Kelly recently read Crossroads: My Story of Tragedy and Resilience as a Humboldt Bronco by Kaleb Dahlgren, a "stunning book from one of the thirteen survivors of the Humboldt Bronco’s bus crash that killed sixteen in 2018". She describes it as "an incredible book of survival, recovery, and resilience from a horrific tragedy." Here is her full review:

Dahlgren has divided the book in to three sections. In the first section, we learn about his love of hockey, the frustrating and inspiring journey to approach the game with medical challenges, and the contributions Dahlgren was making to his community. Along with ferrying people to and from games, and creating a deeply personal foundation to help others with Type 1 diabetes, he talks about the great comradeship with his fellow team mates. These folks weren’t just team mates though, Dahlgren talks of how close he is to others on the team and how, as many team sport players know, these people become more like family than just team mates...

The second part details his recovery in the hospital. He finds out what has happened to his team mates. How many people were injured, and killed. How people, internationally, rallied around the surviving members of the Broncos. How many other people shared their stories of grief and guilt of losing friends in similar tragedies. There are three blank pages that represent the three days he lost in his memory. Dahlgren has a Traumatic Brain Injury and these lost days remain a mystery. They may stay that way.

The third part deals with the aftermath of the hospital stay. How Dahlgren tries to rejoin his life that was in progress. One of Kaleb’s hospital visitors was Joe Sakic, who was in a similar accident. Sakic gives him advice on how to focus not on the how or why of what happened but what Kaleb can do moving forward.  Dahlgren writes emotionally and lovingly of each and every one of the team members that were lost. Coaches, players, and the bus driver all get a tribute as Kaleb writes about what the lives were of these 16 folks, He writes of what they were dreaming of doing, what was important to them, and what Kaleb has learned from each of them. It’s a chapter of goals, of respect, and of love for the other Broncos and I found it deeply moving. 

There is, unexpectedly, no discussion of blame or of the subsequent investigation. This is not a maudlin look at the tragedy but a positive book which is focused on the Broncos and on the people they were then, and for who the survivors are now.   No one involved has been unchanged by the crash.  But, it is also a lesson to all of us to know we can move forward from tragedy.

For another look at how challenging it is to be a pro-athlete with medical issues please have a look for Max Domi’s No Day Off co-written with Jim Lang. For another book of resilience after an accident there’s Unsinkable by Silken Laumann. Both books are available in both print and ebook format.

Reserve Crossroads here.

Check out Kelly's other picks here.