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Books about ALS


Choose one of the below books for your next book club. Other books you think should be on the list? Email us to let us know!

Eyes to the Wind, by Ady Barkan

In this inspirational and moving memoir—reminiscent of When Breath Becomes Air and The Bright Hour—activist Ady Barkan explores his life with ALS and how his diagnosis gave him a profound new understanding of his commitment to social justice for all.

ALS Saved My Life…Until it Didn’t, by Dr. Jenni Berebtisky

Most people know life will not necessarily go as they planned. But what do we do when nothing goes as we had hoped? How do we cope with unpredictable changes in body and spirit – changes that require constant shifting of our view of ourself, other people, and the world? Jenni, diagnosed in 2009 with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease), has been forced to find answers to these questions every day. With the hope of helping others move forward after life-altering events, Jenni shares her story of life with ALS, outlining both the practical and existential changes needed to adapt and thrive. Embodying the idea that courage does not always roar, Jenni reveals the combination of self-reflection, radical acceptance, grit, and social support that have allowed her to remain true to herself while living her life to the fullest.

Caddy for Life: The Bruce Edwards Story, by John Feinstein

The renowned sportswriter and best-selling author of A Good Walk Spoiled provides an inspirational portrait of legendary golf caddy Bruce Edwards, who has been a caddy for Tom Watson since 1973, as he continues the job he loves despite the growing physical limitations of Lou Gehrig’s disease. 300,000 first printing.

Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life’s Greatest Lesson, 20th Anniversary Edition, by Mitch Albom

“The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in.”

Maybe it was a grandparent, or a teacher, or a colleague. Someone older, patient and wise, who understood you when you were young and searching, helped you see the world as a more profound place, gave you sound advice to help you make your way through it.

For Mitch Albom, that person was his college professor Morrie Schwartz.

Maybe, like Mitch, you lost track of this mentor as you made your way, and the insights faded, and the world seemed colder. Wouldn’t you like to see that person again, ask the bigger questions that still haunt you, receive wisdom for your busy life today the way you once did when you were younger?

Mitch Albom had that second chance. He rediscovered Morrie in the last months of the older man’s life. Knowing he was dying, Morrie visited with Mitch in his study every Tuesday, just as they used to back in college. Their rekindled relationship turned into one final “class”: lessons in how to live. “The truth is, Mitch,” he said, “once you learn how to die, you learn how to live.”

Tuesdays with Morrie is a magical chronicle of their time together, through which Mitch shares Morrie’s lasting gift with the world.

Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig, by Jonathan Eig

Draws on hundreds of new interviews and previously unpublished letters to present a comprehensive account of the life of the Hall of Fame ballplayer whose career was cut short by the disease now named for him, in a portrait that shares background details about his rivalry with Babe Ruth, the onset of his illness, and the final years of his life. 100,000 first printing.

My Luke and I, by Eleanor Gehrig

Lou Gehrig’s widow recalls their life together, the six years of travel and excitement before the diagnosis of Lou’s amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and the subsequent two years of fears and courage.

Personal Trials: How terminally ill ALS patients took medical treatment into their own hands, by Jef Akst

ALS is fatal. There is no cure. There is only one approved treatment, which extends the life span of ALS patients by an average of only three months. But one group of patients took their treatments into their own hands—fighting not just for their lives, but for a disease community that for years has struggled to be heard. Personal Trials is the story of Ben Harris, Rob Tison, and Eric Valor, who joined dozens of other patients in meticulously researching experimental treatments and in dosing themselves with chemical substitutes. All the while, the patients tracked their results openly online—charting thrilling improvements and devastating physical decline—hoping their experiences would enlighten others and advance ALS research. Facing a frustratingly slow and opaque biomedical research system, they believed their most important work was to share their data with the world. As Ben always said, “If it is done in secret, it is done in vain.”

