The star of the New York City Marathon came in 28, 657th--not just last, but dramatically last; 27 hours and 36 minutes after beginning on the Verrazano Bridge at 6:00 am the previous morning. Zoe Koplowitz has multiple sclerosis. And for Zoe, the marathon has become a touchstone for personal triumph over adversity. The Winning Spirit: Life Lessons Learned in Last Place will be an inspirational book in which Zoe uses the marathon as a metaphor for telling the stories she has learned from living triumphantly with multiple sclerosis: the importance of self-acceptance, following your dreams, courage in the face of adversity, excelling despite perceived limitations and the beauty of unconditional love. It will include stories of the people who have helped her: Guardian Angels, the Achilles Track Club, gang members of the Bronx who call ahead each year to ensure her safe passage. The Winning Spirit will show readers how to tap into the magic and strength inside them. As Zoe writes," There is nothing particularly special about me, except that I'm a reminder that nothing in life is impossible. If I can do something undoable, others can too. And if I represent anything to people, it's as the keeper of the dream. I'm the human post-it note you stick to your refrigerator to remind yourself, "You can do this!"
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
Koplowitz, who is now 48, uses crutches owing to multiple sclerosis (MS), contracted at age 25, but she still finished the 1996 New York City Marathon in 27 hours and 36 minutes. Her goal was not to finish first but to finish. She has written this book to share how she chose to use her illness as a motivator rather than an excuse, learning to use MS as a challenge to stretch the boundaries others would set for her. She spends a great deal of time working with young people and writes in a conversational style that will appeal them. With its emphasis on finding pleasure in living fully, this is a book for all age groups. Readers interested in detailed medical information about MS should look elsewhere, but those wanting inspiration and hope will want to share in Koplowitz's adventures; her life speaks for itself as an example to others of what can be achieved when one dares to try. Worthy of purchase by all high school and public libraries.?Catherine T. Charvat, John Marshall Lib., Alexandria, Va.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From the Publisher
The star of the New York City Marathon came in 28, 657th--not just last, but dramatically last; 27 hours and 36 minutes after beginning on the Verrazano Bridge at 6:00 am the previous morning. Zoe Koplowitz has multiple sclerosis. And for Zoe, the marathon has become a touchstone for personal triumph over adversity. The Winning Spirit: Life Lessons Learned in Last Place will be an inspirational book in which Zoe uses the marathon as a metaphor for telling the stories she has learned from living triumphantly with multiple sclerosis: the importance of self-acceptance, following your dreams, courage in the face of adversity, excelling despite perceived limitations and the beauty of unconditional love. It will include stories of the people who have helped her: Guardian Angels, the Achilles Track Club, gang members of the Bronx who call ahead each year to ensure her safe passage. The Winning Spirit will show readers how to tap into the magic and strength inside them. As Zoe writes," There is nothing particularly special about me, except that I'm a reminder that nothing in life is impossible. If I can do something undoable, others can too. And if I represent anything to people, it's as the keeper of the dream. I'm the human post-it note you stick to your refrigerator to remind yourself, "You can do this!"
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I can't believe it's not in Oprah's Book Club,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Winning Spirit (Hardcover)
After reading a synopsis in the Aug. issue of Readers Digest, I went out and bought the book. It's an absolute MUST read!Ten times better than the Christopher Reeve book. I laughed. I cried. I wished it would never end. It's hilarious, touching and absolutely riveting. By the end of the book, you feel like a totally new person. I've never written a book review before, so you've got to know how much I loved this book. Buy it, read it and pass it on to a friend. It's truly transformational.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Staggering!,
This review is from: The Winning Spirit (Hardcover)
Zoe Koplowitz bursts out of the pages of her book like the marathon runner she is. Diagnosed with MS in her 20s, she started participating in the NY Marathon in her 40s. Its a dead last finish every time but with wry wit and the spirituality of one with a chronic disease Zoe illustrates her incredible spirit. Ice, gale winds, street gangs, threats of drive-by shootings and the race run on crutches in the dead of night are some of the events she has experienced. The NY Marathon on crutches? Yes indeed and thats only the beginning of Zoe.She unfolds sometimes like a tender flower and other times like a bamboo spike growing in some steamy SE Asian jungle. Her warrior spirit is infectuous even if one isnt coping with slings and arrows, A must read for those heavily involved in a pity party. A definite must read for those who explode in the joy of life.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Funny and inspirational... A must read!,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Winning Spirit (Hardcover)
This book is hysterical! I laughed so hard that I nearly wet my pants. (And I was in the waiting room at the dentist's office at the time!) Zoe reminds us that the attitude that she takes into each marathon, and the one that Multiple Sclerosis patients and others should take into the daily marathon called life, is not the importance of winning, but the importance of doing our best with a smile on our face and a song on our lips.
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