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Artwork from A Dream Defended showing a rose growing through concrete
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Two books. One message.

One was written for the young adult standing at the edge of a decision. One was written for the child who still needs permission to dream at all. Both say the same thing in different languages: the dream is worth defending.

A Dream Defended The Ultimate Playbook
A Dream Defended, a picture book written by Mario West
New release

A Dream
Defended

Picture book Written by Mario West Ages 4 and up Read aloud friendly

On a busy city street, in a crack in the sidewalk nobody was watching, a rose decides to grow. The concrete does not move for it. The traffic does not slow down for it. It grows anyway.

That is the image at the center of this book, and it is the image Mario has carried since he was a seven year old in Douglas County telling people he was going to play in the NBA. A Dream Defended turns that idea into a story a child can hold: your dream does not need perfect conditions, it needs you to protect it.

It is written to be read out loud, in a classroom circle, at bedtime, or in a gym full of elementary students right before Mario steps up to speak.

What it is about

Resilience explained at a child's level. The story follows the rose through noise, weather, and indifference, and lets young readers decide what their own rose is going to be.

Who it is for

Parents, grandparents, teachers, librarians, children's ministries, and mentors who want one short story that opens a real conversation about trying again.

Why it exists

Because most young readers meet the word impossible long before anyone teaches them what to do with it. This is the counter story, told early enough to matter.

Single copy
$10.99
A Dream Defended, one picture book for one reader.
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15 copies
$165
A reading circle or one classroom, fifteen copies in one order.
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25 copies
$275
A full class, a grade level, or a school library.
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Order the picture book Book an author visit
The Ultimate Playbook, the debut book by Mario West
The debut

The Ultimate Playbook

To Achieve Any Dream In Life

The ultimate playbook to help you reach your greatest potential and accomplish any goal in life, written with Shakyna Bolden and built on the journey that took Mario from a childhood dream to the NBA.

Very few people, and especially very few teenagers and young adults, understand what it actually takes to protect the dream that God placed on their heart. Most expect the path to be clear. Mario wrote this book so young people meet the hardships before the hardships meet them.

The twenty lessons inside are written as plays, the way a coach would call them, and each one comes out of something he personally walked through: poverty, neglect, naysayers, self doubt, setbacks, and rejection. Each play shows how he came through it using six pillars.

20 plays 6 pillars Workbook included Teen and young adult
01

Twenty plays

Each chapter is a play you can run when the pressure arrives, not a theory you read once and forget.

02

Six pillars

Endurance, passion, humility, discipline, faith, and determination, applied to real decisions.

03

A workbook inside

Reflection prompts that ask the reader to apply each play to the situation they are living right now.

04

Built for groups

Designed for individual reading and for group discussion in classrooms, teams, and youth ministries.

Ordering

Single copies and classroom sets

The Ultimate Playbook is available on its own or in discounted sets for schools, teams, churches, and youth programs. Add what you need to the cart and check out, or ask for a quote on anything larger.

Single copy
$21.95
The Ultimate Playbook, one paperback copy with the workbook included.
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15 copies
$315
A team, small group, or single classroom set at a reduced rate.
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25 copies
$500
A full class, grade level, or program set with the best per copy price.
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Need a quote for a larger order?

School districts, athletic departments, conferences, and ministries often need more than twenty five copies, and sometimes they want both titles together. Send the number, the date you need them by, and the shipping address, and Mario will come back with a price.

  • Mixed orders of The Ultimate Playbook and A Dream Defended
  • Signed copies for award nights and graduations
  • Books bundled with a school assembly or team talk
Go to the shopRequest a quote
A quick note

Book Mario for a speaking engagement

Both books travel well with the person who wrote them. Mario regularly pairs a book order with a school assembly, a chapel service, a team talk, or an author visit and read aloud for younger students, which gives the room the story behind the pages on the same day.

  • Author visits and read aloud sessions for elementary students
  • Assemblies and classroom sessions for middle and high school
  • Keynotes for conferences, churches, and corporate events
Check availability Speaking details
Where the lessons came from

He made his living on defense

Mario's job in the NBA was to guard whoever was scoring that night, and to be on the floor for every loose ball. Nobody writes about that work and nobody claps for it, which is exactly why the book is built on it. Preparation, discipline, and effort show up on defense long before they show up on a scoreboard.

Mario West on the floor fighting for a loose ballEvery loose ball, every night
Mario West guarding Kobe BryantGuarding Kobe Bryant
Where the books work

In the rooms where young people are deciding who they will be

These are not shelf books. They are used in advisory periods, locker rooms, youth group nights, and on living room floors, usually with an adult who is trying to say something that will stick.

Schools

Advisory curriculum, graduation gifts, summer reading, and character education programs.

Teams

Preseason reading for high school, club, and college programs that want a shared language.

Churches

Youth group studies and mentoring programs that pair faith with practical preparation.

Families

A picture book for the youngest readers and a playbook waiting for them a few years later.

Order books, or bring the author with them.

Send the quantity, the date, and the audience. You will get a straight answer on price and availability.

Shop the books mario@mariowestfoundationinc.com