At the 1936 Olympics, against a backdrop of swastikas and goose-stepping storm troopers, an African-American son of sharecroppers won a staggering four gold medals and single-handedly demonstrated that Hitler's myth of Aryan supremacy was a lie. The story of Jesse Owens at the Berlin games is that of an athletic performance that transcends sports. It is also the intimate and complex tale of one remarkable man's courage. Drawing on unprecedented access to the Owens family, previously unpublished interviews, and exhaustive archival research, Jeremy Schaap transports us to Germany and tells the dramatic tale of Owens and his fellow athletes at the contest dubbed the Nazi Olympics.

"A Mariner Book."

Prologue -- A day to remember -- Out of Alabama -- Vincible -- Heel Bones and a new start -- The judge and the millionaire -- "We are with you, Adolf" -- A blessing in disguise -- Jew kills Nazi -- A friend and a foe felled -- Olympic trials -- Olympia -- The belle of the ball -- The battle tent of some great emperor -- The youth of the world -- Day one -- Day two -- Day three -- He flies like the Hindenburg -- The relay -- Epilogue.