Have you ever read a book that changed your life in the best way, a book that uncovered a new purpose or value within you? 

Here at VIS, we love books that inspire young women athletes to elevate their game and use their VOICE. 

That’s exactly what these five books do. 

From five of the most iconic women athletes we can think of—VIS Mentor Kara Goucher, Billie Jean King, Lindsey Vonn, Simone Biles, and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone—come stories of purpose, success, and activism.

If you’re a woman athlete, these five books are for you. 

1. The Longest Race: Inside the Secret World of Abuse, Doping, and Deception on Nike's Elite Running Team by Kara Goucher with Mary Pilon

In this captivating memoir and New York Times Bestseller, VIS Mentor Kara Goucher shares her story as an extremely successful distance runner. But it’s not just a success story—it’s a story of grit and resilience as Goucher talks about her abusive coach and forced violations of anti-doping rules. 

Goucher’s VOICE ultimately played a large role in banning this coach from sport. Because she and other athletes refused to be silenced, the sport is safer for athletes everywhere. . 

If you are interested in advocacy around clean sport and safe coaching experiences, this is the book for you! 

2. All In: An Autobiography by Billie Jean King

Learn about tennis icon Billie Jean King’s journey to becoming the athlete and activist she is today. In All In, King invites readers to learn about her life as a young tennis player navigating a landscape of inequality in sports. King’s honest recollection of the barriers women faced in sport tells the story of the fight for equality in sports. And we get to hear it from one of the trailblazers herself. 

King also touches on her role as an advocate for gender equality, the LGBTQ community, and broader social issues. Be “all in” with King and other game changers by reading her story!

3. Rise: My Story by Lindsey Vonn

The face of women’s skiing in America Lindsey Vonn opens up in her authentic retelling of her successes and struggles throughout her career in sport. Vonn shares what contributed to her achievements in skiing and the costs that those achievements had on her mental health. 

Rise is all about how Vonn rose from her struggles with depression and the lessons she has learned throughout her journey as one of the most successful American skiers. If you’re looking for a book about sports and mental health, this is the pick for you. 

4. Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance by Simone Biles with Michelle Burford

In her 2016 autobiography, a much younger Simone Biles writes about her life in and outside of gymnastics, touching on the field trip experience that brought the sport to her at six years old. 

Biles reveals what has helped her soar above others in gymnastics and the value that family and faith have brought to her life. Biles notes that her courage was a constant that pulled her through all of her gymnastics experiences. Read more about young Biles and her story in Courage to Soar!

5. Far Beyond Gold: Running from Fear to Faith by Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone

As athletes, we all experience moments of fear, doubt, and anxiety. In this book, Olympian and world record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, reveals her path to overcoming fear in sport and life. 

She uses faith as her stronghold and shares with the world what pursuing freedom and truth looks like. To uncover how to be an activist in your own internal voice in defeating fear, read this book! 

Give one or all of these books a try and let us at VIS know what you think!