Bøker av Jessica Long

A beloved Paralympic champion shares her story-and powerful principles to help readers find their own path to unconditional self-acceptance.Jessica Long is one of the most inspirational figures of our time. From having both legs amputated as a toddler, she has gone on to become one of the most decorated athletes in history. Yet her true successes-and struggles-are not about winning medals or setting world records in the swimming pool. "Our worth cannot be placed in external things-our looks, job, or approval of others," she says. "No achievement will make us feel worthy unless we can love ourselves without judgment." With Beyond the Surface, Jessica offers an intimate exploration of the hard-won lessons she learned on her extraordinary journey. Here, she opens up about the toughest challenges she faced-not just the trauma of multiple surgeries and prosthetics, but the anger, resentment, and insecurity of trying to find her place and identity in a world that viewed her as less than whole. In each chapter, she reveals the resources and support that allowed her to overcome hardship-and translates them into practices and reflections to help you create a bedrock of self-acceptance that you can rely on even through the most difficult times."I am not a victim to my circumstances, and neither are you," says Jessica. "In sharing my story, including the ugly and uncomfortable parts, I hope to inspire you to love yourself just as you are. It is our differences that make us so incredibly beautiful, and human, and strong."

Paralympic champion swimmer and gold medalist Jessica Long celebrates the importance of dreaming big and the power of being different in The Mermaid with No Tail. As a baby, Jessica was adopted from a Russian orphanage. Her legs were amputated below the knee when she was 18 months old. Despite this, Jessica has become a world-class swimmer and one of the most decorated athletes of all time. Dive into this illustrated picture book based on Jessica's story, where a mermaid with no tail decides she wants to compete in the Mermaid Games. The other mermaids make fun of her for being different. But her adoptive turtle parents are supportive and encouraging, and her shark coach, Phelpsy, teaches her to swim using her arms. The mermaid trains hard, maintains a good attitude, and eventually wins the games.