When Alice Coachman was a girl, most white people wouldn't even shake her hand. She fought her way onto the 1948 Olympics team, despite prejudice against both her gender and her race. At the competition in London, members of the U.S. Women's Track and Field team went down to defeat one by one. Any hope of winning rested on Alice Coachman — and thousands of spectators stayed late for the high-jump event and witnessed history as she became the first African American woman to win an Olympic gold medal. And when the King of England placed an Olympic medal around her neck, he extended his hand to Alice in congratulations.
This inspiring story depicts a woman determined to overcome every obstacle, both the physical bar she had to leap and the metaphorical ones she faced on her way there. Here is a story of perseverance and unwavering ambition that follows this groundbreaking athlete on her journey from rural Georgia to her triumph in Wembly Stadium.
"Lang's descriptive text and Cooper's signature sepia-tone oil illustrations offer a rich, deep depiction of Coachman's determination to overcome obstacles." — Booklist
Recommended Age | 4 - 8 |
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Author | Heather Lang |
Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
ISBN | 1590788508 |
Publication Date | Mar 1, 2012 |
Publisher | Boyds Mills Press |
Language | English |