At the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics, track and field star Jesse Owens ran himself straight into international glory by winning four gold medals. But the life of Jesse Owens is much more than a sports story. Born in rural Alabama under the oppressive Jim Crow laws, Owens's family suffered many hardships. As a boy he worked several jobs like delivering groceries and working in a shoe repair shop to make ends meet. But Owens defied the odds to become a sensational student athlete, eventually running track for Ohio State. He was chosen to compete in the Summer Olympics in Nazi Germany where Adolf Hitler was promoting the idea of “Aryan superiority.” Owens’s winning streak at the games humiliated Hitler and crushed the myth of racial supremacy once and for all.
Kids will love this hilarious fairy tale adventure packed with clever twists, familiar characters and page-turning fun.
The second book in a fabulous new magical, middle-grade series filled with adventure, wonder and wildness,
This is Book 97 in the Who Was? Series. See all Who Was? books here.
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James Buckley, Jr. is a sports writer for children. He has written more than 50 books about sports for kids, including titles on baseball, football, NASCAR, soccer, the Olympics, and more.
More about James BuckleyGail Herman has written several biographies and nonfiction books, including Who Was Jackie Robinson? and What Is the World Series?
John Hinderliter is an award-winning illustrator and fine artist living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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