Until I Say Goodbye, by Susan Spencer-Wendel’s

Susan Spencer-Wendel’s Until I Say Good-Bye: My Year of Living with Joy is a moving and inspirational memoir by a woman who makes the most of her final days after discovering she has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

After Spencer-Wendel, a celebrated journalist at the Palm Beach Post, learns of her diagnosis of ALS, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, she embarks on several adventures, traveling to several countries and sharing special experiences with loved ones. One trip takes Spencer-Wendel and her fourteen-year-old daughter, Marina, to New York City’s Kleinfeld’s Bridal to shop for Marina’s future wedding dress—an occasion that Susan knows she will never see.

Co-written with Bret Witter, Until I Say Good-Bye is Spencer-Wendel’s account of living a full life with humor, courage, and love, but also accepting death with grace and dignity. It’s a celebration of life, a look into the face of death, and the effort we must make to show the people that we love and care about how very much they mean to us.

Dying to Be Healed, by Holly Gerrish

Dying to be Healed follows Holly Gerrish’s touching and intensely personal journey when her husband, Mark, is diagnosed with cancer at the age of twenty-eight and, fifteen years later, with ALS. In spite of her nursing experience and long-held beliefs, Holly ventures beyond the boundaries of medicine in an effort to help improve her husband’s prognosis.

A Journey of Love by Jan Mathew

As Roger Schmitz, a professor, Dean and Vice President of the University of Notre Dame, progressed through the debilitation of ALS, he was surrounded by the love of his family and many close friends. This love did not just happen, it was built over a lifetime of closeness, caring about each other with support through life’s tougher moments. Though Roger lost his brave battle, his family and friends have never forgotten him. This is a book that teaches, inspires and moves the reader to cherish the people they are given to love even, and especially, in difficult circumstances.

The Forty One: A story of hope and a car, by Blu Sanders

“I thought I left West Texas for good, but sometimes things just don’t quite end up like you think they will. At 35, I came home to care for my dying father and to fix a car. Maybe even to fix myself.”

Blitz Your Life: Stories from an NFL and ALS Warrior, by Tim Shaw

Winner in two categories at the 2018 Benjamin Franklin Awards, Blitz Your Life is a collection of reflections from a former NFL linebacker on a life lived fearlessly and challenges from a man with a sense of urgency for impact. These powerful stories range from Tim’s time on the football field to the radically different life and goals that resulted from his diagnosis with ALS in 2014. Tim also shares stories of ordinary people who have faced everyday challenges and accomplished extraordinary things. Whether they sweep floors or rebuild neighborhoods or make music, all are living lives that make a difference.

At times funny and others serious, Tim encourages readers to write their own goals and stories while pursuing their dreams. Through his whiteboard challenges, he provides practical help that takes readers on a road to success. From his NFL days to his support of ALS awareness, this fighter’s message is a courageous call to find and enjoy a life with purpose.

All the Colors Came Out: A Father, a Daughter, and a Lifetime of Lessons, by Kate Fagan

Kate Fagan and her father forged their relationship on the basketball court, bonded by sweaty high fives and a dedication to the New York Knicks. But as Kate got older, her love of the sport and her closeness with her father grew complicated. The formerly inseparable pair drifted apart. The lessons that her father instilled in her about the game, and all her memories of sharing the court with him over the years, were a distant memory.

When Chris Fagan was diagnosed with ALS, Kate decided that something had to change. Leaving a high-profile job at ESPN to be closer to her mother and father and take part in his care, Kate Fagan spent the last year of her father’s life determined to return to him the kind of joy they once shared on the court. All the Colors Came Out is Kate Fagan’s completely original reflection on the very specific bond that one father and daughter shared, forged in the love of a sport which over time came to mean so much more.

Studded with unforgettable scenes of humor, pain and hope, Kate Fagan has written a book that plumbs the mysteries of the unique gifts fathers gives daughters, ones that resonate across time and circumstance.

Every Note Playedby Lisa Genova

An accomplished concert pianist, Richard received standing ovations from audiences all over the world in awe of his rare combination of emotional resonance and flawless technique. Every finger of his hands was a finely calibrated instrument, dancing across the keys and striking each note with exacting precision. That was eight months ago.

Richard now has ALS, and his entire right arm is paralyzed. His fingers are impotent, still, devoid of possibility. The loss of his hand feels like a death, a loss of true love, a divorce—his divorce.

