Synopses & Reviews
From the ESPN national correspondent and author of the New York Times bestseller Cinderella Man comes the remarkable behind-the-scenes story of a defining moment in sports and world history.
In 1936, against a backdrop of swastikas flying and a storm troopers goose-stepping, an African-American son of sharecroppers won a staggering four Olympic gold medals and single-handedly crushed Hitler's myth of Aryan supremacy. The story of Jesse Owens at the 1936 games is that of a high-profile athlete giving a perfomance that transcends sports. But it is also the intimate and complex tale of the courage of one remarkable man.
Drawing on unprecedented access to the Owens family, previously unpublished interviews, and exhaustive archival research, Jeremy Schaap transports us to Nazi Germany to weave this dramatic tale. From the start, American participation in the 1936 games was controversial. A boycott was afoot, based on reports of Nazi hostility to Jews, but was thwarted by the president of the American Olympic Committee, who dismissed the actions of the Third Reich as irrelevant. At the games themselves the subplots and intrigue continued: Owens was befriended by a German rival, broad jumper Luz Long, who, legend has it, helped Owens win the gold medal at his own expense. Two Jewish sprinters were denied the chance to compete for the United States at the last possible moment, most likely out of misguided deference to the Nazi hosts. And a myth was born that Hitler had snubbed Owens by failing to congratulate him.
With his trademark incisive reporting and rich storytelling gifts, Schaap reveals what really transpired over those tense, exhilarating few weeks some seventy years ago. In the end, Triumph is a triumph -- a page-turning narrative that illuminates what happens when sports and the geopolitics collide on a world stage.
Review
"Schaap has produced a valuable, readable book." Cleveland Plain dealer
Synopsis
A behind-the-scenes look at the accomplishments of Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympic Games draws on previously unpublished interviews, family sources, and extensive archival research to provide a portrait of a remarkable man in relation to the intrigues, plots, controversies, and political machinations that took place. By the author of Cinderella Man. 35,000 first printing.
Synopsis
In 1936, against a backdrop of swastikas flying and storm troopers
looming, an African-American son of sharecroppers set three world
records and won an unprecedented four gold medals, single-handedly
crushing Hitler's myth of Aryan supremacy. The story of Jesse Owens
at the 1936 Olympics Games is that of a high-profile athlete giving a
performance that transcends sports. But it is also the intimate and complex tale of the courage of one remarkable man.
Drawing on unprecedented access to the Owens family, previously
unpublished interviews, and exhaustive archival research, Jeremy
Schaap transports us to Nazi Germany to weave this dramatic tale.
From the start, American participation in the games was controversial.
A boycott, based on reports of Nazi hostility to Jews, was afoot, but it was thwarted by the president of the American Olympic Committee.
At the games themselves the plots and intrigues continued: Owens was
befriended by a German rival, broad jumper Luz Long, who helped
Owens win the gold medal at his own expense. Two Jewish sprinters
were, at the last moment, denied the chance to compete for the United
States out of misguided politeness to the Nazi hosts. And a myth was
born that Hitler himself had snubbed Owens.
Like Neal Bascomb's The Perfect Mile and David Margolick's
Beyond Glory, Triumph captures this momentous episode in sports, and world, history in a nuanced yet page-turning narrative full of drama, suspense, and color.
Synopsis
At the 1936 Olympics, against a backdrop of swastikas and goose-stepping storm troopers, an African-American son of sharecroppers won a staggering four gold medals and single-handedly demonstrated that Hitlerand#8217;s myth of Aryan supremacy was a lie. The story of Jesse Owens at the Berlin games is that of an athletic performance that transcends sports. It is also the intimate and complex tale of one remarkable man's courage. Drawing on unprecedented access to the Owens family, previously unpublished interviews, and exhaustive archival research, Jeremy Schaap transports us to Germany and tells the dramatic tale of Owens and his fellow athletes at the contest dubbed the Nazi Olympics.
With his incisive reporting and rich storytelling, Schaap reveals what really happened over those tense, exhilarating weeks in a nuanced and riveting work of sports history.
About the Author
Jeremy Schaap is the author of the New York Times bestseller Cinderella Man. An ESPN anchor and national correspondent, his work has been published in Sports Illustrated, ESPN the Magazine, Time, Parade, TV Guide, and the New York Times. He has also appeared on ABC's "World News Tonight" and the "CBS Evening News." He is the son of the award-winning journalist Dick Schaap.
Table of Contents
Prologue xi
PART I 1. A Day to Remember 3 2. Out of Alabama 14 3. Vincible 31 4. Heel Bones and a New Start 55
PART II 5. The Judge and the Millionaire 63 6. We Are with You, Adolf” 83 7. A Blessing in Disguise 98 8. Jew Kills Nazi 105 9. A Friend and a Foe Felled 112 10. Olympic Trials 122
PART III 11. Olympia 137 12. The Belle of the Ball 142 13. The Battle Tent of Some Great Emperor 150 14. The Youth of the World 159 15. Day One 172 16. Day Two 183 17. Day Three 196 18. He Flies Like the Hindenburg”: Day Four 213 19. The Relay 219
Epilogue 230 Notes 237 Acknowledgments 257 Index 261