TRAVELING SHOES

A glowing portrait of an African American track and field star who competed in five Olympics and was the first American female long jumper to medal.

With the avowed intent of inspiring readers to “dream big, prepare to win, and keep their luggage packed,” Duncan frames her well-traveled subject’s long career as a free verse highlight reel—beginning at the “starting block” in Mississippi, where she was raised by her grandparents, since her birth parents were unwilling or unable to do so, and ending with reflections on her achievements: “When you succeed and give your all, / people will still forget. / The halls of fame include my name. / Remember my joy and shine.” Along with glancing references to raised fists and terrorist acts, reminiscences of experiences at the Olympics and other games during the 1960s and ’70s are interspersed with direct motivational quotes: “People are always trying to take away my smile, but it’s mine and they can’t have it.” Indeed, that smile shines out both in a photo of White with Wilma Rudolph and other team members at the end and in Mallett’s luminous depictions of a red-haired, brown-skinned “Wild Child” racing right past older contestants at a high school tryout, taking a blurred “jump at the sun” in Mexico City, and landing triumphantly in a shower of sand in the 1963 Pan American Games against a background of Civil Rights–era protest banners.

Shines a light on a worthy role model in need of fresh recognition.