To be honest, I could not have told you who Pat Summitt was until a few years ago. I don't follow Women's Basketball so her story of determination, hard work, failures and outstanding successes would never have reached me - except for the fact that she was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's in 2011. That caught my attention because she is just a few years younger than I am. Although the book talks about changes that led Pat to the doctor and eventually to give up the job she loved, mostly it's just about Pat's life - and it was a fascinating read. She is incredible. I would have lasted about 10 minutes in her family - the physical work they did is remarkable. The demands put on her by her father made her into a strong competitor who never ran into a barrier that stopped her. The way she fought for women's basketball is unbelievable - she had to do it all in the beginning. She did the laundry for the team, set up the chairs and bleachers and swept the floor so that her girls could play in a sub-par gym. When they traveled she was in charge of driving them and they had no budget so they slept on gym floors the night before a game. You don't have to love sports to love this woman and her story. It is one that will stay with me for a long, long time.
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