Who Says I Can’t: The Astonishing Story of a Fearless Life

In this immensely spirited debut, Mendez, winner of the ESPYs’ Jimmy V Award for Perseverance, reflects on achieving his life’s dream of being a successful high school football coach in spite of the odds against him. Born with an extremely rare condition called tetra-Amelia syndrome, Mendez has lived his entire life without arms or legs. “There is a truth and an irony to my life that is irrefutable,” he writes. “I cannot play sports, yet sports are one of my greatest passions.” From the time he learned he could play football video games with the controller placed under his chin, Mendez wanted a career in sports. After working on broadcasts of football games in middle school, he started calling plays for his California high school team, and, shortly after graduating, became an assistant coach. Most impressive are his accounts of the ruthless grind of coaching JV players at high schools around the Bay Area while also maintaining his grueling daily schedule of physical therapy. Even as ESPN and other media began to take an interest in Mendez’s life, he emphasizes that, though his circumstances were extraordinary, he’s more than just “a limbless man who also happen[s] to be a football coach.” Readers will be riveted by this inspiring story. Agent: Frank Weimann, Folio Literary Management. (Sept.)