Publisher's summary
Wild meets The Boys in the Boat, a memoir about the quest for Olympic gold and the triumph of love over fear. Forty years ago, when a young Ginny Gilder stood on the edge of Boston's Charles River and first saw a rowing shell in motion, it was love at first sight. Yearning to escape her family history, which included her mother's emotional unraveling and her father's singular focus on investment acumen as the ultimate trophy, Gilder discovered rowing at a pivotal moment in her life. Having grown up in an era when girls were only beginning to abandon the sidelines as observers and cheerleaders to become competitors and national champions, Gilder harbored no dreams of athletic stardom. Once at Yale, however, her operating assumptions changed nearly overnight when, as a freshman in 1975, she found her way to the university's rowing tanks in the gymnasium's cavernous basement.
From her first strokes as a novice, Gilder found herself in a new world, training with Olympic rowers and participating in the famous Title IX naked protest, which helped define the movement for equality in college sports. Short, asthmatic, and stubborn, Gilder made the team against all odds and for the next 10 years devoted herself to answering a seemingly simple question: how badly do you want to go fast?
Course Correction recounts the physical and psychological barriers Gilder overcame as she transformed into an elite athlete who reached the highest echelon of her sport. Set against the backdrop of unprecedented cultural change, Gilder's story personalizes the impact of Title IX, illustrating the life-changing lessons learned in sports but felt far beyond the athletic arena. Heartfelt and candid, Gilder recounts lessons learned from her journey as it wends its way from her first glimpse of an oar to the Olympic podium in 1984, carries her through family tragedy, strengthens her to accept her true sexual identity, and ultimately frees her to live her life.
Related to this topic
-
The Slummer: Quarters Till Death
- By: Geoffrey Simpson
- Narrated by: Andrew Tell
- Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 2083, Benjamin Brandt is among the millions of “slummers” who are relegated to poverty and struggle on the outskirts of society. As a minority growing up in the gritty underbelly of Cleveland’s Industrial Valley, Ben sees the way genetically designed “elites” live only from a distance: from the shadows of public spaces people like him are forbidden to use, and on TV, where he watches the enhanced athletes compete at an extraordinary level. For years, a national track championship has inspired Ben to ferociously cultivate his own talent as a runner.
-
-
A true treasure
- By Amazon Customer on 09-28-23
By: Geoffrey Simpson
-
Surfacing
- From the Depths of Self-Doubt to Winning Big and Living Fearlessly
- By: Siri Lindley
- Narrated by: Siri Lindley
- Length: 5 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In
Surfacing, Siri Lindley opens up about her unique celebrity-dappled early life. When an NFL superstar notices her beautiful mother, her idyllic childhood is upended. Glitzy dinner parties and world travel pull her mother away, and Lindley grows up feeling alone and out of place. As her intense loneliness grows into anger, she lashes out against her New England life of privilege.
-
-
I m sorry but it sucks!!
- By Carlos Amador on 05-07-17
By: Siri Lindley
-
Off Balance
- A Memoir
- By: Dominique Moceanu, Paul Williams, Teri Williams
- Narrated by: Dominique Moceanu
- Length: 7 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this searing and riveting New York Times best seller, Olympic gold medalist Dominique Moceanu reveals the dark underbelly of Olympic gymnastics, the true price of success…and the shocking secret about her past and her family that she only learned years later.
-
-
Heartbreaking and inspiring
- By Leslie on 04-22-16
By: Dominique Moceanu, and others
-
Iron War
- Dave Scott, Mark Allen, and the Greatest Race Ever Run
- By: Matt Fitzgerald
- Narrated by: Seth Michael Donsky
- Length: 13 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The 1989 Ironman World Championship was the greatest race ever in endurance sports. In a spectacular duel that became known as the Iron War, the world's two strongest athletes raced side by side at world-record pace for a grueling 139 miles. Driven by one of the fiercest rivalries in triathlon, Dave Scott and Mark Allen raced shoulder to shoulder through Ironman’s 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike race, and 26.2-mile marathon. After 8 punishing hours, both men would demolish the previous record - and cross the finish line a mere 58 seconds apart.
-
-
Fine Story....But the Narration!!!!
