Who Was Jesse Owens?

Who Was . . . ? Series

by James Buckley Jr., Gregory Copeland (Illustrations)

At the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics, track and field star Jesse Owens ran himself straight into international glory by winning four gold medals. But the life of Jesse Owens is much more than a sports story. Born in rural Alabama under the oppressive Jim Crow laws, Owens's family suffered many hardships. As a boy he worked several jobs like delivering groceries and working in a shoe repair shop to make ends meet. But Owens defied the odds to become a sensational student athlete, eventually running track for Ohio State. He was chosen to compete in the Summer Olympics in Nazi Germany where Adolf Hitler was promoting the idea of “Aryan superiority.”  Owens’s winning streak at the games humiliated Hitler and crushed the myth of racial supremacy once and for all.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, History, Sports, Childrens, Biography Memoir, African American

112 pages, Paperback

First published August 11, 2015

About the author

In addition to his work as a professional editor, James Buckley, Jr., is also the author of many books on American sports that are geared toward young fans and budding athletes.

Buckley, who has founded a company called Shoreline Publishing Group to produce books for reluctant readers, maintains that sports are far more than simple hobbies or ways to burn off excess energy.

Reviews

[Janete on hiatus due health issues · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read along with a Scribd audio.

[Dev · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book taught me that when someone hits rock bottom, the only way to go is up and something can be made out of nothing, even if that thing becomes one of the biggest things ever created. For Jesse Owens, his story inspired many athletes as he went to become one of the most established Olympics athletes to ever compete in history. Jesse Owens competed in the Olympics in 1936 and he was the only person of colour to win four gold medals: long jump, 100m dash, 200m dash and relay. I enjoyed this book because it demonstrated the struggle that someone who would normally end up in having a terrible lifestyle and be very poor would not stop them from becoming the most established Olympian for the USA at the time that World War II was on the brink. Jesse Owens revolutionized the world when he set the Olympic World Record in the 100m dash, finishing with a time of 10.3 seconds. I would recommend this book for readers that enjoy being inspired by world moving events but I would not recommend this to fiction readers as the events that happen were realistic and do not have any stories of fantasy. Jesse Owens a profound American that served his country well in the Olympics, paving the way for athletes of colour to want to compete and one day achieve the dream of becoming an Olympic champion for their country.

[Tito john · Rating 5 out of 5]

very nice

[Pumkin pie]

I loved it.

[Andy Zell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to try reading a biography to my kids. Since they have watched and remembered watching Usain Bolt in the Olympics, I thought reading about a past track star would be interesting to them. They liked it okay.

[Hunter Holt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who Was Jesse Owens by James Buckley Jr was an extremely informative nonfiction book about Jesse Owens. Ever since he was a boy, Jesse Owens was a runner. He was a grocery store delivery boy and he had to run to do that. Also he was a newspaper boy. Jesse is best known as an Olympic record setter. Before the Olympics however, he was setting world records. When he was in college at Ohio State University, he set three world records and tied another world record in a matter of hours! Sadly, he died of lung cancer at the young age of sixty-six. However he helped the United States through tough times. For example, World War Two and the Civil Rights Movement. He was a true American hero.

In my opinion, this book was very detailed in the beginning. It was lacking some details in the section that was after the 1936 Olympics and before his death. It really only talks about the country and not him in particular. Besides that, this book was a great biography and really made Jesse Owens' life feel like a story.

If I could recommend this book to anyone, I would recommend it to people wanting to expand their knowledge on real American heroes. He was an Olympic champion, so anyone that is interested in Olympic history would love this book as well. Although, this book is truly a great book for anyone because it is a very detailed read, yet, at the same time, an easy thoughtful book.

