about the book
Have you ever thought I’ll never be able to…?
Why? Do you think your problems are insurmountable when compared to your dreams?
Did you know that many of the most successful athletes started out with the kinds of problems that you face—and often their situations were even worse? But with hard work, determination, and belief in themselves, those athletes rose to the top in their field.
Eleven athletes tell their stories of setbacks and struggles and, ultimately, how they became successful in their sport. Among them:
- Althea Gibson. An African-American tennis player in the 1950s, she was the first person of color to play international tennis in spite of facing insults and racism. She won a Grand Slam and went on to play professional women’s golf.
- NBA forward Serge Ibaka. He grew up in a war zone and lost his mother when he was young. His father was taken political prisoner during the Congolese war. He moved to France to escape the war when he was 17 years old. He rose to become a successful NBA star who has played for multiple teams.
- Jim Abbott. Jim was born without a right hand and by all accounts would not have had a career in any sport, let alone baseball. But he went on to pitch a no-hitter in the major leagues.
- Major-league pitcher, R.A. Dickey. He suffered sexual abuse when he was a young boy and as a result, often had suicidal thoughts after he grew up. He went on to be the only knuckleball pitcher to ever win the Cy Young Award.
Before you argue that you’re not an athlete, consider this. Two of the authors of this book are kids like you, who had to face countless setbacks in trying to write their book. Don’t let your circumstances hold you back from you want to accomplish in life. As these athletes can attest, it’s not where you begin, but the path you follow that’s important.
about the author
In late 2016, author and journalist Gregory Zuckerman celebrated his 20th year with The Wall Street Journal. He is best-known as an award-winning business journalist, covering hedge funds, the energy revolution, big financial firms, and the personalities that run them. Greg regularly appears as an industry insider for news programs such as NPR, BBC, CNBC, and Fox Business. He has written two books about successful ground-breakers in the business world.
Greg considers himself an “accidental journalist.” He started several businesses when he was young, but when they didn’t prove lucrative, decided to pursue a job as a business journalist because he had always loved Wall Street and finances.
Greg, along with his sons Eli and Gabriel, are also huge sports fans—Yankees in the summer, Giants in the fall, and Knicks in the winter. So when his son Eli approached him with the idea for a sports book aimed at young adults, Greg was on board. “I really wanted a project with my sons. Our goal was to [feature] different sports but also different types of challenges,” he says.
Rising Above : How 11 Athletes Overcame Challenges in Their Youth to Become Stars was an amazing family project that taught the trio many lessons. Gabriel and Eli did most of the research and interview logistics, while Greg did most of the writing and helping with roadblocks, such as when it was hard getting hold of athletes. (Greg used his tenacious journalism skills to get around uncooperative agents or athletes who thought they didn’t want to participate.)
Greg sees parallels between Rising Above and his other books. “My books are really about unlikely characters who succeed in unusual ways.”
Greg lives with Gabriel and Eli and his wife in New Jersey. The trio is currently working on a sequel to the book, featuring female athletes.
Sources:
Author website
Author biography: Wikipedia
Author interview: EnvestorFirst
about the author
Elijah, who goes by “Eli”, is fourteen years old and attends Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy in New Jersey. Eli approached his father, an award-winning business journalist for The Wall Street Journal, about his idea for a sports book about athletes overcoming challenges in their youth. Rising Above : How 11 Athletes Overcame Challenges in Their Youth to Become Stars was the result.
Eli, his brother Gabriel (an avid reader), and his father Greg collaborated on the book together. Eli and Gabriel researched the athletes, compiled the list, and set up and conducted the interviews. Greg helped interview and did the bulk of the writing. “The hardest part was actually getting in contact with the athletes,” said Eli. “So I would spend hours finding ways to get in touch with them by contacting reporters who wrote about them.”
Greg confesses that initially, Eli was motivated by the idea of meeting and getting autographs of famous sports figures. But the boys and Greg both came away from the interviews having learned remarkable lessons and an enormous amount of respect for the athletes they interviewed.
Eli is an avid sports fan, along with his father. He is currently collaborating with Gabriel and Greg on a sequel to the book that will feature female athletes.
Sources:
Author interview: Monday Morning Radio
Author interview: NJ Jewish News
about the author
Gabriel Zuckerman is seventeen years old and finishing his last year of high school at Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy in New Jersey. A voracious reader, Gabriel is the creator of the twitter feed (@PagingTeens) and website Paging Teens, where he reviews books that he has recently read.
Gabriel collaborated on Rising Above : How 11 Athletes Overcame Challenges in Their Youth to Become Stars with his brother Eli, and his father Greg, an award-winning business journalist for The Wall Street Journal.
Gabriel and Eli did the bulk of the research on the athletes and set up and conducted interviews. Their father Greg also helped in the interviews and did the majority of the writing for the book. It took a year and a half to do the research.
“One lesson I learned was turning negatives into positives,” Gabriel says. He cites soccer star Tim Howard who was diagnosed with Tourette’s Syndrome in the sixth grade. Howard says he uses his hyperactive nature, which is a common symptom of those with Tourette’s, to his advantage as a goalkeeper. Howard believes his Tourette’s makes him quicker and more reactive, and ultimately, gives him an edge as an athlete.
Gabriel lives in New Jersey with his family and is currently collaborating with Greg and Eli on a sequel to the book, which will feature female athletes.
Sources:
Author interview: Monday Morning Radio
Author interview: NJ Jewish News
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