Sports & Outdoors Gift Guide: Books for Adventurers and Athletes

Martha MacCallum tells America's story through the first-person voices of twelve men and women, from the Mayflower women to a 9/11 hero, spanning 1620 to 2008. A cast of narrators including Brit Hume, Dana Perino and Brian Kilmeade gives each figure a distinct voice. It is designed to be shared and revisited with family, and a supplemental PDF accompanies the audiobook.

Steven Rinella narrates the story of the sourdoughs, Klondike-era hunters and trappers who stayed in Alaska and ran traplines in temperatures dropping to sixty below. It comes from the creators of the Campfire Stories and MeatEater's American History series. Fans of the MeatEater Podcast will feel right at home.

Botanist and Potawatomi author Robin Wall Kimmerer braids scientific knowledge with Indigenous wisdom about plants and the living world. Readers praise its poetic prose and say each chapter stands alone as a personal essay. Several describe it as a book to return to during hard times, which makes it a gift that keeps giving.

Alfred Lansing recounts how Shackleton's men survived after their ship was crushed by ice, including a 1,000-mile open-boat voyage and a trek over glaciers. Buyers call it one of the most exciting survival accounts ever written, with vivid descriptions and real leadership lessons. This listing is a new reading of the classic.

W. Timothy Gallwey's classic on relaxed concentration is now in a 50th anniversary edition with an updated epilogue and a foreword by NFL coach Pete Carroll. Readers say it improved their game and that the ideas carry over into everyday life. Reviewers also note it is a quick, simple read.

Colin Kaepernick tells his story from growing up as a Black kid adopted into a white family in Turlock, California, to the Super Bowl and the protest that changed his career. Readers praise its honesty and say they learned a lot. Some also find it heartwarming in how it explores his family life.

Free Solo filmmaker Jimmy Chin shares ten conversations with icons including Simone Biles, Alex Honnold, Yo-Yo Ma and Yvon Chouinard about what really matters. He reads the audiobook himself. Listeners say it is highly readable, with one finishing it in a day, and they appreciate his honesty and humility.

Journalist James Nestor travels the world to explore why humans breathe poorly and how small changes can affect athletic performance and health. This million-copy bestseller includes new material. Readers call it well researched and engaging, and some say it changed their daily habits.