- By Gabriel on 01-15-14
By: Matt Fitzgerald
-
Hope Unseen
- The Story of the U.S. Army's First Blind Active-Duty Officer
- By: Scotty Smiley, Doug Crandall
- Narrated by: Dan John Miller
- Length: 6 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Blindness became Captain Scotty Smiley’s journey of supreme testing. As he lay helpless in the hospital, he resented the theft of his dreams, but with his wife’s love and the support of family and friends, Scotty’s response became God’s transforming moment. Since the moment he forced his way through nurses and cords to take a simple shower, he has climbed Mount Rainier, won an ESPY Award, surfed, skydived, become a father, earned an MBA from Duke, and much more.
-
-
Perseverance with a little help
- By Kevin P Key on 07-09-16
By: Scotty Smiley, and others
-
One Breath
- Freediving, Death, and the Quest to Shatter Human Limits
- By: Adam Skolnick
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One Breath is a gripping and powerful exploration of the strange and fascinating sport of freediving, and of the tragic, untimely death of America's greatest freediver Competitive freediving - a sport built on diving as deep as possible on a single breath - tests the limits of human ability in the most hostile environment on earth.
-
-
It just drags
- By Jesse Mecham on 06-17-16
By: Adam Skolnick
-
The Slummer: Quarters Till Death
- By: Geoffrey Simpson
- Narrated by: Andrew Tell
- Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 2083, Benjamin Brandt is among the millions of “slummers” who are relegated to poverty and struggle on the outskirts of society. As a minority growing up in the gritty underbelly of Cleveland’s Industrial Valley, Ben sees the way genetically designed “elites” live only from a distance: from the shadows of public spaces people like him are forbidden to use, and on TV, where he watches the enhanced athletes compete at an extraordinary level. For years, a national track championship has inspired Ben to ferociously cultivate his own talent as a runner.
-
-
A true treasure
- By Amazon Customer on 09-28-23
By: Geoffrey Simpson
-
Surfacing
- From the Depths of Self-Doubt to Winning Big and Living Fearlessly
- By: Siri Lindley
- Narrated by: Siri Lindley
- Length: 5 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In
Surfacing, Siri Lindley opens up about her unique celebrity-dappled early life. When an NFL superstar notices her beautiful mother, her idyllic childhood is upended. Glitzy dinner parties and world travel pull her mother away, and Lindley grows up feeling alone and out of place. As her intense loneliness grows into anger, she lashes out against her New England life of privilege.
-
-
I m sorry but it sucks!!
- By Carlos Amador on 05-07-17
By: Siri Lindley
-
Off Balance
- A Memoir
- By: Dominique Moceanu, Paul Williams, Teri Williams
- Narrated by: Dominique Moceanu
- Length: 7 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this searing and riveting New York Times best seller, Olympic gold medalist Dominique Moceanu reveals the dark underbelly of Olympic gymnastics, the true price of success…and the shocking secret about her past and her family that she only learned years later.
-
-
Heartbreaking and inspiring
- By Leslie on 04-22-16
By: Dominique Moceanu, and others
-
Iron War
- Dave Scott, Mark Allen, and the Greatest Race Ever Run
- By: Matt Fitzgerald
- Narrated by: Seth Michael Donsky
- Length: 13 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The 1989 Ironman World Championship was the greatest race ever in endurance sports. In a spectacular duel that became known as the Iron War, the world's two strongest athletes raced side by side at world-record pace for a grueling 139 miles. Driven by one of the fiercest rivalries in triathlon, Dave Scott and Mark Allen raced shoulder to shoulder through Ironman’s 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike race, and 26.2-mile marathon. After 8 punishing hours, both men would demolish the previous record - and cross the finish line a mere 58 seconds apart.
-
-
Fine Story....But the Narration!!!!
- By Gabriel on 01-15-14
By: Matt Fitzgerald
-
Hope Unseen
- The Story of the U.S. Army's First Blind Active-Duty Officer
- By: Scotty Smiley, Doug Crandall
- Narrated by: Dan John Miller
- Length: 6 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Blindness became Captain Scotty Smiley’s journey of supreme testing. As he lay helpless in the hospital, he resented the theft of his dreams, but with his wife’s love and the support of family and friends, Scotty’s response became God’s transforming moment. Since the moment he forced his way through nurses and cords to take a simple shower, he has climbed Mount Rainier, won an ESPY Award, surfed, skydived, become a father, earned an MBA from Duke, and much more.
