Most Popular Books by Sally Jenkins

"Sportswriter and columnist Sally Jenkins spent her whole life literally stamping great coaches and athletes down in letters. But somewhere along the line, she realized, they had begun to write her. Their example could shape her into something better if she paid attention. What she learned from great athletes and coaches is that champions are the product of their own work. This book is an effort to catalog the inner qualities that allow ordinary people to overcome pressure, elevate their performances and find champion identities. THE RIGHT CALL uses breath-takingly dramatic sports anecdotes featuring the elite coaches and play-makers Steve Kerr, Bill Belichick, Pat Summit, Peyton Manning, and Jill Ellis, Michael Phelps, and Andre Agassi, among others, to illustrate 7 principles which underlie great decision-making. The seven principles (conditioning, practice, discipline, candor, culture, resilience, intention) are each broken down and explored in their own chapters through long-form sports stories. This book is the one stop shop for anyone wanting to learn how to effectively lead and achieve. From sports fans to businesspeople and everyone in between, there is something for any reader ready to elevate their greatness practices."--

Sally Jenkins, bestselling co-author of It''s Not About the Bike, revives a forgotten piece of history in The Real All Americans. In doing so, she has crafted a truly inspirational story about a Native American football team that is as much about football as Lance Armstrong''s book was about a bike. If you’d guess that Yale or Harvard ruled the college gridiron in 1911 and 1912, you’d be wrong. The most popular team belonged to an institution called the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. Its story begins with Lt. Col. Richard Henry Pratt, a fierce abolitionist who believed that Native Americans deserved a place in American society. In 1879, Pratt made a treacherous journey to the Dakota Territory to recruit Carlisle’s first students. Years later, three students approached Pratt with the notion of forming a football team. Pratt liked the idea, and in less than twenty years the Carlisle football team was defeating their Ivy League opponents and in the process changing the way the game was played. Sally Jenkins gives this story of unlikely champions a breathtaking immediacy. We see the legendary Jim Thorpe kicking a winning field goal, watch an injured Dwight D. Eisenhower limping off the field, and follow the glorious rise of Coach Glenn “Pop” Warner as well as his unexpected fall from grace. The Real All Americans is about the end of a culture and the birth of a game that has thrilled Americans for generations. It is an inspiring reminder of the extraordinary things that can be achieved when we set aside our differences and embrace a common purpose.

For the first time, the remarkable couple depicted in The Blind Side tells their own deeply inspiring story First came the bestselling book, then the Oscar-nominated movie—the story of Michael Oher and the family who adopted him has become one of the most talked-about true stories of our time. But until now, Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy have never told this astonishing tale in their own way and with their own words. For Leigh Anne and Sean, it all begins with family. Leigh Anne, the daughter of a tough-as-nails U.S. Marshal, decided early on that her mission was to raise children who would become "cheerful givers." Sean, who grew up poor, believed that one day he could provide a home that would be "a place of miracles." Together, they raised two remarkable children—Collins and Sean Jr.—who shared their deep Christian faith and their commitment to making a difference. And then one day Leigh Anne met a homeless African-American boy named Michael and decided that her family could be his. She and her husband taught Michael what this book teaches all of us: Everyone has a blind side, but a loving heart always sees a path toward true charity. Michael Oher''s improbable transformation could never have happened if Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy had not opened their hearts to him. In this compelling, funny, and profoundly inspiring book, In a Heartbeat, the Tuohys take us on an extraordinary journey of faith and love—and teach us unforgettable lessons about the power of giving.

Pat Summitt, the all-time winningest coach in NCAA basketball history and bestselling author of Reach for the Summitt and Raise The Roof, tells for the first time her remarkable story of victory and resilience as well as facing down her greatest challenge: early-onset Alzheimer''s disease. Pat Summitt was only 21 when she became head coach of the Tennessee Vols women''s basketball team. For 38 years, she broke records, winning more games than any NCAA team in basketball history. She coached an undefeated season, co-captained the first women''s Olympic team, was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, and was named Sports Illustrated ''Sportswoman of the Year''. She owed her coaching success to her personal struggles and triumphs. She learned to be tough from her strict, demanding father. Motherhood taught her to balance that rigidity with communication and kindness. She was a role model for the many women she coached; 74 of her players have become coaches. Pat''s life took a shocking turn in 2011, when she was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer''s disease, an irreversible brain condition that affects 5 million Americans. Despite her devastating diagnosis, she led the Vols to win their sixteenth SEC championship in March 2012. Pat continued to be a fighter, facing this new challenge the way she''s faced every other--with hard work, perseverance, and a sense of humor.

