Redemption: A Rebellious Spirit, a Praying Mother, and the Unlikely Path to Olympic Gold

The inspiring and gritty story of the World's Greatest Athlete

Redemption tells the story of Bryan Clay, winner of the 2008 Olympic gold medal and the 2004 Olympic silver medal in the decathlon. By the grace of God, Bryan went from being a fist-fighting, drug-using, presuicidal kid in Hawaii to world champion in the toughest Olympic sport. His secret? A dramatically rediscovered faith and his mother's relentless prayers.

Redemption goes beyond standard sports memoirs, giving a clear storyline of an athlete's misspent youth, his desperate Christian conversion at a time of utter personal defeat, and his mother's fervent prayers that helped transform him into a top athlete, family man, and loving father. Bryan's story will inspire mothers, fathers, and young readers alike as they experience the rise of a champion from obscurity and failure to the pinnacle of athletic achievement.

The world will be watching Bryan, at the age of 32, defend his gold medal at the London Olympics in 2012.

"St. Paul used athletics, specifically a running race, as a metaphor for the spiritual life. Clay, winner of the 2008 Olympic gold medal in the decathlon, would feel very comfortable with Paul's comparison. A mixed-race (African-American and Japanese) kid growing up in Hawaii, whose dysfunctional parents split up when he was young, Clay explains how he grew from an angry troublemaker into a staunch religious believer whose Christian faith guided him across the finish line. Before he was able to channel his rage and aggression into a positive direction, the author was constantly getting into trouble when he was young. His mother, who had become a Christian, prayed, like Augustine's mother, Monica, for her son to open his heart to God. Finding religion did not mean an end to life's obstacles, however, and Clay faces more than his share on the way to becoming the 'world's greatest athlete.' The author's testimony about being 'chosen' by God to achieve may be, at best, naïve theology and often comes across as egotistical. Clay is undoubtedly a contender in the 2012 Olympics, however, and his inspiring story is likely to win him some fans." Publishers Weekly Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.