If I had to pick a word to describe how I felt while reading this book, it would be frustrated. Both with the story itself and global events.
I expected this book to essentially be a biography of Jesse Owens that had its climax with his 1936 Olympic victories, where he irrefutably proved to the world that the “master race” was not superior.
What I found was Jesse Owens sprinkled in among the nuances of 1930s politics and their effect on the sporting world.
For me, the victories were almost eclipsed by politicians worldwide that repeatedly passed the buck or shuffled their feet when it came to deciding how to respond to Hitler’s policies.
The hypocrisy of Olympic committee officials who chastised Germany’s exclusion of athletes based on race or creed but continued to support comparable policies abroad that blatantly treated athletes as lesser because of their race, creed, or gender was beyond frustrating.
It was difficult to approach this book with an unbiased mindset because I know what happened beyond 1936. With every concession or blind eye turned toward 1930s German policy, I found myself groaning and cringing. I had to remember that Jesse Owens did not know what was to come. He was just a man representing himself and his country. And in doing so, he effectively proved to the world that value is far more than skin deep.

Would have liked more of Jesse and less politics but it was an informative read. That being said, I definitely think this is a book people should read. It gives a different perspective and helps us learn about the mistakes of the past.