Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds

By Paula Yoo, Dom Lee (Illustrator)

A Korean American boy defies discrimination to pursue Olympic diving dreams and his father's medical aspirations.

4.2/5 Goodreads · 263 ratings

32 pages

$11.95Save 5%

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Bookroo's summary

In 1932, young Sammy Lee dreams of diving, but racial barriers limit his pool access. Torn between his father's wish for him to become a doctor and his own Olympic aspirations, Sammy faces a sixteen-year journey of perseverance. In 1948, he makes history as the first Asian American Olympic gold medalist. Can Sammy balance his dual dreams and overcome the odds?

From the publisher

Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature Winner - Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA)The inspirational true story of Sammy Lee, a Korean American who overcame discrimination to realize both his father’s desire that he become a doctor and his own dream of becoming an Olympic champion diver.On a summer day in 1932, twelve-year-old Sammy Lee watched enviously as divers catapulted into the public swimming pool. Sammy desperately wanted to try diving himself, but the Korean American boy – like any person of color – was only allowed to use the pool one day a week. This discrimination did not weaken Sammy’s newfound passion for diving, and soon he began a struggle between his dream of becoming an Olympic champion and his father’s wish for him to become a doctor. Over sixteen years Sammy faced numerous challenges, but he overcame them all and fulfilled both his dream and his father’s. In 1948 Dr. Sammy Lee dove into Olympic history. A matter of seconds after his final platform dive, the scores appeared and Sammy Lee became the first Asian American to win an Olympic gold medal. Sammy Lee’s story of determination and triumph sets an extraordinary example for anyone striving to fulfill a dream. Winner of Lee &amp; Low’s New Voices Award, Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds will inspire all who read it.