. This book follows both men's lives from their humble beginnings to becoming two of the best basketball players in the world.LeBron James, The Chosen One, is one of the greatest basketball players ever to play the game. He is an eight-time NBA All-Star, a three-time league MVP, and an NBA champion. Most fans are aware of his amazing accomplishments on the court and of his controversial "Decision" to leave Cleveland for Sout...

Jennie Finch fell in love with baseball as a four-year-old when her mother took her to Dodger games. A year later, her parents signed her up for softball lessons and the young girl was instantly smitten. As a youngster, Jennie dominated travel softball and later became a star player at La Mirada High School in Southern California. During her time at University of Arizona, she set an NCAA record with 60 consecutive wins. Blessed with remarkable pitching ability, good looks and role-model sp...

On August 26, 1960, twenty-three-year-old Danish cyclist Knud Jensen, competing in that year's Rome Olympic Games, suddenly fell from his bike and fractured his skull. His death hours later led to rumors that performance-enhancing drugs were in his system. Though certainly not the first instance of doping in the Olympic Games, Jensen's death serves as the starting point for Thomas M. Hunt's thoroughly researched, chronological history of the modern relationship of doping to the Olympics. U...

What does it really take to make the podium? Which of the biological, environmental and psychological factors really shape a champion's route to the top?To answer these questions, Ben Oakley has taken the original step of combining existing research with a study of leading athletes' autobiographies. Looking at the early histories and initial challenges of serial champions in their own words, Podium sheds new light on their commonalities.A similar focus in training,...

Weight Training for Hockey is the most comprehensive and up-to-date hockey-specific training guide in the world today. Based on hundreds of on-ice tests performed on professional hockey players from North America and Europe, this book contains descriptions and photographs of the most effective weight training, flexibility, and abdominal exercises used by hockey players worldwide. Inside, you fill find year-round hockey-specific programs that will improve your performance and get you result...

Ellison "Tarzan" Brown was one of America's premier marathon runners during the 1930s and 1940s. This volume tells the story of his life from the beginning of his budding career in the early 1930s through his untimely death in 1975.With his unorthodox approach to the sport and his spectacular finishes, Tarzan Brown quickly became something of a legend in racing. Inevitably, he became the subject of stories that were not always entirely factual--and sometimes not very flattering. Th...

Beginning with a single running race on the plains of Olympia, Greece, the original Olympic Games endured for almost twelve centuries and grew to become one of the most important cultural achievements of the ancient world. The Ancient Olympiads: Bridges to the Modern Era, the first volume in The Olympic Century series, tells the story of the ancient Games, from their founding in 776 B.C. to their dissolution in 393 C.E. by the Roman Emperor Theodosius.Legend holds that the Olympics...

Convince your child to take up a sport instead of playing the computer all day long. Do that through the help of this beautifully crafted educational book. This book features amazing sports for children of all ages. The images used as more than enough to provide a cool introduction into each one. The limited text provide the additional information required. Buy a copy today!