Why am I passionate about this?

As a former Division 1 basketball player at Marquette University and current ecommerce executive, I’m always looking for new sources of inspiration. Please enjoy my list and send me any comments on what you find inspiring!


I wrote

Walk-On Warrior: Drive, Discipline, and the Will to Win

By John Willkom,

Book cover of Walk-On Warrior: Drive, Discipline, and the Will to Win

What is my book about?

A basketball journey like no other. The incredible first-hand account of a college season at Marquette, a summer with Hall…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Can't Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds

John Willkom Why did I love this book?

David Goggins has lived a life that most of us never will. This book is real, and it’s raw. As Goggins’s said himself, “don’t just talk about it, be about it.” I read a lot of books that are carefully worded and written in a way that being politically correct supersedes the truth. This is a no-holds-barred look at the grit, tenacity, and mental fortitude that is built when a person decides to change.

By David Goggins,

Why should I read it?

7 authors picked Can't Hurt Me as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

New York Times Best Seller

Over 4 million copies sold

For David Goggins, childhood was a nightmare -- poverty, prejudice, and physical abuse colored his days and haunted his nights. But through self-discipline, mental toughness, and hard work, Goggins transformed himself from a depressed, overweight young man with no future into a U.S. Armed Forces icon and one of the world's top endurance athletes. The only man in history to complete elite training as a Navy SEAL, Army Ranger, and Air Force Tactical Air Controller, he went on to set records in numerous endurance events, inspiring Outside magazine to name…


Book cover of Getting Undressed: From Paralysis to Purpose

John Willkom Why did I love this book?

David had a spinal aneurysm at the age of 15, and his dreams of sports, college, and his future seemed to be halted. Yet, through faith and determination, his life took on a whole new journey full of awesome experiences, people, and lessons. Similar to Goggin’s book, this story opens up your mind as to what’s possible, what matters, and why we live.

By David Cooks, Eric Wolffersdorff,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Getting Undressed as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

2018 Winner of the Midwest Book Awards in the category Inspiration

David's journey from the playgrounds of Milwaukee to Cameron indoor stadium and beyond, is captivating and provides a framework to find a new perspective and to build a life filled with passion and purpose. Getting Undressed is inspiring and proof that you can win in life, regardless of the circumstances.

-Mike Krzyzewski, Head Coach, Men s Basketball, Duke University

At the age of 15, high school sophomore and basketball player David Cooks experienced a spinal aneurism, leaving him a T-6 paraplegic. Refusing to let the wheelchair determine the man,…


Book cover of Win By Two: A Kansas City Drug Dealer, a Private School Teacher, and the Game That Linked Them Together

John Willkom Why did I love this book?

Win By Two is the true story about a Kansas City drug dealer and a private school teacher, bonded together through basketball. This is a powerful story about race, leadership, and what can happen when people get outside of their comfort zones and build bridges in their community. It also challenges our internal biases that we may not even know exist.

By Adam Donyes, Derrick Derrell,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Win By Two as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A drug dealer, who grew up in the urban core of Kansas City. A private school teacher who grew up in San Diego and dared to hire a convicted felon as his assistant coach. And the game that saved both their lives. A drama so powerful no storyteller would script the details that unfold. It all starts in a crack house on the west side of the Paseo, and in a broken low income home in east San Diego. It unfolds in a private school gymnasium, a state penitentiary, a chapel in downtown Kansas City, the Johnson County Suburbs, and…


Book cover of The Lost City of the Monkey God: A True Story

John Willkom Why did I love this book?

This is a different type of inspiration, one rooted in exploration and going to places that no man has gone before. The author himself goes on a journey to find a lost city in the Honduran rainforest, and while sexy on the outside, discovers the stark challenges that exist in the world’s densest jungle. If you’re an adventure seeker, you’ll really enjoy this book.

By Douglas Preston,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Lost City of the Monkey God as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller, named one of the best books of the year by The Boston Globe and National Geographic: acclaimed journalist Douglas Preston takes readers on a true adventure deep into the Honduran rainforest in this riveting narrative about the discovery of a lost civilization -- culminating in a stunning medical mystery.

