Work with What You Got: A Memoir

by Zion Clark, James S. Hirsch

Overview

Elite wheelchair racer, wrestler, and America’s Got Talent contestant Zion Clark joins with New York Times best-selling author James S. Hirsch for a stunning memoir—recounting childhood adversity, awe-inspiring perseverance, and self-invention.

When a baby named Zion was born in 1997 to an imprisoned, drug-addicted mother, his future seemed bleak. Born without legs due to a rare condition called caudal regression syndrome, Zion was abandoned and shunted to a foster-care system ill-equipped to care for him. In this stirring memoir, readers will follow as he is bounced from home to home, subjected to abuse, neglect, and inconceivable hardship. Somehow, Zion finds supportive angels along the way: his first two foster families, who offer a haven; the wrestling coach who senses his “warrior spirit” and nurtures it; the woman of fierce faith who adopts a seventeen-year-old and cheers his every match. From play-by-play narration of how Zion adapts wrestling moves to defeat able-bodied opponents, wielding phenomenal arm and hand strength, to accounts of his extraordinary work ethic, unflagging optimism, and motivational speaking, this is an inspirational story of courage that will appeal to any athlete who respects determination, any young person facing adversity, and any reader who wants to believe in the human spirit.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781536227338
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	04/11/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	107 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	14 Years

About the Author

Zion Clark is an elite athlete, motivational speaker, and entrepreneur, as well as the coauthor, with James S. Hirsch, of Zion Unmatched. He was featured in a short Netflix documentary and has appeared in segments on NBC's Nightly News, CNN’s The Human Factor, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show. He lives in Los Angeles.

James S. Hirsch is a New York Times best-selling author of several books, including Hurricane: The Miraculous Journey of Rubin Carter; Riot and Remembrance: The Tulsa Race Massacre and Its Legacy; and Willie Mays: The Life, the Legend. He is also the coauthor, with Zion Clark, of Zion Unmatched. He lives outside of Boston.

Editorial Reviews

02/27/2023

Professional athlete Zion Clark (b. 1997) chronicles his childhood navigating the Stark County, Ohio, foster care system in this motivational memoir. Clark—who was born without legs due to caudal regression syndrome—entered foster care after being surrendered at birth by his mother. Via concise, honest text, Clark recounts how he was “fortunate to have two early foster homes... that were so good” but maintains that constant uprooting and a lack of consistent adult figures led him join a gang, where, he writes, he found the closest thing to family he ever had. After years of being labeled a “problem child” (“That’s what happens when you grow up in a violent, unstable world,” he asserts), he was adopted by Black foster parent Kimberlli Hawkins, whose support and religious teachings helped him develop a strong sense of belief in himself. Clark’s forthright recollections of wrestling with the “dual stigma of being disabled and being Black,” and how overcoming his adversities prompted him to support others’ endeavors to face their own, presents an illuminating look at the trials of one person maneuvering the foster care system, and details his views that community support and faith are the key to navigating life. Ages 14–up. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

Renowned athlete and motivational speaker Clark describes the harrowing experiences he endured growing up as a Black boy in Ohio's foster-care system. . . . Readers will be in awe of the author’s amazing physical and mental strength to pursue all of his dreams. This memoir will appeal to teenagers who need to hear positive affirmations on never giving up. Clark is living proof that if you put in the work, you never know where the world may take you.
—Booklist (starred review)

Clark and co-author Hirsch critique the numerous challenges of life in foster care, such as instability and foster parents’ lack of training in caring for disabled children. . . . Clark feels his most important contribution is being a role model, especially to kids. . . his motivational advice is refreshingly down-to-earth, acknowledging many ways to make a difference and encouraging kids to face tough situations one step at a time. Honest and eye-opening.
—Kirkus Reviews

Concise, honest. . . Clark’s forthright recollections of wrestling with the “dual stigma of being disabled and being Black,” and how overcoming his adversities prompted him to support others’ endeavors to face their own, presents an illuminating look at the trials of one person maneuvering the foster care system, and details his views that community support and faith are the key to navigating life.
—Publishers Weekly

In this autobiography, motivational speaker and accomplished athlete Zion Clark shows readers what it looks like to overcome life’s every obstacle to find success. . . . Aside from his remarkable life, what makes Clark’s story stand out are his deep reserves of positivity and determination. . . [Clark] offers invaluable insights into living with a disability, struggling with prosthetics, and wheelchair use. . . a lively, inspirational read.
—School Library Connection

From the Publisher

03/29/2024

Gr 8–10—Introduced first in the picture book biography Zion Unmatched, Clark is an athlete with caudal regression syndrome. Here, he writes his own story that not only summarizes his titular life motto, but is a calling to the teens he's writing for about being the best they can be. This inspiration is interwoven into his story, which included being raised in foster care where neglect and abuse took a toll before connecting with several loving families and eventually being adopted as a teen by a spirited woman. Clark struggled but found consolation in wrestling, with a coach who believed in him, and in books that nourished his mind. Using a chronological format that explains his circumstances and how his mindset worked for and against him, Clark's book operates like a roadmap for those needing guidance from someone who understands what it was like to be a rebellious teen. Bolded at times for emphasis, the words flow easily. It's a story that needs to be told and will find an eager audience with readers of titles such as George M. Johnson's All Boys Aren't Blue and Ariel Henley's A Face for Picasso—books of perseverance over adversity, and ultimately, being who you are even when it's not the norm. VERDICT Oozing confidence, Clark's sports memoir imparts advice to inspire a new generation.—Alicia Abdul

School Library Journal

2023-01-12
A professional athlete recounts growing up in the foster care system.

Due to caudal regression syndrome, Clark was born without legs. Later, he was also diagnosed with ADHD. But, he writes, being Black and disabled weren’t his greatest obstacles. In fact, he doesn’t consider himself disabled, just “built lower to the ground” as he nimbly walks on his hands. Relinquished at birth by his incarcerated mother, Clark entered the foster care system in Ohio. In straightforward language, Clark and co-author Hirsch critique the numerous challenges of life in foster care, such as instability and foster parents’ lack of training in caring for disabled children. The book reveals that children in foster care are frequently abused—as Clark himself was—and susceptible to poverty and mental illness. Clark, who joined a gang and was arrested for assault at 14, avoided further negative outcomes thanks in part to caring adults, including some foster parents, coaches, and his adoptive mother, Kimberlli Hawkins. She saw Clark play trumpet in the high school band, took him in as her foster son, and reawakened his faith in God. Though he excelled at wrestling and wheelchair racing, among other sports, in high school and beyond, Clark feels his most important contribution is being a role model, especially to kids. Though it may feel familiar, his motivational advice is refreshingly down-to-earth, acknowledging many ways to make a difference and encouraging kids to face tough situations one step at a time.

Honest and eye-opening. (photo credits) (Memoir. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews