The Legend of Jesse Owens

by Hank Nuwer

Explores the personal life, athletic accomplishments, and career of Jesse Owens.

176 pages, Library Binding

First published September 1, 1998

Reviews

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Legend of Jesse Owens is about a boy with harsh beginnings. After much enduring however this boy has been regonized by the whole world for his achievements. He had to face poverty, racial injustice, and manipulation. It is a very inspiring book.

The are multiple strengths and weaknesses in the book. One strength is how the book portrays his struggle. One example is how he overcame childhood struggles with family’s support. A weakness is the story’s pacing after his track career ended.

Overall the book has multiple points that can be brought up today. Examples include racism, poverty, courage. I defininetly recommend this book. This book should be read by people who like self-improvement, courage, sports, determination, and grit.

[Jonathan Lacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jesse Owens famously known as "The Buckeye Bullet" was one the fastest men during the 1930's . Owens is a man that expresses adversity throughout his life. Something Owens had to overcome was discrimination during his lifetime. Being an African American during the 1930-60's was rough because of racial discrimination. Even though Jesse was a "highly recruited athlete" he could not "escape discrimination"(35) towards African Americans. Owens ethnic background made it harder for him to be accepted by society. When he attended Ohio State discrimination followed him there. He was not allowed to live in "lone male dormitory" instead he had to live in "boarding homes"(37) in a black section of Columbus. One of Jesse heroes was Booker T Washington. Jesse felt like because of his athletic success, that he deserves that respect from the white society. Jesse said blacks "are fighting" to gain greater recognition in sports (41). Another Obstacle that faced Owens was the 1936's Olympics in Berlin Germany. Hitler's idea that whites were superior then all other races was proven wrong in the 1936's Olympics. Owens proved Hitler wrong by winning all of his events. Hitler was angered by this and refused "shake hands with a negro" (88). Hitler felt like he lied to his country because he stated that whites were better then every other race. Jesse Owens proved him wrong by beating the World Record for the 100 meter and winning all of his events. The last thing that faced Jesse Owens was cancer. Owens who "smoked a pack of cigarettes" (123)a day for a lot of his live, couldn't stop. He became addicted to them and "tired many times" to stop. He eventually died from lung cancer on "March 31,1980"(123). Jesse Owens is a person that overcame many obstacles throughout his life. He changed the way people thought persevered African Americans during the time

[Steven Dowden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being the big sports fan that I am, I got into this book fairly easily. Although it didn't talk much about all of Jesse Owens awards and records, and more about his personal life, I still found it enjoyable to read and find out how Jesse got to the place where he is now known world-wide.

Steven Dowden