Jesse Owens

The rise and fall of one of sport's most enduring icons

Born the tenth child of a poor Southern sharecropper, Jesse Owens would nevertheless go on to win an unprecedented four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. This biography of Owens details the successes and failures of this complex and troubled but ultimately indomitable figure who transcended his own athleticism and became an American icon.Born the tenth child of a poor Southern sharecropper and barely able to read or write, Jesse Owens used his astonishing drive and athletic ability to win an unprecedented four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. He became an international superstar overnight and exploded Hitler’s myth of Aryan supremacy in the process. This Press edition of the William J. Baker's acclaimed work offers the most complete and probing biography of Owens ever written, vividly detailing the successes and failures of this complex and troubled but ultimately indomitable figure.