[Priya Trombino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who was Jesse Onwens was an amazing and true book by James Buckley Jr. In this book a young boy was born and raised with a large poor family in Alabama. He really wanted to go to school so finally by the time he was thirteen his parents sent him to school. Another thing about Jesse is that he loved to run, so one day he was running with some friends when Mr. Adams saw him and wanted to work with him on his running. In 1936 his couch thought he was good enough to compete in the Berlin Olympics. That day Jesse won four gold mettles. The crowd cheered. One person was very angry that Jesse won his name was Hitler. He did not like Jesse and thought he should be punished just because of his skin. Even though Owens life sounds interesting and fun he was segregated at every restaurant, bathrooms and even couldn't sleep at a certain hotel. Jesses wife was always worried about him traveling but he did fine. After he stopped competing in the Olympics he did public speaking to blacks that didn't believe in themselves. He died in 1980 in Arizona. His story inspires millions.

I would rate this book a eight out of ten. I really enjoyed most of it but the ending was boring but I think you'll enjoy this book.

I would recommend this book to kids in 4th thought 7th grade.

[Mackenzie Zoerb · Rating 5 out of 5]

The other latest book that I have read is Who was Jesse Owens? by James Buckley Jr. Jesse Owens came from a small town always running from place to place. He never walked. His only dream was to get into a college which no one in the Owens family had ever accomplished. He then got asked to join the track team because the track coach saw him running all the time at recess and knew the kid had talent. He then beat out all of his high school classmates and friends that were in track. And later went to the Olympics and beat four world records which earned him four gold medals. That's crazy.
I though this book was so entertaining and interesting. The author had a really good way of clarifying everything because when you don't know something very well like the sport track, you are going to need explaining done and I think the author did a very good job of this.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes sports or likes pushing themselves. Also, anyone that may need a confidence pusher. Because Owens never ever gave up. And look where he is now.

[Landen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who Was Jesse Owens by James Buckley Jr. was a great book. This book was about Jesse Owens and his life story. Also about his achievements throughout his life and accomplishments. Some of his great achievements was winning 4 gold medals in the Olympics.

In my opinion this was a really good book. My favorite part was when he set all of the world records in one Olympic entering. I also really liked how the book went in chronological order. It helped me follow along with the book better.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes sports, drama, adventure, and even mystery. If you like any of these topics you will love this book like I did. So please read it and I am sure you will like it.

[Christopher Almaguer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who Was Jesse Owens? by James Buckley Jr. is a biography on Jesse Owens. It talks about things in his youth like how he delivered groceries and worked in a shoe-repair shop. It of course talks about what made him famous, his four Olympic gold medals. He won one gold medal in the 100 meter dash, the 200 meter dash, a relay run, and long jump. He had just done that in less than a week. After he won his four gold medals in Berlin, he was also fighting for blacks civil rights. He also got the Theodore Roosevelt Award and was elected in to the International Track and Field Hall of Fame. Jesse Owens even got the Presidential Medal of Freedom award. I would reccommend this book to people who like track and field and history.

[Jacob Vanden Avond · Rating 5 out of 5]

My younger brother got this for Easter, and since I recently saw the movie Race which was about his life, I thought it would be neat to read this book and learn more about him. Easy read, about 80 pages with pictures in it, so any easy read for me. But this was a very good book. I learned a lot more about Owens than the movie said.

[AMY · Rating 5 out of 5]

106 pages. Great biography with lots of good solid information and excellent illustrations. It is an inspiring story. There is extra historical information throughout that helps a reader understand the social context in the background of the main events. The timelines at the end of the book are helpful. Highly recommended for Grade 5.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the past two weeks, we have focused on WW2 and sports as a family. We read Boys in the Boat, Unbroken [Young Adult Version], and now "Who Was Jesse Owens?." We have enjoyed all of these true stories, and it is amazing to think that all these phenomenal athletes were all on the same boat that sailed for 9 days from the U.S. to Europe to participate in the 1936 Olympics in Germany.

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book for elementary and middle school students.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Covers not only Owens, but the issues of his time...the war, the Nazis, and racism. Very good.

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm so impressed by Jesse Owens and his ability to change and admit rights and wrongs. A track and field star he gave up a lot to be an athlete and never forgot that was an honor. upper elementary

[Reving · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://revingsblog.blogspot.com/2018...