Legendary University of North Carolina basketball coach Dean Smith tells the full story of his fabled career, and shares the life lessons taught and learned over forty years of unparalleled success as a coach and mentor. For almost forty years, Dean Smith coached the University of North Carolina men''s basketball program with unsurpassed success- on the court and in shaping young men''s lives. In his long-awaited memoir, he reflects on the great games, teams, players, strategies, and rivalries that defined his career, and explains the philosophy that guided him. There''s a lot more to life than basketball- though some may beg to differ- but there''s a lot more to basketball than basketball, and this is a book about basketball filled with wisdom about life. Dean Smith insisted that the fundamentals of good basketball were the fundamentals of character- passion, discipline, focus, selflessness, and responsibility- and he strove to unite his teams in pursuit of those values. To read this book is to understand why Dean Smith changed the lives of the players he coached, from Michael Jordan, who calls him his second father and who never played a single NBA game without wearing a pair of UNC basketball shorts under his uniform, to the last man on the bench of his least talented team. We all wish we had a coach like Dean Smith in our lives, and now we will have that chance.

Covering the same ground as the major motion picture The Free State of Jones, starring Matthew McConaughey, this is the extraordinary true story of the anti-slavery Southern farmer who brought together poor whites, army deserters and runaway slaves to fight the Confederacy in deepest Mississippi. "Moving and powerful." -- The Washington Post. In 1863, after surviving the devastating Battle of Corinth, Newton Knight, a poor farmer from Mississippi, deserted the Confederate Army and began a guerrilla battle against it. A pro-Union sympathizer in the deep South who refused to fight a rich man’s war for slavery and cotton, for two years he and other residents of Jones County engaged in an insurrection that would have repercussions far beyond the scope of the Civil War. In this dramatic account of an almost forgotten chapter of American history, Sally Jenkins and John Stauffer upend the traditional myth of the Confederacy as a heroic and unified Lost Cause, revealing the fractures within the South.

My Big Catch is a sweet tale of a ten‐year‐old heartfelt girl. She is on a fishing trip with her dad. This book is an introduction to a series of six books called the Sally Ann Tales. She has published four poems from 1994 to 2013: 1994, Victim of Society 1997, Sacred Marriage 1999, Millennium Cheer 2013, My Coors Light Wife

"I''m someone who will push you beyond all reasonable limits. Someone who will ask you not to just fulfill your potential but to exceed it. Someone who will expect more from you than you may believe you are capable of. So if you aren''t ready to go to work, shut this book." --Pat Summitt Pat Summitt, head coach of the University of Tennessee Lady Vols, is a phenomenon in women''s basketball. Her ferociously competitive teams won the NCAA championship in 1996 and 1997, and they''ve won five times in the last ten years. After twenty-four years as head coach at Tennessee, Summitt is well on her way to becoming the winningest coach in NCAA Division 1 women''s history. Now Summitt has written the first motivational book by a high-achieving female coach. In Reach for the Summit, she presents her formula for success, which she calls the "Definite Dozen System." In each of the book''s twelve chapters, Summitt talks about one of the system''s principles--such as responsibility, discipline, and loyalty--and shows you how to apply it to your own situation. Pat Summitt uses her own remarkable story as a vehicle for explaining how anyone can transform herself through ambition. Through many amusing anecdotes and a few very painful memories, she reveals her mistakes and triumphs as a beginning basketball player, as an Olympic athlete, as a Division 1 coach, and as a mother. Although Summitt was not born to the easy life--she was born into a hard-working farm family in a remote corner of Tennessee--she has become one of the most successful and highest-paid coaches in the country. She candidly talks about how she turned her losses into wins and then shows you how you can do the same. Setting the example, she challenges you to embrace change while reaching for the brass ring. Wonderfully entertaining and brilliantly instructive, Reach for the Summit discloses the winning secret to building a principled system and making it to the top at whatever you do. Pat Summitt will motivate you to achieve in sports, business, and the most important game of all--life.

The courageous autobiography of the first legally blind athlete to compete in the Olympic Games. Millions watched in awe as Marla Runyan ran the 1500 meter event in Sydney. But few know the real story of the woman who was diagnosed with Stargardt’s disease at nine years old—and became compelled to achieve what was thought beyond her reach, in the world of athletics as well as in life. With endearing self-deprecation and surprising wit, Marla Runyan reveals what it’s like to see the world through her eyes, and what it means to compete at the world-class level, despite the fact that—quite literally for her—there is no finish line. “[Runyan] presents her story with acuity and grace, rising above expectations and prejudice . . . [her] story is well-paced and finishes strong; readers will hope she keeps going and going.”—Publishers Weekly “An amazingly personal account of how she has dealt with the various highs and lows in her life.”—Ventura County Star

The Adventures of Bocho is about a little fellow that has been a real friend and family member of ours. He has always been a perfect gentleman to our family and friends. This book is written to emphasize our devoted love for this little guy and to highlight the love you may have for your pet or what your pet means to you.

