Celebrate over 50 athletes who broke barriers, took risks, and changed the rules!

While these athletes came from different backgrounds and overcame unique struggles, they had one thing in common: they would not take "You can't" for an answer. With a don't-give-up attitude, these fearless firsts fought for what they believed in and created a better sports world.

In this book, you'll read about very famous athletes, like Jackie Robinson and Simone Biles. You'll also discover the first female drag-racing champion and the first Latino American baseball superstar. You'll meet the first Olympian with an amputated leg, the first blind Ironman racer, the first transgender college champion, and the first Asian American Olympic gold medalists. Beyond individual athletes, you'll learn how Title IX impacted sports, why the Paralympics matters, and the history behind the Haudenosaunee lacrosse team.

By the time you're done reading, whether you're an athlete or not, you'll be inspired to stay optimistic, fight against injustice, and be fearless in anything you set your mind to!

James Buckley Jr. is one of the country's most prolific writers of nonfiction for kids, with more than 200 titles to his name, including twenty in the New York Times bestselling Who Was...? biography series and nine books in the Show Me History graphic nonfiction series. James runs Shoreline Publishing Group, a leading producer of nonfiction kids' books for national and school-library publishers. Shoreline has produced books about moviemaking, creating comic books, celebrity biographies, fashion design, and more. James lives in Santa Barbara, California, where he is the co-producer of the local production of Bloomsday, an annual salute to Irish author James Joyce.