Jesse OwensJesse Owens
This inspirational biography of an African-American track star, who won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin--where Hitler was determined to prove that Aryans were the superior race, details the challenges he overcame to realize his dreams--and prove a Nazi dictator wrong.
Jesse Owens grew up during the time of Jim Crow laws, but segregation never slowed him down. After setting world records for track in high school and college, he won a slot on the 1936 U.S. Olympic team. That year, the Olympics were in Berlin, then controlled by the Nazis, and Hitler was certain they would be a chance to prove to the world that Aryans were superior to all other races. But the triumph of Jesse's will helped him run through any barrier, winning four gold medals and the hearts of millions, setting two world records, and proving the Nazi dictator unmistakably wrong.
The story of Jesse Owens comes alive for young readers with Carole Boston Weatherford's award-winning free verse poetry. Eric Velasquez tackles this challenging subject with the use of pastels for the first time in twenty years-a technique that is both heart-stopping and immediate.
Title availability
About
Contributors
Subject and genre
Details
- New York : Walker & Company, [2006], ©2006
From the community