Risk: A Life Saved by the River

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.

Sue Norman is the author of Risk, a memoir about extreme whitewater competition and extreme parenting. She began writing soon after retiring from a hydrology career with the Forest Service and becoming guardian of her young nephew. A former National and World Champion in both whitewater kayaking and rafting, she continues to coach youth paddlers in whitewater raft racing. She lives in Lake Tahoe, California with her son/nephew, partner Lisa, and their two dogs.