He knows his left arm will go next.

From neuroscientist and New York Times bestselling author of Still Alice comes a powerful exploration of regret, forgiveness, freedom, and what it means to be alive.

Living as a Dead Man: Life Lessons Gained from Losing One Life to Receiving a Greater Purpose, by Jeff Lester

Jeff’s story is about the destruction of the life he expected to live then rebuilding a new, more purposeful life out of its ashes. Along the way, he weathers huge storms and overcomes what seems to most people insurmountable odds. This occurs while Jeff endures the daily challenges created by the devastation from one of the worst diseases someone can experience.

Ultimately, it is a story about being led into the light emerging from the darkness that enveloped his life even before ALS entered it. Jeff learns to focus on the blessings in his life instead of what he has lost and the difficulties he faces. He shares the lessons he learned and what is essential to living a happy and fulfilling life with greater purpose. Anyone who struggles with a problem in their life will find inspiration from Jeff’s story to overcome it and see better days.

No Pressure, No Diamonds: Mining for Gifts in Illness and Loss, by Teri A. Dillion

At 35 and newly married, thriving psychotherapist and Buddhist practitioner Teri Dillion had plenty of tidy answers on offer for creating a meaningful and beautiful life. But once diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS) and told to get her affairs in order before facing total paralysis, she finds all smug psychology and easy equanimity no match for her harrowing new prognosis. 

With a humorous and nuanced exploration of the colorful landscapes of alternative medicine and self-help culture, No Pressure, No Diamonds recounts Teri’s powerful healing journey while shining a light on the fragile blessings of embodiment in general. As she grows disillusioned with toxic positivity and bypassing spiritual gurus in her determined pursuit of a miraculous cure, she’s forced to define her own deepest beliefs about hope, meaning-making, and healing.

Too Many Reasons to Live, by Rob Burrow

The inspirational memoir of one of Rugby League’s true greats, Too Many Reasons to Live documents Rob Burrow’s battle with motor neurone disease and the incredible courage and resilience he has shown to keep fighting to the very end.

Too Many Reasons to Live isn’t just a rugby league book, or just a book for sports fans. It’s an extraordinary story of love, friendship, of infinite kindness and boundless courage. As Rob takes on his new battle, he is doing what he has done his entire life – proving people wrong. Rugby League, winning friendship, at its heart Too Many Reasons to Live is a book for anyone either fighting their own battles with illness or other kinds of adversity, and a reminder that no one is going through it alone.

Final Season, by Tim Green

Drawing from his own experiences, both with the NFL and with his ALS diagnosis, New York Times bestselling author and former Atlanta Falcon’s player Tim Green highlights the importance of family, community, and love of football while also cautioning against the risks of the beloved sport.

Thinking Through VA Benefits and VA Care: A Resource for Veterans with ALS and Their Caregiversby Mary Hahn Ward and Lara Garey

“Thinking Through VA Benefits & VA Care” is comprised of Veterans Administration benefits and healthcare information as it pertains to the veteran service-connected for ALS. The intent of this book is to inform and educate the veteran and their caregivers on the many VA benefits and care available to the veteran with ALS. It was written in the hopes that this book will help veterans, and their caregivers, spend less time with VA matters and more time enjoying life.

Dance Me to the End: Ten Months and Ten Days with ALS, by Alison Acheson

Dance Me to the End is an evocative memoir about the emotional impact of witnessing a loved one suffer from a neurological, degenerative, and terminal disease. This is a detailed account of grief, shock and pain coexisting with the levity, laughter and love shared with her husband and sons in those final months of Marty’s life.

Breaker Breaker 1-9: Where’s My Little Man At? by Sabrina Johnson

Monster Truck Moe and Little T the Tow Truck had a bond like no other, like Sabrina Johnson’s real life son and father. Sabrina Johnson lost her father to a sporadic case of ALS. He was not supposed to rust early, but just like his character in the story, the parts that he was born with unfortunately deteriorated. There is nothing that Moe could have done differently to stop the rust or his ALS diagnosis, but what can be done differently is how people react to those who might look a little different than the people we see in our own homes.