-
-
Perseverance with a little help
- By Kevin P Key on 07-09-16
By: Scotty Smiley, and others
-
One Breath
- Freediving, Death, and the Quest to Shatter Human Limits
- By: Adam Skolnick
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One Breath is a gripping and powerful exploration of the strange and fascinating sport of freediving, and of the tragic, untimely death of America's greatest freediver Competitive freediving - a sport built on diving as deep as possible on a single breath - tests the limits of human ability in the most hostile environment on earth.
-
-
It just drags
- By Jesse Mecham on 06-17-16
By: Adam Skolnick
-
Unshattered
- Choosing a Beautiful Life After Unspeakable Tragedy
- By: Carol J. Decker, Stacey L. Nash
- Narrated by: Stacey L. Nash
- Length: 5 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On June 10, 2008, Carol Decker walked through the hospital doors a healthy woman with flu-like symptoms and early labor contractions. Three months later, she returned home a blind triple-amputee struggling to bond with a daughter she would never see. Unshattered recounts Carol's fight for survival against sepsis and its life-shattering complications. From excruciating skin grafts to learning how to function in daily life without lower legs, a left hand, and her sight, Carol takes us on a personal and raw, yet inspiring journey.
-
-
inspiring !
- By Cindy Tortorici on 12-03-18
By: Carol J. Decker, and others
-
Courage to Soar
- A Body in Motion, a Life in Balance
- By: Simone Biles
- Narrated by: Imani Parks
- Length: 6 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Courage to Soar, the official autobiography from four-time Olympic gold-winning and record-setting American gymnast Simone Biles, Simone shares how her faith, family, passion, and perseverance against tremendous odds made her one of the top athletes and record-breaking gymnasts in the world - and how you too can overcome challenges in your life. In this audiobook, Simone shares the details of her inspiring personal story - one filled with the kinds of daily acts of courage that led her, and can lead you, to even the most unlikely of dreams.
-
-
A little thin
- By Rachel2450 on 11-24-16
By: Simone Biles
-
Open
- An Autobiography
- By: Andre Agassi
- Narrated by: Erik Davies
- Length: 18 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From Andre Agassi, one of the most beloved athletes in history and one of the most gifted men ever to step onto a tennis court, a beautiful, haunting autobiography. Agassi brings a near-photographic memory to every pivotal match and every relationship. Never before has the inner game of tennis and the outer game of fame been so precisely limned. In clear, taut prose, Agassi evokes his loyal brother, his wise coach, his gentle trainer, all the people who help him regain his balance and find love at last with Stefanie Graf.
-
-
Just an Incredible Story!
- By Patrick on 12-13-09
By: Andre Agassi
-
GIMP
- When Life Deals You a Crappy Hand, You Can Fold or You Can Play
- By: Mark Zupan
- Narrated by: Mark Zupan
- Length: 4 hrs and 32 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mark Zupan, a quadriplegic, was facing life in a wheelchair and only limited use of all four limbs. Always a winner and a fighter, Mark refused to accept that his injury doomed him to a lifetime of passive acceptance. He fought to regain as much mobility as possible, and his indomitable spirit has helped him create a life that's truly exceptional.
-
-
Same story
- By Salish54 on 12-16-21
By: Mark Zupan
-
Fierce
- How Competing for Myself Changed Everything
- By: Aly Raisman
- Narrated by: Natalie Roy Camargo, Aly Raisman
- Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Discover Aly Raisman's inspiring story of dedication, perseverance, and learning to think positive even in the toughest times on her path to gold medal success in two Olympic Games - and beyond. Aly Raisman first stepped onto a gymnastics mat as a toddler in a "mommy and me" gymnastics class. No one could have predicted then that 16 years later, she'd be standing on an Olympic podium, having achieved her dreams.
-
-
Excellent gymnastics memoir
- By Brittany Cook on 11-21-17
By: Aly Raisman
-
Not Fade Away
- A Memoir of Senses Lost and Found
- By: Rebecca Alexander, Sascha Alper
- Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
- Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Thirty-four-year-old Rebecca Alexander is a psychotherapist, a spin instructor, a volunteer, and an athlete. She is also almost completely blind, with significantly deteriorated hearing. Not Fade Away is a deeply moving exploration of the obstacles we all face-physical, psychological, and philosophical. Rebecca's story is an exquisite reminder to live each day to its fullest.
