Hearts of Gold : Stories of Courage, Dedication, and Triumph from Canadian Olympians

Rating:
Summary: Informative and important
Review: So may of today's sports headlines are about the negative aspects of sport. In this age of drug scandals, bribery allegations, labour unrest and general selfishness in sport, it is sometimes good to remind ourselves of the postive stories of triumph over adversity, success of the human spirit and the glory of athletics.

In Hearts of Gold by Lorne Zeiler, we are reminded of this very fact. The author has profiled around 30 Canadian Olympians in easy-to-read and inexpensive format. Each profile is centered around a particular incident that showcases the athlete's spirit and heart, and the author fills in biographical detail in context.

I learned so much from Hearts of Gold and it has reinvigourated me to learn more about the athletes thet have worn the Maple Leaf for the past 100 years. Though every athlete in this book didn't win a gold medal, they all ceratinly proved that they had the spirit and the sportsmanship to do so. It seems to me that that is what Olympic competition is really all about.

Thank you Lorne Zeiler for bringing this delightful book into the world. Every fan of sport would do well to read Hearts of Gold and remind themselves why they fell in love with it in the first place.

Rating:
Summary: How About a Sequel?!
Review: This is an excellent book and is very well written. It clearly and accurately presents the athletes' Olympic achievements, background, and what they are doing now. It is divided into seven sections: Honourable Conduct, Staying on Track, Overcoming Physical Adversity, Of Principles, Innovators, Determination, and Grace in Defeat. Athletes featured are Larry Lemieux, Phil Edwards, Alywn Morris, Chrissy Redden, Sharon Donnelly, Silken Laumann, Gaetan Boucher, Elvis Stojko, Anne Ottenbrite, Irene MacDonald, Egerton Marcus, Sammy Luftspring, Becky Scott, The Matchless Six (the first 6 women to represent Canada at the Olympics), Arnold Boldt, Percy Williams, Bill Sherring, George Hungerford and Roger Jackson, Sylvie Frechette, and Jamie Sale and David Pelletier.

This book leaves you wanting more stories about Canadian Olympians. Clara Hughes and Simon Whitfield come to mind and I hope they are included in a sequel. Lorne Zeiler's clear writing style makes this book appropriate for pre-teens to adults.