A Life Derailed: My Journey with ALS by Nate Methot

An athletic young professional, only a few years out of college, begins to feel something is wrong with his body. Unknowingly, he has already started a new and terrifying journey.

A Life Derailed is an honest and unapologetic memoir about a young man’s journey navigating the relentless and ever-increasing challenges of a life with ALS. It’s a story about loss, self-reflection, and growing up. About hiding and loneliness and shame; unshakeable strength and absolute weakness at once. Nate’s ultimate fight is to accept what has happened and find a new purpose in life.

Never Say Invisible: A Memoir of Living and Being Seen with ALS by Jeremy Schreiber

Jeremy Schreiber was on top of the world—athletic, newly married, successful. And then something went terribly wrong. In this moving memoir, he shares his journey after he received a terrifying diagnosis: ALS.

While fighting for his independence and then for his life, Jeremy gave his all to the ALS and disability communities. Never Say Invisible is his legacy gift. Smart, clever, and humorous, his story is a testament to what can be learned and achieved despite a terminal illness.

Tenacious: How God Used a Terminal Diagnosis to Turn a Family and a Football Team into Champions, by Jeremy and Jennifer Williams

Jeremy Williams captured the nation’s imagination by coaching his high school football team to unprecedented heights while combating ALS and caring for a son with spina bifida. This is his family’s inspiring story.

America first met Jeremy and Jennifer Williams when Extreme Makeover: Home Edition rebuilt their Depression-era farmhouse into a beautiful, handicap-accessible haven… It made for compelling television but only told a little slice of the story. Tenacious gives you the rest―a tender love story, a thrilling sports story, and an unforgettable testimony to the power of faith and grit in the face of almost overwhelming adversity. 

Flying into the Storm A Story of Love and Loss: Diary of a Wife-Caregiver, by B. J. Gustafson

This book is about love and what happens when a person is given the diagnosis of a degenerative and terminal illness. It is about the caregiver, the emotional roller coaster, and how the relationship changes throughout the illness. The book is meant as the true story of how one person handled these life changes. Gustafson’s goal, through this narrative, is for other caregivers to see they are not alone in their feelings or emotions.

All Is Well: Life Lessons from a Preacher’s Father, by Deacon Kevin P. Martin Jr.

Part Tuesday’s With Morrie and part Townie, this memoir offers solace and a path for those who are experiencing or have experienced grief from losing a parent, especially to terminal illness. Those that believe in a higher power (especially but not limited to the Catholic community), those from Boston and elsewhere in New England, and those looking to find lessons in the good life well-lived will readily find themselves in All is Well. 100% of this book’s profits will go to ALS research, care charities, and support organizations.

Blink Spoken Here, by Christopher and Christine Pendergast

Blink Spoken Here is a powerful tale of a family’s rare twenty-seven year journey with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). It is told through the eyes of the patient, Christopher Pendergast and his wife Christine. The book takes the reader on a roller coaster ride to dizzying heights and abysmal lows experienced in the world of ALS.

With un-sugared words, the couple reveal intimate, disturbing, frustrating, gut wrenching and life altering experiences. It is also an uplifting, joyous portrayal of indomitable strength, courage, faith, and ultimate triumph. The authors blend prose and poetry to produce a captivating glimpse into their inspirational lives with ALS. What these two ordinary people achieved through the darkest of times to become nationally recognized within the ALS community becomes self-evident on the pages of this extraordinary book of hope.

I Remember Running: The Year I Got Everything I Ever Wanted – and ALS, by Darcy Wakefield

A little over a year ago, Darcy Wakefield was a single, 33-year-old athletic, workaholic English professor, a vegetarian who had never had a serious health problem or injury.

Then she was diagnosed with ALS, and her world turned upside down. I Remember Running is Darcy’s story of change and loss and challenges during her first year with ALS, as she struggles to make sense of her diagnosis and redefine herself in the face of this terminal illness. With unflagging courage, wit, and eloquence, Darcy shares what she calls her “fast-forward” life, a life in which she applies for disability, leaves her job, and plans her own funeral as well as meets and moves in with her true love, buys a house, and gives birth to her first child in less time than it takes most of us to accomplish even one of these things.

