“Fast Girls
is a compelling, thrilling look at what it takes to be a female
Olympian in pre-war America. Rich with historical detail and brilliant
story-telling, the book follows three athletes on their path to compete –
and win – in a man’s world. Brava to Elise Hooper for bringing these
inspiring heroines to the wide audience they so richly deserve.”—Tara
Conklin, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Romantics and The House Girl
Acclaimed author Elise Hooper explores the gripping, real life history of female athletes, members of the first integrated women’s Olympic team, and their journeys to the 1936 summer games in Berlin, Nazi Germany.
This inspiring story is based on the real lives of three little-known trailblazing women Olympians. Perfect for readers who love untold stories of amazing women, such as The Only Woman in the Room, Hidden Figures, and The Lost Girls of Paris.
In the 1928 Olympics, Chicago’s Betty Robinson competes as a member of the first-ever women’s delegation in track and field. Destined for further glory, she returns home feted as America’s Golden Girl until a nearly-fatal airplane crash threatens to end everything.
Outside of Boston, Louise Stokes, one of the few black girls in her town, sees competing as an opportunity to overcome the limitations placed on her. Eager to prove that she has what it takes to be a champion, she risks everything to join the Olympic team.
From Missouri, Helen Stephens, awkward, tomboyish, and poor, is considered an outcast by her schoolmates, but she dreams of escaping the hardships of her farm life through athletic success. Her aspirations appear impossible until a chance encounter changes her life.
These three athletes will join with others to defy society’s expectations of what women can achieve. As tensions bring the United States and Europe closer and closer to the brink of war, Betty, Louise, and Helen must fight for the chance to compete as the fastest women in the world amidst the pomp and pageantry of the Nazi-sponsored 1936 Olympics in Berlin.
Acclaimed author Elise Hooper explores the gripping, real life history of female athletes, members of the first integrated women’s Olympic team, and their journeys to the 1936 summer games in Berlin, Nazi Germany.
This inspiring story is based on the real lives of three little-known trailblazing women Olympians. Perfect for readers who love untold stories of amazing women, such as The Only Woman in the Room, Hidden Figures, and The Lost Girls of Paris.
In the 1928 Olympics, Chicago’s Betty Robinson competes as a member of the first-ever women’s delegation in track and field. Destined for further glory, she returns home feted as America’s Golden Girl until a nearly-fatal airplane crash threatens to end everything.
Outside of Boston, Louise Stokes, one of the few black girls in her town, sees competing as an opportunity to overcome the limitations placed on her. Eager to prove that she has what it takes to be a champion, she risks everything to join the Olympic team.
From Missouri, Helen Stephens, awkward, tomboyish, and poor, is considered an outcast by her schoolmates, but she dreams of escaping the hardships of her farm life through athletic success. Her aspirations appear impossible until a chance encounter changes her life.
These three athletes will join with others to defy society’s expectations of what women can achieve. As tensions bring the United States and Europe closer and closer to the brink of war, Betty, Louise, and Helen must fight for the chance to compete as the fastest women in the world amidst the pomp and pageantry of the Nazi-sponsored 1936 Olympics in Berlin.
486 pages (July 2020)
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Author Interview from HEC Books:
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Title Read-alikes: The Divine Miss Marble: a life of tennis, fame, and mystery by Robert Weintrab; The Peerless Four by Victoria Patterson; Speed Kings: the 1932 Winter Olympics and the fastest men in the world by Andy Bull; Tigerbelle: the Wyomia Tyus story by Wyomia Tyus; Three Seconds in Munich: the controversial 1972 Olympic Basketball Final by David Sweet; Little Wonder : the fabulous story of Lottie Dod, the worlds first female sports superstar by Sasha Abramsky; Something in the Air: the story of American passion and defiance in the 1968 Mexico City Olympics by Richard Hoffer; Running Sideways: the Olympic champion who made track and field history by Pauline Davis; Beautiful Exiles by Meg Waite Clayton; The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows; The Poppy Girls by Margaret Dickinson; and Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly.
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