Risk: A Life Saved by the River

by Susan Norman

A compelling narrative about a pioneering woman’s connection to wild rivers as a whitewater world champion, and how the journey heals past and current childhood trauma.  

Alternating between two time periods, Risk is about Sue Norman’s journey as a pioneer in international whitewater kayaking and rafting competition. Outdoor adventure helped the author cope with the trauma of her mother’s diagnosis of acute multiple sclerosis when she was five, which rapidly forced her family into poverty and separation.

As an adult, Sue was thrust into becoming a first-time parent after menopause to her four-year-old nephew. Her nephew's early years were spent with biological parents who struggled with addiction and mental illness. Does Sue have what it takes to parent a child considered to be at risk?

Risk explores how pursuing “good risk” through adventure can help one escape, and face, their fears. Silver medal winner of the 2025 Readers' Favorite Award for nonfiction-adventure.

296 pages, Paperback

Published June 24, 2025

Reviews

[Tara May · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, this book was so good—and that's not just because the author is my friend! The way it progresses through Norman's experiences as a kid, her first adventures on the river with her father and twin brother, all the amazing accomplishments she realized throughout her whitewater career—all of that expertly intertwined with taking over the care of her young nephew and becoming a mother was so well done.

For me, this story really demonstrates life's little opportunities to take lessons from one aspect of our lives and apply them to another, seemingly unrelated part of our lives. Who knew that striving to be one of the best in the world at whitewater kayaking and rafting would teach one how to raise a child? Of course it would. Life is like that.

Favorite quotes:

"I know from my past that the best way to overcome fear and face a challenge with an unclear outcome or path to success is to pick a starting point and take baby step after baby step from there.”

"The slalom paddling code we young paddlers, lived by – put in the work, do not complain, do not make excuses, and never quit or throw a snit – had a powerful influence on me and I’ve never forgotten it."

"A reminder that although you can’t control what fate throws at you, continuing to step up to the plate and expanding your skill sets can’t hurt."

"What I learned from my friend that day was the importance of achieving your goals through your best effort, and that the effort is often more important than the ultimate outcome."

"I often don’t feel like a whole person. I sometimes feel I am becoming a shadow."

"It would take greater challenges than racing a raft in class V whitewater to show me the power of embracing vulnerability."

[Colleen Bye · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. It’s engaging, funny, emotionally powerful, and truly hard to put down. While I’m not a kayaker, I connected immediately as an athlete, and Sue Norman’s vivid writing made it easy to imagine myself right there in the boat, navigating the rapids with her. The enduring love of her mother runs quietly through the story, a steady force that shaped Sue’s strength and resilience. She carries that love forward, using it as a source of purpose and courage in her own life. What stood out most to me, though, was the central message: that taking “good risks” can lead to growth, healing, and transformation. That idea deeply resonated with me and made the memoir not just inspiring but personally meaningful. Sue’s story is a powerful reminder of what can happen when we step into uncertainty with courage and an open heart.

If you enjoy memoirs that are honest, beautifully written, and take you to places (both physical and emotional), I can’t recommend Risk enough. Read it!

[Gwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are people who talk a big game about changing the world. And there are people like Susan Norman who, when the time comes, meets the call of altruism. The author says her book is about the river and her nephew she began parenting in her mid fifties when he was a toddler. But the book is much more than that. It’s a story about the long journey of parenting a kid with ADHD, the lost warm embrace of a loving mother, a childhood in poverty, the disintegration of the magical kinship of twins, a story about trying to be the best parent to a human being with his own strong ideas and impulses. A story about relationships with one’s significant other. It’s a story about breaking the generational cycle of illness, poverty and addiction. It’s a story about the disappearing selfless act of kinship care. A story about a young woman developing physical and mental strength and leadership, about aging as an athlete, about getting tough feedback as a mature adult, and much more. A very well written book, fast paced, that kept touching me throughout.

[Leif Calvin]

Wow! This autobiography about adopting an at needs child and living a waterman's life, felt much more like reading a thriller than a parenting book. The book switched each chapter from Susan's life challenges to her new life with Seth and the very different challenges they face together. As a father of a trans child, it was humbling and cathartic to read the struggles Sue and Seth face, and the wisdom of not knowing how to move forward, yet, having faith that step by step you can do amazing things together.

Thank you Sue for a wonderful book. I am sharing it with all my close friends.

[William Endicott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sue Norman has written a remarkably candid account of the unpleasantries of dealing with dysfunctional family members over two generations–juxtaposed next to the joys of running whitewater, often in kayaking or rafting competitions.

A central part of the story is Sue being a lesbian never being interested in having kids, married to another woman, but deciding to become the legal mother of her young nephew because there is no one else. Problem is, the boy has ADHD, gets into fights with other kids, and is a real handful, to say the least.