Beautifully written and wholly inspiring, I Remember Running proves that it is possible to live a rich, meaningful life after being diagnosed with a terminal illness, and will move readers to see the world in a different light.

Be Mine, by Richard Ford

From Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Ford: the final novel in the world of Frank Bascombe, one of the most indelible characters in American literature

Over the course of four celebrated works of fiction and almost forty years, Richard Ford has crafted an ambitious, incisive, and singular view of American life as lived. Unconstrained, astute, provocative, often laugh-out-loud funny, Frank Bascombe is once more our guide to the great American midway.

Now in the twilight of life, a man who has occupied many colorful lives—sportswriter, father, husband, ex-husband, friend, real estate agent—Bascombe finds himself in the most sorrowing role of all: caregiver to his son, Paul, diagnosed with ALS. On a shared winter odyssey to Mount Rushmore, Frank, in typical Bascombe fashion, faces down the mortality that is assured each of us, and in doing so confronts what happiness might signify at the end of days.

In this memorable novel, Richard Ford puts on display the prose, wit, and intelligence that make him one of our most acclaimed living writers. Be Mine is a profound, funny, poignant love letter to our beleaguered world.

It’s Not Yet Dark, by Simon Fitzmaurice

In 2008, Simon Fitzmaurice was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (also known as ALS). He was given four years to live. In 2010, in a state of lung-function collapse, Simon knew with crystal clarity that now was not his time to die. Against all prevailing medical opinion, he chose to ventilate in order to stay alive. Here, the young filmmaker, a husband and father of five small children, draws us deeply into his inner world. Told in simply expressed and beautifully stark prose—in the vein of such memoirs as Jean-Dominique Bauby’s The Diving Bell and the Butterfly—the result is an astonishing journey into a life which, though brutally compromised, is lived more fully and in the moment than most, revealing at its core the power of love at its most potent. Written using an eye-gaze computer, It’s Not Yet Dark is an unforgettable book about relationships and family, about what connects and separates us as people and, ultimately, about what it means to be alive.

Every Breath, by Nicholas Sparks

In the romantic tradition of The Notebook and Nights in Rodanthe, number-one New York Times best-selling author Nicholas Sparks returns with a story about a chance encounter that becomes a touchstone for two vastly different individuals – transcending decades, continents, and the bittersweet workings of fate.

Hope Anderson is at a crossroads. At 36, she’s been dating her boyfriend, an orthopedic surgeon, for six years. With no wedding plans in sight, and her father recently diagnosed with ALS, she decides to use a week at her family’s cottage in Sunset Beach, North Carolina, to ready the house for sale and mull over some difficult decisions about her future. 

Tru Walls has never visited North Carolina but is summoned to Sunset Beach by a letter from a man claiming to be his father. A safari guide, born and raised in Zimbabwe, Tru hopes to unravel some of the mysteries surrounding his mother’s early life and recapture memories lost with her death. When the two strangers cross paths, their connection is as electric as it is unfathomable…but in the immersive days that follow, their feelings for each other will give way to choices that pit family duty against personal happiness in devastating ways. 

Illuminating life’s heartbreaking regrets and enduring hope, Every Breath explores the many facets of love that lay claim to our deepest loyalties – and asks the question, How long can a dream survive?

And Love Speaks, by Jamie L. Blair, Elie James Wile, and Mark Nino Balita

“Grandma said she’s sick, but she looks fine to me. She has a disease called ALS that makes it hard for her muscles to work. My whole family is learning new ways to help her, but I miss how things used to be.”

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a very challenging disease that affects all types of people: parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends. Of course, it also has an enormous impact on the children who love those who’ve been diagnosed with ALS. Children bring kisses, hugs, caregiving, and joy to those living with ALS, but at the same time, those children may be experiencing confusion, fear, and worry as they watch the person they love face a scary disease.

