I am grateful for Donald Hall's Without, a poetic meditation on his wife Jane Kenyon's illness (leukemia and death.) The book was published one month after my brother Scott died (also from leukemia). His eloquence and ability to put into words his feelings of rage, disbelief, love and compassion helped me immensely in being able to absorb (more accurate than "accept") my brother's death. —Wayne Roylance, Selection Team
I am thankful for Lynne Cox's inspirational Swimming to Antarctica: Tales of a Long-Distance Swimmer. Cox lyrically details her adventures in the water from her record-breaking crossings of the English Channel, legendary swims in the Cape of Good Hope and Straits of Magellan and the historic Bering Strait swim in 1987, which opened the border between the United States & Soviet Union. Equal parts memoir, sports book and travelogue, Cox's book broadens one's view of the world. The author encourages readers to fearlessly and joyfully pursue their dreams. —Miriam Tuliao, Selection Team