TWIST, TUMBLE, TRIUMPH

A champion athlete soared in more ways than one.

When Hungarian gymnast Ágnes Keleti twirled through the air, she forgot about war and the oppression she and other Jewish people faced after the Nazis came to power. But she couldn’t forget forever: Her coach explained that Jews were now barred from the gym. A fellow Jewish athlete told her about his secret training place—a local school gym—and invited Ágnes to join him. Practicing clandestinely worked temporarily, until the Nazis overtook Budapest. A determined Ágnes refused to wear the yellow star required of all Jewish people and urged her family to go into hiding. Her mother and sister left almost immediately; her father refused to abandon his factory. Ágnes, too famous to remain in Budapest, departed for a small village with documents purchased from a Christian woman and became a maid for a pro-Nazi family. After the war, Ágnes reunited with her mother and sister but learned her father had perished at Auschwitz. Focused on the future, Ágnes ultimately won the Hungarian National Championship again and triumphed at the 1952 Olympics. Readers will appreciate this inspiring tale that addresses the anguish Ágnes endured while emphasizing her indomitable spirit; young people will eagerly cheer her on. The energetic, stylized illustrations depicting Ágnes’ gymnastics routines serve as an effective metaphor for her endurance in the face of oppression. Period details are depicted well.

A stirring expression of the triumph of the human spirit.