And Love Speaks helps to navigate those difficult feelings and conversations, to help children understand that their loved one with ALS is the same person inside, and to maximize quality time together ensuring every moment counts.

But She Can Still Love: A Child’s Understanding of ALS, by Amalia Flecksteiner and Maggie Horton

ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that currently has no cure. ALS is a disease that always takes – takes someone’s ability to help themselves, takes someone’s ability to express themselves, and ultimately takes someone from the ones who love them most. Mom was taken from us by this disease too soon. She was a nurse of over 30 years, always taking care of others, to end up being taken care of herself. Though we ultimately lost Mom to ALS, we gained a purpose to bring awareness and support to others who may have or had the same experience with their loved one. Whether it’s Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, or another loved one affected by this disease that always takes, always remember – but they still can love.

Last Ride of the Iron Horse: How Lou Gehrig Fought ALS to Play One Final Championship Season, by Dan Joseph

Last Ride of the Iron Horse tells the story of Lou Gehrig’s final year in the Yankee lineup, as he dealt with early effects of the deadly disease ALS.

For much of the 1938 season, Gehrig — dubbed the Iron Horse for his strength and reliability — struggled with slumps and a mystifying loss of power. Fans booed and sportswriters called for him to be benched. Then, as the Yankees battled for the pennant in August, Lou began pounding home runs like his old self — a turnaround that in retrospect looks truly miraculous. It may have been a rare case of temporary ALS reversal.

Using rare film footage, radio broadcasts, newspapers and interviews, author Dan Joseph chronicles Gehrig’s roller coaster of a year. The story begins in Hollywood, where the handsome “Larrupin’ Lou” films a Western that would be his only movie. As the year unfolds, he holds out for baseball’s highest salary, battles injuries that would sideline a lesser man, wins his sixth World Series ring, and enters the political arena for the first time, denouncing the rising threat of Nazism.

Joseph also answers questions that have long intrigued Gehrig’s admirers: When did he sense something was wrong with his body? What were the first signs? How did he adjust? And did he still help the Yankees win the championship, even as his skills declined?

1938 would be Gehrig’s last hurrah. With his strength fading, he ended his renowned consecutive games streak the following May. A few weeks later, doctors at the Mayo Clinic diagnosed him with ALS. On July 4th, the Yankees retired his number in a ceremony at Yankee Stadium. All along, Gehrig showed remarkable courage and grace, never more so than when he told the stadium crowd, “I might have been given a bad break, but I’ve got an awful lot to live for.”

Lou Gehrig: The Lost Memoir, by Alan D. Gaff

The lost memoir from baseball icon Lou Gehrig—a sensational discovery, published for the first time as a book.

At the tender age of twenty-four, Lou Gehrig decided to tell the remarkable story of his life and career. He was one of the most famous athletes in the country, in the midst of a record-breaking season with the legendary 1927 World Series-winning Yankees. In an effort to grow Lou’s star, pioneering sports agent Christy Walsh arranged for Lou’s tale of baseball greatness to syndicate in newspapers across the country. Until now, those columns were largely forgotten and lost to history.

Lou comes alive in this inspiring memoir. It is a heartfelt rags-to-riches tale about a dirt poor kid from New York who became one of the most revered baseball players of all time.

Fourteen years after his account, Lou would tragically die from ALS, a neuromuscular disorder now known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. His poignant autobiography is followed by an insightful biographical essay by historian Alan D. Gaff. Here is Lou—Hall of Famer, All Star, and MVP—back at bat.

Goode and Faithful Servant: The Kerry Goode Story, by Kerry Goode

Kerry Goode’s journey has inspired and challenged countless people. He crashed onto the national sports scene as a star running back for the University of Alabama, honored as the SEC freshman of the year. After a devastating knee injury, he waged a courageous comeback and later played and coached in the National Football League. In 2015, he was diagnosed with ALS, known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, and has used his trials to inspire thousands of people daily on social media and point them toward God.

Strength of a Champion: Finding Faith and Fortitude Through Adversity, by O.J. Brigance and Peter Schrager

As the Baltimore Ravens made their improbable march to victory in Super Bowl XLVII, they turned to their senior advisor of player development, O. J. Brigance, for inspiration each and every Sunday.

