Unsinkable: From Russian Orphan to Paralympic Swimming World Champion

Gr 5–8—Long was born with fibular hemimelia in both legs, leading to a double amputation below her knees. This did not deter her from achieving her dream of Paralympic glory. Long was born in Siberia as Tatiana Olegovna Kirillova, and at 13 months was adopted by the Long family. They opted for the surgery that made mobility possible. Through hard work and perseverance, Long has become the second most decorated U.S. Paralympic athlete, winning her first gold medal at 12 years old, the youngest to do so. This memoir is gripping and inspiring but at times lacks cohesion. It starts with her first Paralympic victory as a hook and then jumps to her adoption and surgery, but the main focus is on her Paralympic and competitive swimming career. There are some allusions to other aspects of her life, but in total, this focus is on swimming. There are also a lot of engaging photos, all clearly captioned. However, at times people appear in photos before being mentioned in the text. Still, the narrative is easy to follow and completely age appropriate in style and format. The design is well organized with several sidebars that provide tips and facts to flesh out the details of Long's life. Her writing style is very engaging, lively, and conversational.