[Mohamed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was a good book.

[Dodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good kids book to get an overall idea of how Jesse Owens life was like.

[Lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Owens was born in Rural Alabama under Jim Crow laws his family suffered many challenges. Jesse had lots of jobs working in a shoe repair shop and delivering groceries. He went into high school and got on the track team he won lots of races and went to Ohio state College and became the captain of the track team. Some black people thought he should of went to a all black college he was selected to go in the summer Olympics In Germany. Jesse won 4 Olympic gold medals he set bunches of records. Jesse Owens was the first American to win 4 gold medals in track and field.

Ohio State College gave Jesse Owens a honorary college degree even though he never graduated from the school the degree meant a lot to him. The NCAA gave him the 1974 Theodore Roosevelt Award He was also inducted in the track and field hall of fame. He also got awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom which is the highest honor the United States can Give a citizen President Gerald Ford Awarded him the award. He was traveling the world giving speeches he also had a quiet life with his wife in Arizona. In 1979 he found out he had lung cancer March 31 1980 he died from lung cancer in his home he was sixty six years old his granddaughter Gina carried the torch in Memorial Coliseum to start the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984.

I think People who like the Olympics and Track and field will like this book i recommend this book to my classmates.

[Audrie R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who Was Jesse Owens? by James Buckley Jr. is a book about Jesse Owens's life. He was born in Alabama in 1912 and became a track and field athlete in junior high. Eventually he and his family moved to Cleveland, Ohio then he went to The Ohio State University. Later on he set world records and qualified for the 1936 Berlin, Germany Summer Olympics during WW2 and the Holocaust. At the Olympics he won four gold medals in the 100m, 200m, 4x100, and long jump. Then he moved to Chicago with his wife, Ruth Solomon and his daughters, Gloria, Marlene, and Beverly. From there he achieved a lot more like being named the top track athlete of the first half of the twentieth century. Later he moved with Ruth to Arizona then sadly died from lung cancer in 1980. Who Was Jesse Owens? is a biography because it is written about Jesse Owens and his life, but Jesse Owens did not write it. I rate this book 5 stars because it is a great book and I learned a lot about Jesse Owens. Also I liked how it had a timeline that compared events in his life to world events. I like that it had short parts about new popular people that come up in Jesse's life. I would recommend this book to someone who likes or wants to learn about Ohio State, track and field, or the Holocaust.

[Jonathan]

This is a story about an African American hero who loved to run more than anything in the world. Jesse Owens had been running for a long time. One day a man was walking in the park and saw him running. He knew he saw something special. Soon Jesse made the track team at his school and he started winning race after race. He ran 100 yard dashes and 200 yard dashes. Not too long after that, he met the love of his life and had a new born child. Everything was going well until he began to be treated unfairly. But like any African American hero, he never gave up. He kept pushing, moving, and going the distance. This led him to become a gold metal champion and he became one of the best athletes of all time. Jesse Owens was a good man and a true American hero.

I thought that this was an amazing book. I would give it a 9/10 because it teaches you that with hard work and dedication, your dreams can come true. Even though he dealt with racism, he kept his focus on being the best that he could be in his life. He was truly an African American hero trying to make the world a better place.

[Pacifickat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly informative for a children's book. I had forgotten that Jesse Owens won a total of 4 Olympic medals in Germany, and was surprised to learn that he was largely cheered and admired by German fans and athletes alike, in spite of the Nazi government's racist position and policies. On top of this great achievement, I was not aware that he had previously set three world records and tied a fourth within 45 minutes of competition on a single day in 1935.

I also didn't know that his fourth medal was for the 4x100 relay, an event for which he had not trained. However, he and Ralph Metcalfe were asked to replace the only two Jewish athletes on the US team, Mary Glickman and Sam Stoller, a move which Glickman believed was motivated by a desire to not embarass Adolph Hitler by winning medals in Germany's home stadium, capitulating to Nazi antisemitism.

I found Jesse's own evolving relationship with the Civil Rights Movement to be fascinating, showing the diversity in thought even within the African American community across the decades of the 20th century.