-
-
Loved this!
- By Daryl on 11-24-14
By: Rebecca Alexander, and others
-
My Year with Eleanor
- A Memoir
- By: Noelle Hancock
- Narrated by: Emily Beresford
- Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After losing her high-octane job as an entertainment blogger, Noelle Hancock was lost. About to turn 29, she'd spent her career writing about celebrities' lives and had forgotten how to live her own. Unemployed and full of self-doubt, she had no idea what she wanted out of life. She feared change - in fact, she feared almost everything. Once confident and ambitious, she had become crippled by anxiety, lacking the courage required even to attend a dinner party - until inspiration struck one day in the form of a quote on a chalkboard in a coffee shop.
-
-
Right on time!
- By Leah on 02-19-18
By: Noelle Hancock
-
Cry Like a Man
- Fighting for Freedom from Emotional Incarceration
- By: Jason Wilson
- Narrated by: Damany Jackson
- Length: 5 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
His grandfather’s lynching in the deep South, the murders of his two older brothers, and his verbally harsh and absent father all worked together to form Jason Wilson’s childhood. But it was his decision to acknowledge his emotions and yield to God’s call on his life that made Wilson the man and leader he is today. As the founder of one of the country’s most esteemed youth organizations, Wilson explains the dangers men face in our culture’s definition of “masculinity” and gives listeners hope that healing is possible.
-
-
Just a sad story, no useful tips
- By Grzegorz on 08-15-21
By: Jason Wilson
-
Suddenly
- By: Barbara Delinsky
- Narrated by: Carol Monda
- Length: 15 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the idyllic small town of Tucker, Vermont, life flows at a rhythmic pace for pediatrician Paige Pfeiffer. But when Mara O'Neill, her best friend and medical partner, inexplicably kills herself, Paige's comfortable world is suddenly shattered. Temporarily caring for Mara's newly adopted baby daughter while she comes to grips with her grief, Paige clings to the hope that, in time, her orderly life will return.
-
-
Parent guide! (not romance)
- By christine on 10-10-11
By: Barbara Delinsky
-
Life Is Not an Accident
- A Memoir of Reinvention
- By: Jay Williams
- Narrated by: Jay Williams
- Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Like millions of kids before him, Jay Williams used to pretend he was making the game-winning shot while playing basketball in his Plainfield, New Jersey, backyard. Unlike almost all of those other kids, he kept right on making shots until he became an NCAA champion and two-time national player of the year at Duke and the number-two overall NBA draft pick in 2002.
-
-
Taking ownership of mistakes
- By ladybug on 07-20-16
By: Jay Williams
-
To Be a Runner
- How Racing Up Mountains, Running with the Bulls, or Just Taking On a 5-K Makes You a Better Person (and the World a Better Place)
- By: Martin Dugard
- Narrated by: Bernard Setaro Clark
- Length: 5 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With an exuberant mix of passion, insight, instruction, and humor, best-selling author - and lifelong runner - Martin Dugard takes a journey through the world of running to illustrate how the sport helps us fulfill that universal desire to be the best possible version of ourselves each and every time we lace up our shoes. To Be a Runner represents a new way to write about running by bridging the chasm between the two categories of running books: how-to and personal narrative.
-
-
Feels like a great run does
- By Aleksandar on 05-11-15
By: Martin Dugard
-
Confessions of a Latter-Day Virgin
- A Memoir
- By: Nicole Hardy
- Narrated by: Nicole Hardy
- Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Nicole Hardy’s eye-opening "Modern Love" column appeared in the New York Times, the response from readers was overwhelming. Hardy’s essay, which exposed the conflict between being true to herself as a woman and remaining true to her Mormon faith, struck a chord with women coast-to-coast. Now in her funny, intimate, and thoughtful memoir, Nicole Hardy explores how she came, at the age of 35, to a crossroads regarding her faith and her identity.
