Jesse Owens: Fastest Man Alive

Written by Carole Boston Weatherford

Narrated by Kevin R. Free

Jesse Owens' mother frequently told him, "Put your best foot forward." So Jesse followed her advice, worked hard, and made his dreams come true as one of the greatest Olympic champions of all time. But it wasn't easy, as Jesse had to overcome many obstacles. Even though World War II hadn't started yet, Adolf Hitler controlled Germany during the 1936 Olympics. He wanted to prove during the games that Germans were a superior "race" to other people of the world. Little did he know that a black American would smash those claims by dominating the games as no athlete had before. Carter G. Woodson Award-winning author Carole Boston Weatherford captures the incredible story of a true American hero who raced his way into our history books. Narrator Kevin R. Free's thrilling performance will have listeners cheering Jesse's every step. "This inspirational story will serve many purposes in the classroom, from discussions about prejudice, the Holocaust, and segregation, to the importance of role models who are examples of determination, sportsmanship, and hard work."-Children's Literature

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Apr 20, 2012
• ISBN: 9781464044632

Carole Boston Weatherford

Carole Boston Weatherford has written many award-winning books for children, including Kin, illustrated by her son Jeffery and a Coretta Scott King Author Honor recipient; Box, which won a Newbery Honor; Unspeakable, which won the Coretta Scott King Award, a Caldecott Honor, and was a finalist for the National Book Award; Respect: Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, winner of the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award; ALA Notable Children’s Book You Can Fly; and Caldecott Honor winners Freedom in Congo Square; Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement; and Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom. Carole lives in North Carolina. Visit her at CBWeatherford.com. 

Reviews for Jesse Owens

[david.endres · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I though this book was awesome. It shows aspects of different countries and cultures during the 1940s. The book talks about how Jesse Owens was a slave and grew up picking cotton. This somewhat teaches children about slavery and segregation. It also talks about the Holocaust because Jesse Owens went to the Berlin Olympics during the time of WWII. Secondly I really liked the illustrations. They showed the different things the book talked about really well. For example, when talking about the Holocaust it showed the concentration camps and what they looked like. The main theme of this book is that no matter where you come from or your background, you can achieve anything.

[kryoung1-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The story of an African American track star going to the Olympics in Germany during the time of Hitler. It follows the challenges that he faced along with the great accomplishments that he achieved. It was told in a very unique, fast-paced way. It did a good job of alluding to everything that was happening without going into too much detail and straying from the main point of the story; his success as an African American athlete in a time and place where that was unheard of.

[eputney87 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Summary- Jesse Owens was working towards a gold metal at the olympics but he was also working towards much more. As an African American with incredible talent, he was showing the world that the color of your skin does not define who you are or what you can do. Strength: Organization Each page include a title of an event in Jesse Owen's life, several pictures of that particular event and words to describe the event. It is organized much like a timeline in a creative and sequential order. Use with Children- This would be a great book to read when studying human rights and/or Nazi Germany.