SPORTS
Williams-Garcia, Rita

Florence Griffith Joyner

(3) K-3 She Persisted series. Illustrated by Gillian Flint. When Joyner faced a (figurative) hurdle in life, she "remembered her mother's words: 'Move on.' And she did." One of eleven siblings, Joyner grew up in LA in a Watts housing project; from the start, the future track star and style iconoclast worked hard and focused on her Olympic dreams. Novelist Williams-Garcia's engaging text covers Joyner's career highlights as well as the obstacles she faced in becoming an Olympic champion. As with previous entries in this chapter-book biography series, short chapters are broken up by friendly black-and-white illustrations. Williams-Garcia concludes her narrative with eight "ideas to encourage your own self-expression and your personal quest to excel." An extensive list of sources is appended.

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