Wheels of Courage

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By David Davis

Publisher Description

Out of the carnage of World War II comes an unforgettable tale about defying the odds and finding hope in the most harrowing of circumstances.

Wheels of Courage tells the stirring story of the soldiers, sailors, and marines who were paralyzed on the battlefield during World War II-at the Battle of the Bulge, on the island of Okinawa, inside Japanese POW camps-only to return to a world unused to dealing with their traumatic injuries. Doctors considered paraplegics to be "dead-enders" and "no-hopers," with the life expectancy of about a year. Societal stigma was so ingrained that playing sports was considered out-of-bounds for so-called "crippled bodies."

But servicemen like Johnny Winterholler, a standout athlete from Wyoming before he was captured on Corregidor, and Stan Den Adel, shot in the back just days before the peace treaty ending the war was signed, refused to waste away in their hospital beds. Thanks to medical advances and the dedication of innovative physicians and rehabilitation coaches, they asserted their right to a life without limitations. The paralyzed veterans formed the first wheelchair basketball teams, and soon the Rolling Devils, the Flying Wheels, and the Gizz Kids were barnstorming the nation and filling arenas with cheering, incredulous fans. The wounded-warriors-turned-playmakers were joined by their British counterparts, led by the indomitable Dr. Ludwig Guttmann. Together, they triggered the birth of the Paralympic Games and opened the gymnasium doors to those with other disabilities, including survivors of the polio epidemic in the 1950s.

Much as Jackie Robinson's breakthrough into the major leagues served as an opening salvo in the civil rights movement, these athletes helped jump-start a global movement about human adaptability. Their unlikely heroics on the court showed the world that it is ability, not disability, that matters most. Off the court, their push for equal rights led to dramatic changes in how civilized societies treat individuals with disabilities: from kneeling buses and curb cutouts to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Their saga is yet another lasting legacy of the Greatest Generation, one that has been long overlooked.

Drawing on the veterans' own words, stories, and memories about this pioneering era, David Davis has crafted a narrative of survival, resilience, and triumph for sports fans and athletes, history buffs and military veterans, and people with and without disabilities.

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Wheels of Courage Reviews

3.5

Amanda Kenney

Created almost 2 years ago

“First, I am interested in disability history but failed to do my due diligence reviewing the publisher before requesting this book. Do not buy anything from them. Ever. That said, this is a decent book because it is the only one that I know of on the topic. America confronting its atrocious treatment of the disabled once people from the armed forces who were being presented as heroes were disabled is definitely a story. The roll of wheelchair basketball in furthering the cause is also a story. Ultimately, this one doesnt seem to know what it wants to be. At first it focuses on the West Coast. Then it mentions that there's this whole competing notion that developped independently on the East Coast. But not much else gets said there. Then he jumps the pond to cover the development of the Paralympics. Eventually Raegan and Bush Sr are the heroes because the ADA. I can only assume that the author did not go with a more reputable press because they would have demanded more cohesion to this work. Disabled people and their allies know how much the ADA leaves to be desired, and that it is far from a cure all. The author does make references to the soldiers' "gallows humor," but doesnt explain very much. There is too much telling and too little showing to be a compelling work about the veterans. There is not enough of a narrative to be a history. So it ends up just meh. Someone please write the book this should have been?”

Chris (reading_and_wheeling)

Created almost 2 years ago

“As a lifelong paraplegic and wheelchair user, I was excited to get to read this book. It features some of the men who were paralyzed while serving in World War II, their physical therapists, and the doctors who believed that these men's lives were worth saving. Then later, those afflicted with Polio, and other disabilities. In World War I, when a soldier was paralyzed, he was basically just left to die, typically from an infection, which meant these guys SUFFERED, all because it was viewed that living life as a paraplegic wasn't worth it. Even President Garfield was treated this way. You get a brief overview of each person's life and how they all intersect. You hear about the horrible treatment of the now patients and how they returned to the States, usually with infections and bed sores. How the staff at the hospitals urged them to give wheelchair basketball a try and the boost in morale and the motivation it gave them to keep improving. I liked how this book went beyond just basketball and talked about public perception of the disabled. The author talks about how there were ugly laws on the books and that random people would just walk up to them and told them things like "if you really believed in God, you could get up out of that chair and walk." The book also talks about the development of the "Employ the Handicapped," movement as it was originally called, and the opening of the Bulova Watchmaking school that helped many disabled vets get jobs, and about the fight for disabled rights, getting accessible housing, the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Here is the problem I have with the book. It just ended in 1990. There's nothing about the ongoing fight for equal access to buildings, how a lot of society still views disability in a negative way, and how there's not enough accessible housing. The ADA didn't "fix" disability rights in this country. It did improve it, which the author does at least state. I also am grateful that the author didn't turn the stories of those disabled athletes featured in the book into inspiration porn. That said, despite the problems, I think that this is a good read for anyone to get a different viewpoint of life during the post World War II years, and I do recommend it. My thanks to Center Street, author David Davis, and NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this book. My opinions are my own.”

About David Davis

David Davis has documented the culture of sports-in words, images, and sound-for nearly three decades. He was trained as a journalist, and his work has appeared in, among others, Sports Illustrated, Smithsonian Magazine, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, Deadspin, and Vice. David has won numerous journalism and writing awards, and his LA Weekly story about boxer Jerry Quarry ("The Thirteenth Round") was selected for The Best American Sports Writinganthology in 1996.

Miscellaneous Entertainment, a production company based in Hollywood, has optioned the film rights to his book Waterman. David was born and raised in New York City, and lives in Los Angeles.