The Olympian: An American Triumph - Hardcover

Williams, Craig T

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1450261051 ISBN 13: 9781450261050

Publisher: iUniverse, 2010

Synopsis

I dare greatly, and I shall live my life as no ordinary man bound by a game of chance. -John Baxter Taylor Jr. Running is his sacred ritual. As his legs gracefully carry him around the track at the University of Pennsylvania, he feels the wind in his face and freedom at his back. It is 1905, and John Baxter Taylor Jr. is three years away from representing the United States at the Olympic Games in England, where he will become the first African American Gold Medalist in Olympic Game history. Taylor has done everything in his power to live an uncommon life and defy those who dare to stand in his way. As he transforms himself from a skinny boy who licks at the heels of his fellow high school competitors while ignoring racial slurs to becoming one of the best quarter-milers in the world, he beats not only his competitors on the track but also shines academically, eventually earning a degree in veterinary medicine. In this compelling historical novel, the story of one man's extraordinary life led by his unyielding determination to achieve his dream despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles will inspire you to remember that glory does not die, but is instead passed on to the next person willing to carry the torch in their heart.

About this title

Review:

Williams debut novel fictionalizes the story of black American athletic pioneer John Baxter Taylor.

Taylor, the straitlaced teenage child of hardworking parents at the turn of the century, is a preternaturally gifted runner who easily outraces his competition, earning him the respect of several peers as well as the ire of many others. Also an adept scholar, the young Taylor gains admittance to the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he continues his stellar track and field career until running afoul of a particularly nasty and entitled bigot, Charles Cook, who resents Taylor's success and can't brook the humiliation of being bested by a black man. Just as Taylor begins to find himself--wooing the beautiful and talented daughter of a local family, joining a prestigious fraternity and realizing that finance is not his calling--Cook engineers a plot that unravels Taylor's life and forces his withdrawal from school. Rudderless, prideful and given the cold shoulder by his parents, it takes a chance encounter with his hero, boxer Jack Johnson, to set Taylor on the right path once more. With expert pacing and a confident writing style, Williams demonstrates command of his craft, and his decision to novelize Taylor's life lets him play around with descriptions and metaphors that mostly show off sound word choices. He's not immune to rookie mistakes, however, unleashing a few clunky turns of phrase and too often falling prey to literary clichés, improbable plot twists and several instances of clumsy exposition--Williams overexplains the action numerous times and falls into a habit late in the book of repeating information for the benefit of characters on the page. And electing a first-person narrative is a tricky choice that doesn't quite pay off; considering the character's fate, the ending reads especially odd. Nonetheless, this marks a solid and promising debut.

Engaging, if not quite on the medal stand. --Kirkus Discoveries, Kirkus Media LLC

About this edition

• Publisher: iUniverse
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1450261051
• ISBN 13: 9781450261050
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 252