Program Description
Description
This program features Elise Hooper, author of Fast Girls: A Novel of the 1936 Women's Olympic Team, in a special presentation for the 2020 Capital READ. In her book, Hooper tells the compelling stories of three trail-blazing women track stars--Betty Robinson, Helen Stephens and Louise Stokes--who broke social and cultural barriers during a time when few women were allowed to participate in serious athletic events. Hooper will describe how her characters found their way into athletics, the obstacles and adversities they faced, and the different paths they took to achieve their dream to participate in the Olympics. In addition to her extensive research in historical societies and libraries, she visited with family members and acquaintances of the women and, along the way, had some fortuitous experiences that enhanced the novel's narrative arc.