They had no business being there. They were up against million-dollar horses owned by patricians, oilmen, Arab sheiks, and Hollywood producers. They were ten regular guys, and all they wanted was to win a race. Instead, they won the hearts of America. In 2003, a three-year-old with the unlikely name of Funny Cide became "the people''s horse," the unheralded New York-bred gelding who-in a time of war and economic jitters-inspired a nation by knocking off the champions and their millionaire owners and sweeping to the brink of the Triple Crown. Trained by a journeyman who''d spent over 30 years looking for "the one," ridden by a jockey fighting to come back after years of injuries and hard knocks, and owned by a band of high school buddies from Sackets Harbor, N.Y., Funny Cide became a hero and media sensation. Now, Sally Jenkins, award-winning co-author of Lance Armstrong''s #1 bestseller It''s Not About the Bike, tells the inside story of the Funny Cide team''s ups and downs against overwhelming odds, illness, and even scandal, to capture the imagination of millions. It''s a new American classic for the underdog in all of us.

"Husbands and boyfriends, make room on the couch - the modern woman in your life loves football just as much as you do. Men Will Be Boys is the hilarious handbook that tackles the myth that women don''t understand football." "Every Sunday and Monday night from September to January, forty million women tune in to watch NFL football. Sally Jenkins knows that the average woman knows as much about football as the men in her life. With such helpful devices as "A Babe''s Glossary of Football Terms" (Huddle: group therapy for guys) and "Stupid Female Questions That Make Perfect Sense" (Q: If a guy is called a quarterback, shouldn''t there be four of him?), Men Will Be Boys reveals that for every fumble that has the modern woman screaming at the television set, she''s also pondering: How come the big guy in the front line makes so much less than the smaller guy behind him who is always so clean? Why do coaches wear those beltless pants?" "Jenkins punctures the macho crap that surrounds the game and makes it more fun for the woman fan - and for men, too, if they''d only admit they don''t know everything. Quick, guys, define line of scrimmage."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

"It wasn''t a team. It was a tent revival." So says Pat Summitt, the legendary coach whose Tennessee Lady Vols entered the 1997-98 season aiming for an almost unprecedented "three-peat" of NCAA championships. Raise the Roof takes you right inside the locker room of her amazing team, whose inspired mixture of gifted freshmen and seasoned stars produced a standard of play that would change the game of women''s basketball forever. The 1997-98 season started innocently enough. One Saturday in August, four young freshmen--Semeka Randall, Tamika Catchings, Ace Clement and Teresa Geter--arrived on the Tennessee campus to begin their college careers. Welcoming them were a number of players from the previous year, including Chamique Holdsclaw and Kellie Jolly. But that night, in a sign of things to come, a simple pickup game turned into an amazing display of basketball brilliance--freshmen against established players, and with barely a shot missed by either side. Suddenly Pat Summitt glimpsed the future: fast, aggressive and hugely talented. This might be the team she''d worked her whole career to coach. As the season got under way, other dramas unfolded. After one emotional team meeting, Summitt realized that many on the team were playing for something more than just the glory of the game: all four freshmen, for example, came from single-parent homes, and the tough circumstances of the majority of the other players seemed to add an extra edge to their desire to win it all. Further, Chamique Holdsclaw, widely regarded as the greatest female player ever, was being dogged by questions about turning pro--and she seemed reluctant to rule it out. Meanwhile, another member of the team began to notice the unwelcome attentions of a fan, who soon turned out to be a full-fledged stalker. All this was behind the scenes; out on the court, the win column was swelling with every game: 8-0, 15-0, 21-0. As 1997 turned into 1998, Pat Summitt began privately to admit that this team had changed her: these kids were so lovable, funny and eager to please that she simply had to let them into her heart. Along the way, the Lady Vols were redefining what women were capable of, trading in old definitions of femininity for new ones--in short, they were keeping score. And by the time they entered the NCAA Final Four tournament in Kansas City, Summitt found herself believing the impossible: despite all the distractions, the 1997-98 Lady Vols could go undefeated, and, in doing so, raise the roof off the sport of women''s basketball. Packed with the excitement of a season on the brink of perfection and filled with the comedy and tragedy of one year in the life of a basketball team, Raise the Roof will have readers cheering from the bench for a team of all-conquering players and their astonishing coach.

Presidential candidates are a breed apart, often propelled by traits that have shaped their careers and have deep roots in personal histories. Often their greatest strength can turn at supernova speed into their greatest weakness. The exact qualities that set them apart from the field trip them up eventually over the long haul of a presidential campaign. Jeb Bush’s DNA string might as well be tied around his neck. It’s a twisting, double-edged lariat, this family inheritance, at once his greatest advantage and disadvantage. On the one hand, it makes him an immediate force in the crowded GOP presidential field. On the other hand, it saddles him with a problem of self-definition; people think they already know him, which means they see him as more of the same of something they already got. Twice. In this series of eBooks, The Washington Post is exploring in-depth all these key characteristics of the leading presidential contenders, the very characteristics that could help make one of them the country’s next commander in chief—or forever sink their presidential ambitions.