Olympic Gold 1936: How the Image of Jesse Owens Crushed Hitler's Evil Myth

by Michael Burgan

Overview

Jesse Owens’ gold-medal winning feats at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin struck a mighty propaganda blow against Adolf Hitler.  The Nazi leader had planned to use the German games as a showcase of supposed Aryan superiority.  Instead there was American black athlete Owens on the podium being photographed by Hitler’s personal photographer, Heinrich Hoffmann. In addition, Owens would figure prominently in the groundbreaking film Olympia by Hitler’s favorite director Leni Riefenstahl.  Photo and film captured Owens’ stunning success and revealed how wrong Hitler was in his beliefs.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780756555320
Publisher:	Capstone
Publication date:	01/01/2017
Series:	Captured History Sports Series
Pages:	64
Sales rank:	702,549
Product dimensions:	8.90(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.20(d)
Lexile:	1080L (what's this?)
Age Range:	10 - 12 Years

About the Author

Michael Burgan has written numerous books for children and young adults during his nearly 20 years as a freelance writer. Many of his books have focused on U.S. history, geography, and the lives of world leaders. Michael has won several awards for his writing, and his graphic novel version of the classic tale Frankenstein (Stone Arch Books) was a Junior Library Guild selection.  Michael graduated from the University of Connecticut with a bachelor’s degree in history. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with his cat, Callie.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 A Golden Moment 4

Chapter 2 The Road to the Olympics 14

Chapter 3 Capturing the Games on Film 30

Chapter 4 Politics and the Olympics 42

Timeline 56

Glossary 60

Additional Resources 61

Source Notes 62

Select Bibliography 63

Index 64

Interviews

extension of award winning series, excellent reviews, critical thinking, historical analysis, narrative nonfiction, sophisticated design

Editorial Reviews

The latest set in the Captured History Sports series features photos of African American athletes. Each book tells the story behind the picture on its cover, including relevant biographical information and historical perspective as well as commentary on the featured photo and photographer. Well placed to support the text, the many illustrations include action shots and scenes related to the political and social conditions discussed in many of these volumes. . . .These books will certainly capture the attention of kids interested in sports, civil rights history, or photography.

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