Fast Girls audiobook

Read an ARC for a cover quote; enjoyed hugely!

When we think of the 1936 Olympic Games in Germany, it is the great Jessie Owens who springs to mind. However, the lesser known, yet equally fascinating story of the Women’s Olympic team is what Elise Hooper writes about in her new novel. Tracing the lives of three amazing women, Betty Robinson, Louise Stokes and Helen Stephens, this is the story of women’s Olympic track and field from the 1928 games in Amsterdam, followed by the 1932 events in Los Angeles, and culminating in the drama that unfolded in Hitler’s Germany at the 1936 games. Betty Robinson is the presses sweetheart at the 1928 Olympics and wins a gold medal but suffers a horrendous set back after a plane crash before the 1932 games. Told she may never walk again; she fights back against great odds to make it to Germany in 1936. Louise Stokes is a young black woman in Massachusetts, whose talent is discovered by the high school track coach at her school. Going to bat for her, he manages to get her the training she needs to qualify for the games in LA. There she and another black female runner face discrimination and are not allowed to compete. Still she perseveres to qualify for Germany. Finally, Helen Stephens, is a poor farm girl from rural Missouri, who also is discovered by her local track coach. She is the newcomer to the 1936 team.The novel alternates between these three women and their inspiring stories. Fighting against the extreme sexism and racism of the time, they never-the-less are able to fight for their right to participate along side the male athletics. Their achievements are made all the more amazing because of the myriad of obstacles put in their way. Told again and again that they should be home looking for husbands and having babies, they achievement are all the more impressive.Excellently researched and deftly written, this was a joy to read. Truly an inspirational tale and one that will be popular with book clubs. I highly recommend this one for fans of athletics, women’s fiction, biographical fiction, historical fiction or those interested in the history of the Olympics. A very apt story for our present time as well.Thank you to William Morrow Paperbacks and NetGalley for the e-ARC.

A fascinating tale of the grit and determination of some of the women who pioneered in the Olympic arena. Hooper deftly weaves figures like Betty Robinson, Helen Stephens, Louise Stokes, around the historic events of the Olympics in Amsterdam in 1928, Los Angeles in 1932, and the high-profile games in Berlin in 1936. All three women faced obstacles. The articles and letters documented by Hooper show a popular sentiment in society against women in athletic competitions. Louise also faced racial discrimination and Helen was abused as a child. As we read their stories, we see their athletic gifts shining through; polished by discipline and dreams. The cover is a beautiful complement to the book and was reproduced from an old photograph. This is historical fiction at its best. For readers who enjoy Marie Benedict, Stephanie Thornton, and Kristin Harmel.Thank you to William Morrow and Edelweiss for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

Fast Girls shines the light on three little-known American female Olympians who doggedly pursue their dreams to compete in the Nazi-sponsored 1936 Berlin Olympics, the first integrated Olympics. These women must each overcome their own personal obstacles and roadblocks in order to have their time on the Olympic track and defy those who think women (and people of color) should not compete. Chock full of historical details and stories about various Olympians and the grand event itself, readers will love the stories of these strong, determined women.Listen to my podcast at https://www.thoughtsfromapage.com for fun author interviews including one with Elise; for more book reviews, check out my Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/thoughtsfro....

This is a well written and interesting true story of the 1936 women's Olympic track team, which was the first time the women's track team was integrated. Elise Hooper relates history in an interesting and engaging way, much like Laura Hillenbrand did in Seabiscuit. The book is filled with interesting anecdotes about each member of the team and how they came to be there, and shows how they made their mark on history. This was at the same time Jesse Owens was showing Adolph Hitler that an African American was the fastest man in the world. If you love history, Olympic history, pre WWII history, and/or women's fiction and nonfiction, you will enjoy this book.

FAST GIRLS is an inspiring tale set in a time when the world viewed women as fragile and excitable, but Hooper’s main characters, three tenacious, true-to-life young women comprising the 1936 women’s track and field Olympic team, won’t be subdued by societal expectations. Instead, they follow their hearts and their dreams to Olympic gold. This book was vibrant in its detailing and riveting in its story, and at times, I wanted to cheer. Like Louise, Helen, and Betty, I raced to the finish line. Highly recommended.

