Fire on the Track by Roseanne Montillo
I don't usually read books about sports but this true story of the first women track and field stars kept my interest. It tells the tale of several women who went to the Olympic Games in Berlin in 1936, including Helen Stevens, Babe Didrikson and Stella Walsh. The main story, however, is that of Betty Robinson who was the first women to win an Olympic track and field gold medal.
Pretty and popular, Betty Robinson loved to wear attractive clothes so when a determined coach accidentally discovered her, one of her main problems was finding the right shoes to wear on the field. She sailed through her first Olympic games, capturing gold. But a terrible event would cause her much hardship and pain. She wondered whether she would ever walk again, let alone run...
The stories of the other athletes are not as enjoyable, but still interesting. All of them have to deal with opposition to women being in the Olympics at all, let alone running. Some have to struggle with questions about their sexuality and gender. Most have a hard time scraping money together.
This was a well-written book. I did find some of the information in it rather detailed and personal, though. However, it's well-worth reading, especially if you like reading about sports.
I got this free ebook from Crown Publishing via
Blogging for Books in return for an honest review.
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