[David Rough · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have recently found this nice series of biographies for young readers. Various authors have contributed to this series, which now includes over 160 books. Each book is short (about 100 pages) and gives a good summary of a historical figure. The list of people includes explorers, scientists, painters, authors, musicians; there is a good balance between males and females demonstrating the importance of both genders in the accomplishments of mankind.

My second read in this series of biograghies was Jesse Owens. Jesse Ownes was a well-known name for me growing up in the 1960-70s. His exploits in track and field were legendary and I remember reading about the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games and Owens’triumphs right in the presence of Hitler himself. The author communicated with energy and enthusiasm capturing the amazing athletic accomplishments of this outstanding American.

[AMAO · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who Was Jesse Owens? by James Buckley Jr.
Published August 11, 2015

<3

At the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics, track and field star Jesse Owens ran himself straight into international glory by winning four gold medals. But the life of Jesse Owens is much more than a sports story. Born in rural Alabama under the oppressive Jim Crow laws, Owens's family suffered many hardships. As a boy he worked several jobs like delivering groceries and working in a shoe repair shop to make ends meet. But Owens defied the odds to become a sensational student athlete, eventually running track for Ohio State. He was chosen to compete in the Summer Olympics in Nazi Germany where Adolf Hitler was promoting the idea of "Aryan superiority." Owens's winning streak at the games humiliated Hitler and crushed the myth of racial supremacy once and for all.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid biography of a sports hero I have a personal soft spot for. I appreciated the inclusion of Owens’ struggle to find work after Olympic fame, the evolution of his thinking on civil rights protest and the criticism he took from some in the Black community. I missed the mention of the U.S. refusal to dip the flag before Hitler in the opening ceremony. My real quibble is with the illustrations at the beginning. The text tells us the 13 strong, dirt poor Owens family didn’t have money for clothes and that Jesse was ashamed when he saw the neighbor girls and didn’t have enough clothes to cover his body - but the images show a well dressed family both at work and heading off in fancy attire for their 9 mile walk to church.

[Sarah Mazzei · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book, personally, because I was a track and field athlete. Therefore, Jesse Owens is one of my greatest heroes and role models within the sport. This biography highlights his accomplishments, hardships, childhood, etc. in such a great, simplified way for young students to understand. I would highly recommend reading this book for anyone that is interested in learning more about Owens but it is definitely guided towards younger students who are just getting into larger chapter books. I would keep this book along with others from the same series within my classroom library for students to check out. This way, I can also learn more about what kinds of important figures and topics my students are interested in.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

J. C. aka Jesse Owens loved to run from the time he was a little boy. He loved running so much he worked hard in school and became one of the best runners of all time in the state of Ohio. He continued to work hard and eventually tried out for the Olympics. He won four metals during the 1936 Olympics breaking several records along the way. He also worked many jobs to help out his family when he was young and as he grew older and married. This book shows the growth he accomplished in both is athletic and home life. It is a great resource to learn about one of America's greatest athletic legends.

[Joel E · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfairly maligns Jack Dempsey when discussing the contemporary athletic scene. Buckley makes a serious error by attributing John L. Sullivan's refusal to box Black opponents to Dempsey. In fact, Dempsey was of mixed heritage that included Irish, Cherokee, and Jewish, to which his opponent champion Jess Willard said he would defend his title for the "white race." There is no evidence that Jack Dempsey said anything racist on the public record. He did drop out of one fight with a Black opponent Harry Wills, the reasons are not entirely clear but the governor of New York feared rioting along racial lines. That wasn't Dempsey's fault.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an adult I picked this book up to add to our free little library and wanted to check out the book myself. I have to admit I knew little of Mr Owens and this book filled in some of those gaps. There is just enough information to make me want to learn more, as it is written for a younger crowd I hope they too find the desire to move on from this nice start up of who Jesse Owens was and build on the knowledge.
Easy read, with nice side notes of information about subjects related to Jesse's life and or times.