Triumph

"You think you know about Jesse Owens. You think you know the whole story about the '36 Olympics. Think again.' -Mike Lupica, author of Miracle on 49th Street In 1936, against a backdrop of swastikas flying and storm troopers goose-stepping, an African American son of sharecroppers won a staggering four Olympic gold medals and single-handedly crushed Hitler's myth of Aryan supremacy. The story of Jesse Owens at the 1936 games is that of a high profile athlete giving a performance that transcends sports. But it is also the intimate and complex tale of the courage of one remarkable man. Drawing on unprecedented access to the Owens family, previously unpublished interviews, and exhaustive archival research, Jeremy Schaap transports us to Nazi Germany to weave this dramatic tale. With his trademark incisive reporting and rich storytelling gifts, Schaap reveals what really transpired over those tense, exhilarating few weeks some seventy years ago. In the end, Triumph is a triumph "a page-turning narrative that illuminates what happens when sports and geopolitics collide on a world stage. "[Adds] even more luster to the indelibly heroic achievements of Jesse Owens.' -Ken Burns