Off the Shelf: Enjoy the Olympic Games by Checking Out One of May Books Written by Past Olympians
By Savanna Draper on July 24, 2024 from Off the Shelf
The 2024 Paris Summer Olympics begin this Friday, July 26th. Nothing gears people up quite like watching the Olympics! The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, Greece, and the most recent Games were held in 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. The Olympics have a long and fascinating history, and speaking of fascinating, many Olympians have taken to writing books about their lives and experiences while competing. Check out one of their stories to read in between games!
Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown comes from the depths of the Depression. It is an irresistible story about beating the odds and finding hope in the most desperate of times. It is the improbable,
intimate account of how nine working-class boys from the American West showed the world at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin what true grit really meant.
intimate account of how nine working-class boys from the American West showed the world at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin what true grit really meant.
Fast Girls: A Novel of the 1936 Women's Olympic Team by Elise Hooper explores the real-life history of female athletes, members of the first integrated women's Olympic team, and their journeys to the 1936 summer games in Berlin, Nazi Germany. Three athletes join with others to defy society's expectations of what women can achieve. As tensions bring the United States and Europe closer and closer to the brink of war, Betty, Louise, and Helen must fight for the chance to compete as the fastest women in the world.
Swimming Pretty: The Untold Story of Women in Water by Vicki Valosik traces a century of aquatic performance for the first time, from Victorian variety theater and carnival shows to the 1984 elevation of synchronized swimming to Olympic status. This book shows how early starlets like Lurline the Water Queen and Annette Kellerman boldly challenged restrictive codes set for women in water and paved the way for new generations of female swimming athletes.
Mary Lou: Creating an Olympic Champion by Mary Lou Retton is the firsthand story of the seventeen-year-old who captured worldwide attention by winning the first American gold medal in women's gymnastics. This book also recounts the life of her Romanian coach, Bela Karolyi.
Run With Me: The Story of a U.S. Olympic Champion by Sanya Richards-Ross is the story of a Jamaican-American sprinter and star track and field athlete. From her early days running in Jamaica to her final race, Sanya shares the importance of determination, courage, and faith. She uses the 4 Ps, push, pace, position, and poise, a model created by her coach, Clyde Hart, to approach and tackle every obstacle in running and in life. In this book, Sanya reveals how these strategies will help kids run their best race in life on and off the track.
