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Jesse Owens was an African American man who made history by winning the gold in 3 separate areas of the Olympics in 1936. Despite being faced with hatred by the leader of Berlin who was hosting the Olympics, Adolf Hitler, Jesse was triumphant and set records destroying Hitler’s hopes for domination. I personally had never heard of Jesse Owens or his story, so I found this book fascinating. I am surprised not to have talked about Owens in school growing up because the story of his success, not only in the Olympics at that time but his childhood and on after, demonstrates courage and the determination to overcome evil in a sense. The story is told as if you are Jesse Owens which for the reader is an empowering experience and effective in having the reader put themselves in that frame of mind. This book was very well written, and I would read this book again. ( )

I enjoyed the illustration of the book and how it was set up as a race, with Jesse running through the book. As well as the powerful images of varying segregated instances, in America and Hitler's Nazi Germany. Putting these images a page turn apart leaves a significant impact, sure to touch a child. The Pictures overall told as much of the story as the words did in my opinion. With that being said, I believe kids would be completely captivated by it. ( )

Jesse Owens: Fastest Man Alive is a biography that tells about one of the most exciting times in Jesse Owens life. He was born into a family that wasn't very well off, but didn't let that get in his way. His father was a sharecropper and his grandfather was a slave but he didn't not let this stop him from chasing after his dreams. After working hard to get to his overall goal he qualified for the US Olympics and took his journey to Berlin. Although he had reached a point he had never thought possible, he still faced the struggle of segregation when in Germany. Despite the harsh words being said about him, he powered through and ended up walking away with four gold metals.

I enjoyed reading this book because it portrays the thought that anyone can accomplish anything if they will only set their minds to it. Although it may not be easy, if you dream big enough and dedicate yourself, anything is possible.

In my classroom I might use this book to show children how different the world is today than it use to be. This would be a great opportunity for students to practice writing as I may have them write a short paragraph about comparing and contrasting the things from the book to how they see the world today.

I found this to be a very good picture book. It goes through the life of Jesse Owens and him going to the olympics during the time of Hitler coming to power. It is a powerful book that tells Jesse's story along with adding historical details of what was happening during that time. The pictures are incredible and really catch your attention. They also add a lot of information and help one understand the content of the story . Although it is a picture book it is not an easy read. I read with 6th grader I am tutoring and we worked together to comprehend the vocabulary. Great to add to books for teaching WWll. ( )