I really don’t remember how I became aware of Geese Are Never Swans by Kobe Bryant and Eva Clark. Nevertheless, I’m glad I found this book. Not because it was co-authored by Kobe Bryant, but because it is a story that touched me deeply and highlights the issue of mental health in sports.

The novel is about Gus, whose life revolves around only one thing – swimming.

Gus knows that the only coach in town who can help him compete in the Olympics is Coach Marks. So it seems that the only thing needed is to convince Coach Marks to train him. Anything else would just be hard work on his part. Gus has never been afraid of hard work.

However, there are some problems. For example, Coach Marks was Danny’s coach. Danny, Gus’ brother, committed suicide after he failed to qualify for the national swimming team. Also, Danny and Gus did not get along very well. Gus never liked being in Danny’s shadow. A shadow that grew even bigger after Danny’s death.

Gus’s rage threatens to swallow him at every turn. Gus is angry at his brother, his mother, his coach – and even himself. However, as he works hard toward his goal and through his feelings, Gus does everything he can to channel this burning intensity into excelling at the sport he and Danny both loved, and finds solace in the same place he must face his demons: in the water.

How can this book make us better?

I think Geese Are Never Swans is a powerful novel that helps the reader get a first person perspective about both the punishing and the healing nature of sports. In places, the book is very emotional and I found it hard to keep reading. I felt a lot of empathy for Gus and could relate to him – in and out of the water. I had goosebumps at the end. I just reread the last few pages of the book and had them again, as the story really touches me. Maybe, the book is also something you might be interested in?!