“A remarkable job of tackling a complex subject and bringing it to life.” -John Feinstein With incisive reporting and rich storytelling, Schaap reveals what really happened over those tense, exhilarating weeks in a “snappy and dramatic” work of sports history ( Publishers Weekly). Drawing on unprecedented access to the Owens family, previously unpublished interviews, and archival research, Jeremy Schaap transports us to Germany and tells the dramatic tale of Owens and his fellow athletes at the contest dubbed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. It is also the intimate and complex tale of one remarkable man’s courage. The story of Jesse Owens at the Berlin games is that of an athletic performance that transcends sports. Pick Triumph up if you like sports, history, or hearing about an American sticking it to the megalomaniacal monster known as Hitler.This New York Times–bestselling author’s account of the 1936 Olympics in Berlin offers a “vivid portrait not just of Owens but of ’30s Germany and America” ( Sports Illustrated).Īt 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, single-handedly falsifying Hitler’s myth of Aryan supremacy. Schaap delves into extraordinary but long-forgotten incidents that are far too important to be left to langor in the dust of history. His physical accomplishments entitle him to permanent top athlete status his ripping the mask off Hitler’s racist ideology should put him in the category of all the other African American athletes who have shattered race barriers. It’s sad to realize that Owens has somewhat faded from the consciousness of American athletics. As an African American, he still had to deal with separate bathrooms and seats at the back of the bus. He was not idealized as athletes are today.
Jeremy Schaap does an excellent job researching and explaining the very real racism that was present despite the Nazis attempt to hide the already-rampant persecution of the Jews.ĭespite being the most legendary athlete of his time, Owens still faced the racism prevalent in America at that time. Triumph: The Untold Story of Jesse Owens and Hitler's Olympics delves into the perfect opportunity for Hitler to showcase his idiotic ideal that “Aryans” were superior to other races, an opportunity completely ruined by the stellar performance of an American - an African American, at that. Triumph: The Untold Story of Jesse Owens and Hitler's Olympics
Book review: Jeremy Schaap's *Triumph: The Untold Story of Jesse Owens and Hitler's Olympics*
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