By: Nicole Hardy
What listeners say about
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Patricia Ferrer
- 08-20-19
a coming up and out story
beautiful story of personal, physical, social and emotional resilience told on the foundation of rowing sport. contemporary coming out story that reminds us to be who we are gay or not, athletic or not, man or woman. so proud of those who paved the path for female athletes.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Waterbug77
- 02-12-20
Inspiring read
Gilder 's recounting of her introduction to college rowing and her quest for Olympic glory were fun to read, especially for a former college rower. given the books subtitle, I thought this would focus much more on women's college sports, but it's really an autobiography woven through with rowing analogies and metaphors. The pace was slow at times, but I was glad I listened the whole way through. Gilder is an impressive and determined lady.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- William G. Stuart
- 04-21-19
A History Lesson and Story of Personal Triumph
When I read a description that compared this book to The Boys in the Boat, an audiobook that I loved, I was skeptical. And when I listened to the first hour or two and learned a lot more about the author’s dysfunctional family upbringing, I wondered whether I was reading a rowing book or a tell-all psychological profile.
I am so glad that I stuck with the book. It is absolutely terrific. As the story of Ginny Gilder’s crew activity unfolded, I understood why she had gone into such detail on her growing up. So many of the adventures, the family dynamic, and the dysfunction played directly into her pursuit of athletic excellence.
The story is a gripping story of her pursuit of Olympic gold and finding herself. So much of her crew experiences carry over to her personal discovery, and she unlocked so much of her personal discovery only when she viewed her personal situation through the lens of her crew experience.
But this book is still more. It brings readers back to the time when women’s athletic equality was in its infancy. I can relate, as Ginny and I are close in age (she’s actually four weeks younger). I remember when the NCAA didn’t sanction women’s sports and the Olympics had few women’s competitions. I recall when women’s basketball was organized through the AIAW (Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women in the 1970s, when Wayland Baptist (the Flying Queens!), Immaculata, and Cheyney State were perennial top teams. I remember even as late as 1984 when a woman with whom I graduated from college, Joan Benoit, became the first woman to win a gold medal in the Olympic marathon (coincidentally, the same Olympiad in which the author competed).
Ginny Gilder experienced that inequality as the athletic world transitioned to full support of women’s athletics. She details the struggle that her Yale crew endured to secure the same level of funding, physical resources, and other advantages that men’s teams enjoyed. In this sense, her book is an important lesson, akin to books that highlight the segregation of major athletic conferences prior to the 1960s.
Throughout the book, the author provides hints of the many meanings of the title. By the time you’re finished listening, you’ll understand the multiple course corrections to which she refers.
Guys, this isn’t a “chick” book. It’s a well written (albeit with half a dozen or so grammatical mistakes that I didn’t expect a Yale-educated author or her editor to make) book that combines a history lesson and a personal drama that is compelling and eye-opening.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- BCE
- 11-13-17
Every young woman should read this book
I had the pleasure of meeting Ginny Gilder and heard her talk about this book. I also started rowing in my 50's because I was not allowed to enjoy sports as a young woman as all the money went to men's sports pre Title IX. I went to a poor high school and the only sports for the girls was swimming and gymnastics. Ginny shows us not only what it has been like to be a leader in rowing but also in her life. She shares her scars as well as her successes. I thought the book was terrific.
AUDIBLE 20 REVIEW SWEEPSTAKES ENTRY
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- JenG
- 07-21-16
Gilder's coming of age story is compelling
Janis Ian has a sing-songy way of reading Gilder's story that's annoying at times, but the story itself is interesting and compelling. I found myself wanting to drive places so I could continue to listen in my car!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- gmd
- 01-16-20
great read
This is a wonderful passionate account of one woman’s experience maturing in the wake of Title IX. I predate and never had the opportunities this mandate provided. Although I was the best first baseman ( a lefty) on my dad’s Little League team in Brooklyn, I wasn’t allowed to play because I was a girl. As a crew mom for 7 years to my daughter’s club team and D1 team, I could relate to the determination, drive and angst of Ginny’s quest. The book is a great read for people not familiar with this sport. I was disappointed in the narrator. Her inflections were too much Barbie and not as much like those female warriors I got to know catching crabs, rigging boats sufffering disappointing erg scores and hard fought finishes. Ginny and Lynn are still living their true lives and still support this sport. You go, girls!!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 08-04-22
Inclusive Rowing for all
This was an incredible story of a woman going through a rough time for females in rowing just after Title 9 was passed… It’s a brilliant coming-of-age true story of a tremendous athlete overcoming so many things! I loved it
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!