Following a stellar 12-year career as a linebacker, including a Super Bowl win with Baltimore in 2000, O. J. “Juice” Brigance joined the Ravens’ front office. But in 2007, Brigance was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis – also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease – and told he had only three to five years to live. As a player, he’d battled hundreds of injuries and setbacks. None of them prepared him to face ALS.

With faith and determination in his heart and his wife, Chanda, praying by his side, Brigance fought back against the debilitating disease, even as ALS robbed him of the ability to walk and speak. He kept working, smiling, and touching his players’ lives all the way through their remarkable Super Bowl run-more than five years after his diagnosis.

Now, Brigance shares his incredible story, offering lessons in resilience and reflecting on the championship team that inspired him in turn. Along with his own journey, Brigance recounts the struggles and successes of Ravens players, including Ray Lewis, Joe Flacco, and Torrey Smith, as well as the strength of head coach John Harbaugh. Having watched their season from the best seat in the house, Brigance highlights their perseverance, confidence, and leadership, and the best that sports can bring out in people.

Full of profound revelations and never-before-told anecdotes, Strength of a Champion is a celebration of the human spirit from a man who left everything on the field. O. J. Brigance never asked to be a hero. That’s what makes his story so courageous.

Hope Fights Back: Fifty Marathons and a Life-or-Death Race Against ALS, by Andrea Lytle Peet and Meredith Atwood

The incredible story of a young woman living with ALS, who defies all odds by finishing fifty marathons and, in turn, inspires people to “go on, be brave.”

Andrea Lytle Peet was thirty-three years old—an urban planner living in D.C., newly married, and a triathlete—when she received the death sentence of an ALS diagnosis (also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease). After grappling with the fact that she will likely become paralyzed and die within two to five years, Andrea experienced an unexpected spark that changed her outlook in the most magnificent way.

Inspired by Jon Blais, famous for finishing the IRONMAN World Championship while fighting the same disease, Andrea sets an “impossible” goal to become the first person with ALS to complete a marathon in all fifty U.S. states on her recumbent trike—since she is no longer able to run. In her mission, Andrea recaptures the freedom that racing always gave her and inspires others to appreciate what our bodies can do. Her mindset shifts to accepting that although she is dying faster than she might have otherwise, we are all on the same path. Andrea, along with her husband and ALS community, prove that we all have choices in how we spend our precious lives—no matter what challenges we face.

Hope Fights Back chronicles what happens when we choose to live instead of waiting to die. It is a “love letter to life” and a beautiful love story between Andrea and her husband, David. Andrea’s words are awe inspiring for athletes and nonathletes alike. The listener intimately witnesses Andrea’s tenacity, determination and bravery, not only in accomplishing her fifty marathons goal, but in her day-today life with ALS. In a world where “hope” sometimes feels quiet and aspirational, Andrea reveals that hope is, instead, a valiant warrior that changes everything when it fights back. 

In Hope Fights Back, listeners will be empowered by Andrea’s force as an athlete and a woman fighting the battle of her life. For fans of Until I Say Goodbye, Let Your Mind Run, and Between Two Kingdoms, Hope Fights Back is a magnetic and radiant story filled with soul-baring honesty, love and true grit. 

You’re Not You, by Michelle Wildgen

Bec is adrift. It’s the summer before her junior year in college. She’s sleeping with a married professor, losing interest in her classes, and equivocating about her career. She takes a job caring for Kate, a thirty-six-year-old woman who has been immobilized by ALS.

As it turns out, before the disease Kate was a stylish and commanding woman, an advertising executive and an accomplished chef. Now, as she and Bec spend long days together, Bec begins to absorb Kate’s sophistication and her sensuality, cooking for her, sharing her secrets, and gradually beginning to live her own life with a boldness informed by Kate’s influence. The more intense her commitment to Kate, the further Bec strays from the complacency of her college life. And when Kate’s marriage veers into dangerous territory, Bec will have to choose between the values of her old life and the allure of an entirely new one.

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