“A good book has no ending.”  ~R.D. Cumming

At this time of year, you hear about reading lists for students and for beach-goers. This one is for athletes — and it contains only one book!

If you read nothing else between now and when training cap begins in August, make it “In These Girls, Hope is a Muscle” by Madeleine Blais.

The author describes the journey of a girls basketball team that continually falls short of the top — and how the girls respond.

Each player — on her own and in her own way — decides that what she has been doing is not good enough. And so each one begins to make fundamental changes.

One takes steps to mend fences with a teammate. Another changes her approach to off-season workouts. The entire process, from deep disappointment, to insight, to action and to result is a blueprint for anyone who wonders why they are not successful.

It’s a powerful reminder that everyone is responsible for their own fate, and that how you react to adversity will determine how much your achieve.