Fast girls : a novel of the 1936 women's Olympic team

Fast girls A novel of the 1936 women's Olympic team

Elise Hooper

Book - 2020

"In the 1928 Olympics, Chicago's Betty Robinson competed as a member of the first-ever women's delegation in track and field, and was feted as America's Golden Girl-- until a nearly-fatal airplane crash threatens to end everything. Outside of Boston, Louise Stokes, one of the few black girls in her town, sees competing as an opportunity to overcome the limitations placed on her, and risks everything to join the Olympic team. From Missouri, tomboyish Helen Stephens dreams of escaping the hardships of her farm life through athletic success. As United States and Europe edge closer to the brink of war, Betty, Louise, and Helen must fight for the chance to compete as the fastest women in the world amidst the pomp and pageantr...y of the Nazi-sponsored 1936 Olympics in Berlin."--Provided by publisher.

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Location Call Number   Status
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Subjects
Olympic Games > (11th : > 1936 : > Berlin, Germany) > Fiction.
Women Olympic athletes > Fiction.
African American women Olympic athletes > Fiction.
Historical fiction.
Biographical fiction.
Sports fiction.
Genres
Historical fiction
Biographical fiction
Sports fiction
Published
New York, NY : William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers [2020]
Language
English
Main Author
Elise Hooper (author)
Edition
First edition
Item Description
Includes P.S.: insights, interviews & more...
Physical Description
486, 13 pages : illustrations ; 21 cm
ISBN
9780062937995
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

Hooper (The Other Alcott, 2017) celebrates three unheralded female athletes in a tale spanning three Olympiads: 1928 Amsterdam, when the first women's delegation competed in track and field; 1932 Los Angeles, when runners of color were unjustly left out of competition; and 1936 Berlin, when Jesse Owens outshone all other American athletes. Betty Robinson, Louise Stokes, and Helen Stephens have different backgrounds and challenges but a shared talent: running like the wind. Betty is a classic golden girl and the first female gold-medal winner in track and field, but is nearly killed in a plane crash just weeks before the 1932 games. Louise is the oldest daughter in a poor black family, leaving school to help support her younger siblings. Helen is an awkward farm girl with few prospects until a local track coach sees her potential. Each makes her own way to excellence, making history along the way. Social commentary is provided by fictitious news articles written with period-typical condescending awe that these women could accomplish these feats. For fans of Daniel James Brown's The Boys in the Boat (2015), historical fiction about real people, and stories about little-known female heroes breaking through barriers.Women in Focus: The 19th in 2020

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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