What do you think?
Rate this book
1968: The Jump
Engulfed in violent social upheaval, in the late 60s the United States was hemorrhaging. This novel vividly narrates the events preceding and leading to the 1968 Summer Olympic Games in Mexico, which in an ironic twist of fate were called the Games of Peace, framing the narrative within a scenario that includes unpredictable consequences of the war in Vietnam and the deep wounds inflicted by racism, tragically epitomized by the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Inspired by true events and rigorously documented, the story revolves around the life of Bob Beamon and his interactions with friends and teammates on the U.S. Track & Field Team. The main character is a man whose heart struggles with fears and hopes, conflicts and dreams, and who faces the most crucial moments of his life as he strives to come to grips with his past and his memories, and transform them into allies in his quest for greatness. The novel weaves a moving, intimate, at times stark portrait of a handful of individuals who defied centuries of racism underpinning their battle with unshakeable athletic and human dignity.
Inspired by true events and rigorously documented, the story revolves around the life of Bob Beamon and his interactions with friends and teammates on the U.S. Track & Field Team. The main character is a man whose heart struggles with fears and hopes, conflicts and dreams, and who faces the most crucial moments of his life as he strives to come to grips with his past and his memories, and transform them into allies in his quest for greatness. The novel weaves a moving, intimate, at times stark portrait of a handful of individuals who defied centuries of racism underpinning their battle with unshakeable athletic and human dignity.
249 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 15, 2020
14 people are currently reading
4 people want to read
About the author
Miguel Serrano
1 book3 followersMIGUEL SERRANO (Bilbao, Spain, 1974) is a Computer Science Engineer by Universidad Politecnica of Madrid and MBA by M.I.T. Both in Spain and in US, where he moved to in 2013, he has developed his career in Tech corporations and his own entrepreneurial ventures, where he started collaborating as guest lecturer in different prestigious universities, such as ESADE, Universidad de Valencia and M.I.T.
Miguel is a former almost-professional athlete ("not fast enough to make into the Nationals, but fast enough to think I would make into the Nationals so I kept trying as a pro would do") and certified Track & Field coach, and has thoroughly researched about the Olympics in Mexico'68.
Miguel is a former almost-professional athlete ("not fast enough to make into the Nationals, but fast enough to think I would make into the Nationals so I kept trying as a pro would do") and certified Track & Field coach, and has thoroughly researched about the Olympics in Mexico'68.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 18, 2020
1) Great sports writing
2) Great historical fiction that covers the lives of the stars of the 1968 Mexican olympics
3) Great way to understand and contextualize what is happening in the BLM protests of 2020
2) Great historical fiction that covers the lives of the stars of the 1968 Mexican olympics
3) Great way to understand and contextualize what is happening in the BLM protests of 2020
January 3, 2022
Just a great read
Although I remember watching “The Jump” on television. I knew nothing about the athlete nor the path that got him to making “The Jump” which made us all fans of the Long Jump. Extremely well written. A great read!
Although I remember watching “The Jump” on television. I knew nothing about the athlete nor the path that got him to making “The Jump” which made us all fans of the Long Jump. Extremely well written. A great read!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews