"Wonder Girl:" The Magnificent Sporting Life of Babe Didrikson Zaharias by Don Van Natta

Jeff Glor talks to Don Van Natta about "Wonder Girl."

Jeff Glor: What inspired you to write the book?

Don Van Natta: I wrote "Wonder Girl" to deliver Babe Didrikson's inspirational life story to at least one generation of sports fans who may not know her story or her name. One hundred years after she was born -- and 45 after her death -- Babe has become America's forgotten superstar athlete. She was the only woman listed in Sports Illustrated's Top Ten of the Best Athletes of the 20th Century, a list that includes Thorpe, Ruth, Ali, Nicklaus and Jordan. I was moved by her grit as she overcame every obstacle put in her way as she relentlessly pursued her monumental, all-sport career. Her biggest hurdle was getting cancer at the age of 42. After her colostomy, doctors told her she'd never play professional golf again. Fourteen months later, she won the U.S. Women's Open, for a third time, by a dozen strokes. Babe was also brash and funny, a genuine show-woman at a time when most Americans expected their female athletes to look good and keep quiet.

JG: What surprised you the most during the writing process?

DVN: Babe was the most versatile of any athlete -- male or female. She excelled at every sport and game she tried -- basketball, baseball, track and field, swimming, bowling, tennis and golf. But I was stunned to discover that nothing ever came easily for Babe. She worked harder and longer at every sport than her contemporaries. No athlete wanted it more than Babe. She often said, "I don't see any point in playing the game if you don't win. Do you?"

JG: What would you be doing if you weren't a writer?

DVN: I don't know. All I have ever wanted to do was tell stories.

JG: What else are you reading right now?

DVN: I am nearly finished reading Katherine Rosman's dazzling memoir, "If You Knew Suzy: A Mother, a Daughter, A Reporter's Notebook." It's funny, sad, beautiful.

JG: What's next for you?

DVN: I am writing another sports biography for Little, Brown. This one is about Sid Gillman, the legendary San Diego Chargers head coach and the brilliant pioneer of the West Coast offense. Twenty of Coach Gillman's disciples have won the Super Bowl. American football is my favorite sport, and working on this book, tentatively entitled "The Mastermind," has been a big treat.

For more on "Wonder Girl," visit the Random Housewebsite.