If you’ve ever found it hard to stay upright on two healthy legs while heading down the slopes, Paralympic athletes like Josh Sundquist probably seem particularly extraordinary. The story of how he reached that point is just as remarkable.

In his new memoir, Sundquist—a member of the 2006 U.S. Paralympic Ski Team in Torino— describes his childhood in a conservative home and a diagnosis of a rare form of bone cancer at the age of 9 that eventually cost him his left leg before the cancer went into remission. What follows is certainly inspirational in the way that you might expect it, but it’s also an uncompromising look at the painful realities of dealing with such an illness—fighting his parents over treatment, jolting physical therapy sessions, the fitting for a prosthesis—before discovering a new love in skiing. Come out to hear Sundquist describe his journey.

Josh Sundquist: Just Don’t Fall @ Davis County Library South Branch, 725 S. Main, Bountiful, 801-295-8732, Wednesday, Feb. 3, 7:30 p.m.