Joe’s rough start and the struggle he went through in his early years makes winning the Olympic gold medal in 1936 more meaningful and inspiring than it might have been otherwise. As a child of only 10 years, Joe faced many difficult hardships he thought would never end. From his mother dying, to being kicked out of his only home and being abandoned by his own father, he was very persistent to get what he wanted in life and to get where he wanted to be in life as well, which ultimately in exchange, led him and his meritable teammates to winning the Olympic gold medal. I find this story extraordinarily ironic due to the fact that Joe took himself and what he had, which was nothing, and made it and himself into something. All of the many difficult obstacles he faced and overcome makes it extremely difficult to believe that he had as much optimism as he did growing up …show more content…
Joe and his teammates, who he became very close and good friends with, had to work together precisely in pursuit of winning the gold medal. His teammates also struggled with life in the past, outside of the Olympics. Some of his teammates included working class men who were in poverty, just as Joe. I believe Joe and the others who were on his team won because of the dedication they put forth and how they all related to each other in similar ways. The fearful beginnings they all had motivated them to do their very best in the end. A significant phrase from the author of this book was “There were glimmers of better times to come, but they were just glimmers.” The definition of the word glimmer is to shine faintly and have an unsteady reflection. Joe was not quite sure of what his future held for him but he had hope for it and faith that he would outshine and become