I’ve mentioned before that I joined Steph Curry’s book club, and I just finished the third book recommended by the club, A Team of Their Own by Seth Berkman.
Before I discuss the book, I want to recap why I decided to join Steph Curry’s book club. I was not an athletic child growing up. I had difficulty putting one foot in front of the other; yes, I was a total klutz! I dreaded participating in school sports. Nobody wanted me on their team, I dropped the ball consistently, I couldn’t run as fast as my classmates, and I just felt horrible and was embarrassed. When I was in high school, I found tennis.
At last, I found something I could do, and I was good at it. I loved tennis and played often. I had a pretty mean backhand and enjoyed the game.
My dad tried to share his love of sports with me, and he took me to baseball games and other sporting events, but I just never wrapped my head around it. I just wasn’t interested.
When I got married, my husband was a total sports enthusiast, and I went with him to games, but I never developed an interest of my own. In recent years, a family member told me that I would like the man, Steph Curry, even if I were not interested in sports. That proved to be true. The more I learn about Steph Curry, the more I admire him. Steph Curry is one of the most successful players in the NBA, and he has also become an international celebrity and donates to numerous charities. So when I found an advertisement on Facebook for his book club, I joined. I was curious about the books he would support, and I needed something different to think about. I did briefly write about this in my blog titled, How Hard Can It Be?
Each book from Steph Curry’s book club so far has been a true story of individuals overcoming great odds and triumphing, but A Team of Their Own by Seth Berkman, documents how a Korean female hockey team made Olympic history.
I remember watching the Olympic Hockey event on TV and seeing Kim Yo-jong, the sister of Kim Jong-un, North Korea’s leader, in the stands for the hockey game. Still, I was utterly oblivious to the political intrigue going on behind the scenes. How could I have been so blind? To give myself a little bit of slack, my dad was critically ill and in and out of the hospital at that time, but I just didn’t grasp the importance of the Olympic hockey event that was occurring. Now I know! Against all odds, this group of young women and their love of the sport hockey were able to bring North and South Korea closer together for a period of time.
I realize that I love the stories where the underdog triumphs over great odds and these books have also opened my eyes to new possibilities. Because of Arshay Cooper’s book, A Most Beautiful Thing, I am interested in observing the sport of rowing. Because of Seth Berkman’s book, A Team Of Their Own, I am interested in watching hockey. I wonder what new world the next book in this club will open up?