It’s not a role Sue or her partner would have chosen, but Sue does it anyway because it’s the right thing to do. The self-discipline she acquired through surviving a dysfunctional upbringing herself, serving in the Army, being a competitive athlete, going to college on the GI bill, and working as a hydrologist for the US Government, helps her in the parental role.

But it’s not enough and she has to learn new skills such as: how to convert her son’s rage into something positive; how to channel an addiction to “bad risk” (drugs, alcoholism) to “good risk”) (adventure sports); and knowing that people never outgrow ADHD, but if they can learn to manage it, they can be very successful.

In full disclosure, I was the coach of the US Slalom Team Sue was on for the 1981 World Championships which she writes about and I’ve been involved in canoeing and kayaking in various capacities for the last 50 years. In some cases, I had to work around dysfunction in athletes’ families. It’s always interesting for me to learn what has happened to our Team athletes after their competitive days are over.

Like Sue, I was in the military – Marine Corps in my case. I also was for many years a Congressional and White House assistant and in that role dealt with many dysfunctional constituents. Finally, in my personal life over many years I’ve had to deal off and on with seriously dysfunctional relatives. So, I have some inkling of where Sue is coming from.

I’ve read that 70-80% of American families are “dysfunctional” to some degree, although the degree is obviously important. Does the dysfunction consist merely of miscommunication, disagreements, or personality differences? Or is it emotional or physical abuse, extreme manipulation leading to violence or at least the fear of it, and ongoing emotional pain and lasting psychological damage?

In sum, Sue writes compellingly about something many people have to deal with today but don’t want to talk about and her message is it sure helps to have an on-going deep interest such as our mutual love of whitewater to turn to as a respite!

Bill Endicott
Bethesda, Maryland

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much of Norman's fierce, honest self-assessment resonates with me. I absolutely love the river chapters, and her exploration of her parenting works well as a twin analogy.

The writing is not always great, and the way Norman describes her friends made me laugh-- lots of "toothy grins" and "stout frames" and "horsey laughs." Ok, maybe not the last one exactly, but you get the idea. It made me wonder if she has any friends left at this point. Ok, I'm exaggerating. These small flaws don't take away from the absolute powerhouse that Norman is as an athlete and a human being. A riveting read.

[ThereseColwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Risk, A life saved by the river is a compelling memoir about an athlete who has excelled at her sport of whitewater kayaking, who must make a life altering decision to adopt and raise her young nephew. Susan describes in detail the difficulties she faces being an older mother suddenly raising a child diagnosed with ADHD. Anyone who has faced challenges in their life will enjoy reading Susan’s book.

[Charles Walbridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished the book. What a page turner! It's really thoughtful and well written! The author moves between stories of her life, first growing up, and later as a whitewater competitor before describing the challenges of raising her nephew late in life. Her life's journey is inspiring on so many levels!

[Patricia Sussman · Rating 5 out of 5]

An utterly honest story told by a compelling protagonist and set against the backdrop of the history of extreme sports in the United States. Her story is that of someone one who pushed past gendered definitions of what women can and should do in her own attempt to live a life true to herself and her morals.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this for many reasons. Susan writes well and has many good stories to tell. But I especially liked her correlation between training as a competitive athlete and parenting a traumatized child. You have to work to develop the skills and seek the training and support to do the work.

[Shelly Thomsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spectacular. Takes you down the river while exploring the challenges and joys of unexpected parenthood.

[Daphne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author Sue Norman shares her life and inner truths, so then you can find yours.

[Lisa Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really loved this deeply personal memoir. The timeline structure worked perfectly with just the right amount of backstory! well done!

[Rachael Barbour · Rating 5 out of 5]

i loved this book. the author's childhood and her adventures in the water made a compelling read. The parts about her nephew and brother felt less complete, but I was okay with that.

[Tesilyaraven · Rating 2 out of 5]

Though I’m totally the audience for this book—I’m middle-aged, an experienced whitewater kayaker, and a parent—this memoir fell flat for me. The writing style was too much like reportage. Chapters alternate between her history growing up navigating rivers and becoming a world champion whitewater boater; and the challenges of parenting her high-needs nephew when she becomes his primary guardian. The switching back and forth didn’t work for me—just made the reading experience disjointed . And I didn’t always see how the experience of being an elite athlete translated to the even greater challenge of being a late-life parent. Conceptually it works, but the author herself admits she had a hard time being vulnerable—childhood trauma, mother disabled by MS, joining the Army to get through school all lead her to be strong, but not so connected to emotion, which was missing in this accounting. But, also an admirable effort by the author to make sense of these two experiences—and she was a whitewater pioneer starting in the 1970s, which is cool. Seems like the boating/parenting her nephew could have each been their own book, or blended more artfully. *I admire the work She Writes Press publishes, so that’s also part of what kept me going.