Originally published on The Nerd Daily | Review by Laura GlassmanFast Girls tells a remarkable story based on the lives of three young women: Betty Robinson, Helen Stephens, and Louise Stokes, who were aspiring professional runners and who ultimately worked their way towards a place on the 1936 US Olympic track team for the Olympics in Berlin. Author Elise Hooper draws readers into an absorbing novel about the lives, trials, and successes of each of these women as they overcame obstacles, worked towards their goals, supported each other, and ultimately made history.Read the FULL REVIEW on The Nerd Daily

What an inspiring book! Listened to this on audio while I was working today and really enjoyed it. Learnt alot about athletes in that time and what women had to deal with. Definitely with a read

An interesting, fictionalized, story based on the life of some pioneering female athletes. Well researched but gaps in the record allowed Elise Hooper to imagine what life might have been like for these women, based off of research about life styles at the time. I especially appreciated the Afterword that described what some of the women mentioned went on to do in real life after the Olympics, when there weren't many opportunities for women to make money playing sports.

Writing dual narratives is hard enough, because you have to try to keep the readers’ interest equally invested in both storylines, but in Fast Girls, Elise Hooper has achieved this feat with three compelling narratives. It’s based on the real-life stories of three young women and their journeys to the controversial 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. Betty has already won gold in 1928 but then suffers life-changing injuries in an accident that seem to threaten her future as a runner. Helen comes from an impoverished background, and she is tall and ungainly, awkward in her skin. Louise is black and has grown up encountering prejudice at every turn, so she has no illusions about how hard it will be to achieve her ambition to run in Berlin.Each woman’s story is told in separate chapters, interspersed with newspaper articles indicating the sexism that was rife, with many arguing women had no place in track and field events. The treatment of the black athletes is especially shocking, but all based on fact. I found myself rooting for all three from early on.I also loved the descriptions of running. I’m not a runner myself but could feel from Elise Hooper’s descriptions the freedom of unleashing the power of your body, the sensation of speed, the drumming in your ears and the focus on the finish line. Once the story reaches Berlin, there’s the chilling atmosphere of fascism and some very real dangers to contend with. This is a captivating novel, and a great achievement. Highly recommended!

Fast Girls, a novel based on the real lives of several of the US’ first female Olympians is a 5 ⭐️ Gold Medal winner. Fans of book The Boys in the Boat and the movie Race, about Jesse Owens, as well as runners and Olympic fans will love this book. I did. This well researched novel depicts the extreme gender and racial bias, as well as other heart wrenching challenges these women faced, yet were also a source of inspiration and motivation. Enhancing and moving along the story are the newspaper stories, telegrams and other correspondence the author wrote and creatively used in between chapters. Each of the characters was so interesting and many times I stopped reading to look up more information about them. Put this one on your July TBR. Thank you author Elise Hooper for the ARC. I was the lucky winner of a social media contest. 🏃🏻‍♀️🏃🏻‍♀️🏃🏻‍♀️🏃🏻‍♀️🏃🏻‍♀️🏃🏻‍♀️🏃🏻‍♀️🏃🏻‍♀️

Fast Girls is a novel. A disclaimer at the beginning states that it is fictional. And yet, Hooper uses the names of real people and real places and real events. It is a fine line to walk - making up a story about what real people may have said, may have thought, even describing what their deepest emotions and secret longings may have been. Hooper is a good writer and she does a good job of bringing us into the world of running competitions in the late 1920's and 1930's. She focuses on three runners: Helen Stephens, Betty Robinson, and Louise Stokes, exploring each girls home and family life in the years before the 1936 Olympics. She makes us root for them and rage against the injustices they faced. Although it all happened more than ninety years ago, the battles they fought are still raging today: women's rights, racial injustice, even LGBT issues are part of the story of these three women.Elise Hooper does a good job of melding historical facts with imagined behavior, as far as readability is concerned. But I think she crosses the line a few times, imagining more than she should, even changing facts to make a better story. For instance, in the afterward she admits that Helen Stephen's father wasn't as mean as she made him in the novel. She made Stephens and another farmer in Helen's town into a caricatures of mean and ignorant hillbillies. When real people are used in fiction, I believe writers have a responsibility to be fair and honest as much as possible.

I raced through this fast-paced novel on an exhilarating journey that begins with the humble beginnings of promising female runners and culminates in their inspiring and obstacle-filled quests for Olympic glory. I fell in love with the characters and their stories of determination, hope, friendship,

4.5/5 stars. I'm titling my #bookreview "Women who Raced" and that is exactly what this book is about, and in the Olympics, no less. You can read my review on my blog now. https://tcl-bookreviews.com/2020/07/1...