Since the days of conquistador Hernán Cortés, rumors have circulated about a lost city of immense wealth hidden somewhere in the Honduran interior, called the White City or the Lost City of the Monkey God. Indigenous tribes speak of ancestors who…


Book cover of Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10

John Willkom Why did I love this book?

Many are familiar with this movie, but the book is downright excellent. Marcus Luttrell and his Navy Seal team fought a ferocious battle in Northern Afghanistan, one that will have you on the edge of your seat. If patriotism isn’t enough, Luttrell’s persistence to never back down or surrender the fight is an inspiration for anyone reading his story.

By Marcus Luttrell, Patrick Robinson,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Lone Survivor as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Four US Navy SEALS departed one clear night in early July, 2005 for the mountainous Afghanistan-Pakistan border for a reconnaissance mission. Their task was to document the activity of an al Qaeda leader rumoured to have a small army in a Taliban stronghold. Five days later, only one of those Navy SEALS made it out alive. This is the story of the only survivor of Operation Redwing, SEAL team leader Marcus Luttrell and the extraordinary firefight that led to the largest loss of life in American Navy SEAL history. His squadmates fought valiantly beside him until he was the only…


Explore my book 😀

Walk-On Warrior: Drive, Discipline, and the Will to Win

By John Willkom,

Book cover of Walk-On Warrior: Drive, Discipline, and the Will to Win

What is my book about?

A basketball journey like no other. The incredible first-hand account of a college season at Marquette, a summer with Hall of Fame coach, Rick Majerus, and a court-side seat with the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks.

Small town. Undersized. Not enough talent. John Willkom heard it all as a young basketball player growing up in rural Wisconsin. Despite the odds, John dedicated his life to the game, an arduous journey that challenged the very core of even the most disciplined. As John’s hard work lands him amongst basketball’s elite, it is the workouts, the people, and the behind-the-scenes interactions that not only change his skill set but how he lives his life. Both heartfelt and funny, Walk-On Warrior takes you into the mind of an athlete from John’s perspective. Take a journey that will reignite your passion for life, challenge your perspectives on toughness and fear, and ultimately, inspire you to maximize your talent. 

Book cover of Can't Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds
Book cover of Getting Undressed: From Paralysis to Purpose
Book cover of Win By Two: A Kansas City Drug Dealer, a Private School Teacher, and the Game That Linked Them Together

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Follow Me to Africa

By Penny Haw,

Book cover of Follow Me to Africa

Penny Haw Author Of The Invincible Miss Cust

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

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Penny's 3 favorite reads in 2024

What is my book about?

Historical fiction inspired by the story of Mary Leakey, who carved her own path to become one of the world's most distinguished paleoanthropologists.

It's 1983 and seventeen-year-old Grace Clark has just lost her mother when she begrudgingly accompanies her estranged father to an archeological dig at Olduvai Gorge on the Serengeti plains of Tanzania. Here, seventy-year-old Mary Leakey enlists Grace to sort and pack her fifty years of work and memories. 

Their interaction reminds Mary how she pursued her ambitions of becoming an archeologist in the 1930s by sneaking into lectures and working on excavations. When well-known paleoanthropologist Louis Leakey…

Follow Me to Africa

By Penny Haw,

What is this book about?

Historical fiction inspired by the story of Mary Leakey, who carved her own path to become one of the world's most distinguished paleoanthropologists.

It's 1983 and seventeen-year-old Grace Clark has just lost her mother when she begrudgingly accompanies her estranged father to an archeological dig at Olduvai Gorge on the Serengeti plains of Tanzania. Here, seventy-year-old Mary Leakey enlists Grace to sort and pack her fifty years of work and memories.

Their interaction reminds Mary how she pursued her ambitions of becoming an archeologist in the 1930s by sneaking into lectures and working on excavations. When well-known paleoanthropologist Louis Leakey…


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