Books to Read While Watching the Summer Olympics

Ever wondered what kind of dedication and training it takes to become a gold medalist? You’ll hear all about the long road to success in Just Add Water, a new memoir from the athlete who has won more Olympic medals in swimming than any other woman in history, Katie Ledecky. From falling in love with the water as a kid in Maryland to shocking the world by winning her first gold medal as a 15-year-old and the youngest person on the U.S. swimming team, to how she continues to push herself to improve today, Just Add Water is a fascinating look at the determination of one iconic American athlete.

Two-time Olympic gold medalist and basketball legend Brittney Griner was used to making news for her athletic achievements. But in 2022, she got international attention after being arrested for possessing a small amount of medically prescribed hash oil in Moscow, where she planned to play for a Russian women’s basketball team during the WNBA offseason. The world watched as Griner spent months in a penal colony, trying to fight a corrupt legal system and return home. In her powerful new memoir, Griner sheds light on her harrowing journey and her return to basketball. It’s the perfect book to read between watching Griner’s games at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

When Ibtihaj Muhammad fell in love with fencing at the age of 12 in New Jersey, she learned that being an African American Muslim girl who wore a hijab meant she would have to work even harder than her wealthy white peers to create space for herself in the sport. But she fought her way to the top, ultimately becoming the first Muslim American woman to win an Olympic medal. In Proud, Muhammad tells the story of how she broke barriers and paved the way for more young athletes to chase their Olympic dreams.

Competing in the Olympics is an incredibly rewarding experience for many athletes, but in the case of runner Caster Semenya, it was a traumatic journey in which her body was brought into the spotlight for public speculation. Semenya trained for years and finally achieved her goal of winning an Olympic gold medal—only to immediately find out that the media was abuzz with questions about her gender, calling her win a “scandal.” After a series of invasive medical tests, Semenya learned she had naturally high levels of testosterone, and the Olympic Committee banned her from competing unless she took drugs to lower her testosterone. In this powerful memoir, Semenya shares her story, from growing up in a rural South African village and running with the boys to breaking records to fighting for her right to participate in the sport she loves.

Olympic glory is a huge moment for an athlete—but not every athlete gets to see that dream come true. It takes a serious love of your sport to work toward that bright, shining moment, and there’s a lot of joy and satisfaction to be found away from the awards ceremonies. That’s what former professional soccer player and coach Georgia Cloepfil focuses on in her lyrical, moving ode to the joys and pains of the game. Structured as 90 short musings aligned with the 90 minutes of a soccer match, Cloepfil shares how the sport she loves shaped her life, especially outside of the spotlight. Whether or not you’re a soccer fan, it’s a gorgeously written reflection on life as an athlete that makes for perfect Summer Olympic reading.