ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF THE SUMMER BY POPSUGAR, FROLIC, PARADE, TRAVEL & LEISURE, SHE KNOWS, and SHE READS!
NAMED A REAL SIMPLE BEST BOOK OF 2020 (SO FAR).
“Fast Girls is a compelling, thrilling look at what it takes to be a female Olympian in pre-war America…Brava to Elise Hooper for bringing these inspiring heroines to the wide audience they so richly deserve.”—Tara … these inspiring heroines to the wide audience they so richly deserve.”—Tara Conklin, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Romantics and The House Girl
Acclaimed author Elise Hooper explores the gripping, real life history of female athletes, members of the first integrated women’s Olympic team, and their journeys to the 1936 summer games in Berlin, Nazi Germany. Perfect for readers who love untold stories of amazing women, such as The Only Woman in the Room, Hidden Figures, and The Lost Girls of Paris.
In the 1928 Olympics, Chicago’s Betty Robinson competes as a member of the first-ever women’s delegation in track and field. Destined for further glory, she returns home feted as America’s Golden Girl until a nearly-fatal airplane crash threatens to end everything.
Outside of Boston, Louise Stokes, one of the few black girls in her town, sees competing as an opportunity to overcome the limitations placed on her. Eager to prove that she has what it takes to be a champion, she risks everything to join the Olympic team.
From Missouri, Helen Stephens, awkward, tomboyish, and poor, is considered an outcast by her schoolmates, but she dreams of escaping the hardships of her farm life through athletic success. Her aspirations appear impossible until a chance encounter changes her life.
These three athletes will join with others to defy society’s expectations of what women can achieve. As tensions bring the United States and Europe closer and closer to the brink of war, Betty, Louise, and Helen must fight for the chance to compete as the fastest women in the world amidst the pomp and pageantry of the Nazi-sponsored 1936 Olympics in Berlin.
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A captivating read about the women pioneers of Olympic Track and Field. The virtually unknown lives of nine women–three main characters–who endured sexism, racism, and lack of funding to compete and win at the 1928, 1932 and 1936 Olympics. Their pluck and drive led them to the medals they won despite continual obstacles and hateful bigotry. Olympic applause to Hooper for a well-researched and well-written novel.
I discovered this gem of a novel when author Elise Hooper did a virtual appearance on one of my online book groups. I had never heard of any of the athletes whose lives Fast Girls is based on but I found the presentation interesting and looked forward to reading the book. It was an added bonus when I won a copy. We didn’t get to experience the 2020 Olympics due to the pandemic but readers of Fast Girls will still feel the spirit of the Olympics.
The 1928 Olympics allow the first ever women to compete in Track and Field. It opens many opportunities for other young ladies to try for the 1936 Olympics. Betty, Louise and Helen all come from different parts of the country and different backgrounds. But each one is determined to make their dream come true.
This story is told through a different woman’s point of view. However, all have some of the same difficulties. People, mainly men, telling them they should not run. They should not compete. It will make them too masculine. They will lose their girlish figure. The list goes on and on. And that is not even touching on the African American competitors. Their challenges were doubled and tripled and then some!
I enjoyed following these athletes through their struggles. All of these women were true leaders of their time. I don’t think I have quite understood the challenges these women athletes, which have gone before us, actually experienced. I was mesmerized through this whole tale.
This novel is very well researched and very well written! Grab your copy today!
I received a copy from Go Spark Studios for a honest review.
This novel is an enjoyable way to learn the early history of women participating on the Olympic track and field teams. The facts are well researched and the characters are wonderful.
Fast Girls will hurl you down the track of American history and have you rooting for some of the toughest underdogs ever to aspire to Olympic gold… I couldn’t put this one down.
Fast Girls by Elise Hooper is my favorite type of historical novel, as it brings to light a lesser known story of incredible women… Fast Girls is rich in historical detail and so compelling, I rooted for ‘the girls’ all the way through and found the novel impossible to put down.
Fast Girls is an inspiring tale… 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.
… A moving novel of strength, courage, and ultimately perseverance. Expertly researched and deftly crafted… I was absolutely captivated by the lives, struggles, and triumphs of Betty, Helen and Louise.
Fast Girls is a compelling, thrilling look at what it takes to be a female Olympian in pre-war America. Rich with historical detail and brilliant story-telling, the book follows three athletes on their path to compete u2060— and win u2060— in a man’s world.
4 stars
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the stories of Betty Robinson, Louise Sykes, and Helen Stephens in their pursuits to overcome obstacles to participate in the 1936 Olympics in Hitler’s Germany. I had a high school teacher-mentor who wrote about her experience of being in the stands of the 1936 Olympics.
Elise Hooper presents riveting stories of these three women. The book is an important addition in historical fictions of women gaining the right to participate in the Olympics during this time period. Thank you Harper Collins and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The 1936 Olympics are fast approaching and three women are trying to change their lives by becoming Olympiads as members of the US Track and Field team. Added to that pressure is the weight of history on their shoulders. They are part of the first contingent of women track and field athletes. The criticism about the team runs the gamut from women are too delicate to be athletes to they should just find a husband, have a passel of kids, and leave athletics to the men. The women have one goal and that is to leave the lives they’ve been living and become something more.
Elise Hooper brings the time alive for the reader, her character building is outstanding, and the Olympics come alive for us.
This book has something for everyone – strong women characters defying the times’ belief that they should stay at home, a hitherto underexplored look at the 1936 Olympics from a women’s point of view, and the tensions surrounding Hitler’s hopes that German athletes will dominate the Olympics thus proving his racist beliefs. Even if you’re not really into sports, put this book on your to-be-read list and you won’t be disappointed.
My thanks to Morrow and Goodreads for an eARC.
Thanks to Book Club Girl’s Early Read Program for a digital advance reader’s copy. All comments and opinions are my own.
I’m not a sports enthusiast, neither a participant nor spectator, but I found this to be a fascinating novel describing a lesser known story of women athletes during the 1930’s. It’s historical fiction based on several real women runners competing in the 1936 Olympics. Some of the sports names most people will recognize, but the novel focuses on the experiences of a few young unknown women. Short chapters alternating points of view between the main characters are interspersed with news articles to tell the story of these women and how they developed their running talent leading up to the Olympics. The author’s research was detailed and realistically described the time period: married women couldn’t teach high school, running was thought to make women look too masculine, athletics were considered damaging to women’s health, and the racism during this time was appalling.
The climax of the book is the 1936 Olympic competition in Berlin. Author Elise Hooper skillfully creates tension between the threatening Germans and the track competitions as the different events unfold – Who will compete? Who will be sent home? Will injuries sideline athletes? Will the Americans win the gold medals? This should be required reading for high school and college history classes. And I highly recommend it for you!
Fast Girls by Elise Hooper is an excellent historical fiction novel that is based on real barrier-breaking women that mainly focusses on three women in particular: Betty Robinson, Helen Stephens, and Louise Stokes. Three strong, talented, independent, fiery, talented, and ground-breaking women that persevered through so many barriers, trials, adversities, and nay-sayers to become successful track and field athletes that made it all the way to the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
To read so many of the things that these women had to hurdle and overcome to be part of the Olympic team that traveled to Berlin on the brink of WWII. To read their separate and intertwined stories, to read about their fears, hopes, and dreams, and to see success be achieved is very, very exciting. As a former college runner, and a huge fan of historical fiction, this book was right up my alley. I truly enjoyed it.
I also enjoyed the author’s notes of the real life women that graced these pages at the end of the book.
5/5 stars
Thank you to William Morrow/HarperCollins for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.