Description:
In 1985, sixth-grader Marion Jones wrote a brief essay about herself: My plans for the future are to be in the 1992 Olympics. I've been training a lot, and the boys at my school are good practice. I know if I don't get in the Olympics I have to have a backup so I plan to be an electrical engineer like my uncle. In 1992 Jones did make the Olympic team, albeit as an alternate on the 4x100-meter relay team. She turned it down because she didn't want her first gold medal to be one she didn't sweat for herself. In 1996 a broken foot kept her sidelined. But in September 2000, Marion Jones will try to do what no one else has ever done: win five gold medals in track in the Olympics. Looks like she won't need to become an electrical engineer after all. Keeping up with the fastest woman in the world is no easy task, but Ron Rapoport handled it well, following Jones during the 1999 outdoor track circuit. The result is See How She Runs, a warm tribute to Mrs. Jones and her quest for Olympic gold. This is no fluff piece; Rapoport describes Jones's troubled relationships with her mother and estranged father, the tense situation when she quit the Tar Heels basketball team to concentrate solely on track, and the painful injuries she has suffered. The picture that emerges through it all is of a superstar in the making--a gifted, driven, charismatic athlete who runs like the wind. A wonderful read. -Sunny Delaney
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