Competitive Sportswomen Book List

As an amateur sportswoman and an avid reader, I love stories about other sportswomen. There are a growing number of memoirs from professional and elite sportswomen, a growing number of sports fiction books for a Young Adult audience, and even an uptick of women's sports history books. But one of the main reasons I wanted to create Sports Stories Press is because there's a lack of fiction with sportswomen protagonists written for an adult audience and a lack of memoirs about amateur sportswomen. Sport Stories Press seeks to rectify this gap.

There are, however, some books in these categories, and I am sharing those here. This is a work in progress! Please help me expand this list by sending book titles/authors/publishers/links to Sport Stories Press.

Sport Books

Adult Fiction with Competitive Sportswomen Protagonists
(elite, professional, and amateur)

• Anna Black - This Girl Can Play

  Title: Anna Black - This Girl Can Play
  Author: Texi Smith
  Publisher: Popcorn Press
  Sport: Football (Soccer)
  

• A Whole Other Ball Game

  Title: A Whole Other Ball Game
  Editor: Joli Sandoz
  Publisher: Farrar, Straus, Wand Girouz
  Sport: Multiple Sports

• Fast Girls

  Title: Fast Girls
  Author: Elise Hooper
  Publisher: William Morrow
  Sport: Olympic Track & Field

• Girl Runner

  Title: Girl Runner
  Author: Carrie Snyder
  Publisher: Harper
  Sport: Olympic Track & Field

• Gold

  Title: Gold
  Author: Chris Cleave
  Publisher: Sceptre
  Sport: Cycling

• Holding Her Breath

  Title: Holding Her Breath
  Author: Eimear Ryan
  Publisher: Mariner Books
  Sport: Swimming

• Seeking the Center

  Title: Seeking the Center
  Author: Leslie Spitz-Edson
  Publisher: Cuidano Press
  Sport: Hockey

• Swimming

  Title: Swimming
  Author: Nicola Keegan
  Publisher: Vintage
  Sport: Olympic Swimming

• The Bone Cage

  Title: The Bone Cage
  Author: Angie Abdou
  Publisher: NeWest Press
  Sport: Olympic Swimming

• The Happiest Girl in the World

  Title: The Happiest Girl in the World
  Author: Alena Dillon
  Publisher: William Morrow
  Sport: Gymnastics

• The Singles Game

  Title: The Singles Game
  Author: Lauren Weisberger
  Publisher: Simon & Schuster
  Sport: Tennis

• The Sweetheart

  Title: The Sweetheart
  Author: Angelina Mirabella
  Publisher: Simon & Schuster
  Sport: Wrestling

• Tough Girl in the Jam

  Title: Tough Girl in the Jam
  Author: Larry Loebell
  Publisher: Sunbury Press
  Sport: Roller Derby

• We Ride Upon Sticks

  Title: We Ride Upon Sticks
  Author: Quan Barry
  Publisher: Vintage
  Sport: Field Hockey

• Wheeler Series

  Title: Wheeler Series (3 books)
  Author: Sara Butler Zalesky
  Publisher: independently published
  Sport: Cycling

Amateur Sportswomen Memoirs (non-elite, non-professional)

• A Beautiful Work in Progress

  Title: A Beautiful Work in Progress
  Author: Mirna Valerio
  Publisher: Grand Harbor Press
  Sport: Trail Running

• Brace for Impact: A Memoir

  Title: Brace for Impact: A Memoir
  Author: Gabe Montesanti
  Publisher: The Dial Press
  Sport: Roller Derby

• Confessions of an Unlikely Runner

  Title: Confessions of an Unlikely Runner
  Author: Dana Ayers
  Publisher: GP Press
  Sport: Running

• Did Anyone Tell You This Was Going to Be Easy?

  Title: Did Anyone Tell You This Was Going to Be Easy?
  Author: Laurel Slyck
  Publisher: Laurel Slyck Publishing
  Sport: Running

• From Couch Potato to Endurance Athlete

  Title: From Couch Potato to Endurance Athlete
  Author: Hilary JM Topper
  Publisher: Meyer & Meyer Sport
  Sport: Triathlon

• Leap In: A Woman, Some Waves, and a Will to Swim

  Title: Leap In: A Woman, Some Waves, and a Will to Swim
  Author: Alexandra Heminsley
  Publisher: Pegasus Books
  Sport: Open Water Swimming

• Life's Too Short to Go So F*cking Slow

  Title: Life's Too Short to Go So F*cking Slow: Lessons from an Epic Friendship That Went the Distance
  Author: Susan Lacke
  Publisher: VeloPress
  Sport: Triathlon

• Pretty Good for a Girl

  Title: Pretty Good for a Girl
  Author: Leslie Heywood
  Publisher: University of Minnesota Press
  Sport: Track and Cross Country

• Raised a Warrior: A Memoir of Soccer, Grit, and Leveling the Playing Field

  Title: Raised a Warrior: A Memoir of Soccer, Grit, and Leveling the Playing Field
  Author: Susie Petruccelli
  Publisher: Apollo Publishing
  Sport: Soccer

• Running Like a Girl: Notes on Learning to Run

  Title: Running Like a Girl: Notes on Learning to Run
  Author: Alexandra Heminsley
  Publisher: Scribner
  Sport: Running

• Running Outside the Comfort Zone

  Title: Running Outside the Comfort Zone: An Explorer's Guide to the Edges of Running
  Author: Susan Lacke
  Publisher: VeloPress
  Sport: Running

• Seconds Out: Women & Fighting

  Title: Seconds Out: Women & Fighting
  Author: Alison Dean
  Publisher: Coach House Books
  Sport: Martial Arts

• Swimming Studies

  Title: Swimming Studies
  Author: Leanne Shapton
  Publisher: Riverhead Books
  Sport: Swimming

• The Impossible Long Run: My Journey to Becoming Ultra

  Title: The Impossible Long Run: My Journey to Becoming Ultra
  Author: Janet Patkowa
  Publisher: independently published
  Sport: Ultrarunning

• The Pursuit of Endurance

  Title: The Pursuit of Endurance
  Author: Jennifer Pharr Davis
  Publisher: Penguin Books
  Sport: Trail Running/Hiking

Note: Most links lead to Amazon, where Sport Stories Press gets a small percent if you purchase the book. We used the publisher's website for books from small, independent presses because purchasing directly from the publisher provides a greater percentage to the author and publisher. If this is your book or a book from your publishing company and you’d like us to use a different link and/or include a link to an author website, we'll be glad to do so. Contact Sport Stories Press to share the link. 

Last Updated: 5/20/2022 9:32 PM EST