Highly Recommended: WINGS OF AN EAGLE: THE GOLD MEDAL DREAMS OF BILLY MILLS, by Billy Mills and Donna Janell Bowman, illustrated by S. D. Nelson

                  HIGHLY RECOMMENDED 

Wings of an Eagle: The Gold Medal Dreams of Billy Mills

by Billy Mills (Oglala Lakota) and Donna Janell Bowman (not Native)

Illustrated by S. D. Nelson (Standing Rock Sioux Tribe)

Published in 2024

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Reader

Reviewer: Debbie Reese

Review Status: Highly Recommended

****

I spent several hours over the last two weeks, watching the 2024 Olympics. Part way in, I saw that Billy Mills was there. He was sharing photos to his Facebook page. I pulled up the video of his race and shared it with my family. I've seen it many times before, but every time I watch it, I feel a huge surge of excitement. And joy, and pride. Take a look:

Pretty cool, isn't it?!

Now, order a copy of his autobiographical picture book, Wings of an Eagle: The Gold Medal Dreams of Billy Mills! I've heard him speak and know some of his life story but I'm really glad to see his book. Published on July 2, 2024 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, I got my copy during the 2024 Olympics. 

There are many pages that stood out as I read the book. His parents died when he was a child. His dad's words after his mother's death become a refrain as he grows into adulthood. A photographer asked him to step away from a group of runners because of his skin color. 

In this post, I focus on the page in his adulthood when he's a Marine at a base in California. Up to then, he ran in high school at Haskell Institute in Kansas, and then in college at the University of Kansas. On the page where he talks about the grueling training he does while he's in the Marines, we read:

I visualize the finish-line tape breaking across my chest 

again and again, 

as if fueled by Indigenous ancestors

who didn't give up when all odds were against them.

Their footsteps are etched into the earth

like a story waiting to be told.

When I qualify for the 1964 Olympics,

I carry the hopes of many.

Because we are stronger together.

I'm going to repeat (and put in bold) some of those words, here: "fueled by Indigenous ancestors who didn't give up when all odds were against them." Across the US and Canada, I hear similar words from Native people. Fueled by Indigenous ancestors who didn't give up. Heck, that guides me, too! When things feel weighty I remember Po'Pay and Pueblo ancestors who didn't give up in the 1500s when European invaders sought to destroy us. Native leaders negotiated to protect the generations that came after them. I suppose some of you are thinking my words here are sappy, but that's ok. I'm here. Billy's here. We're here. 

And he's leading, still! Mills established an organization called Running Strong for American Indian Youth. The final pages of the book provide many photos of his work with youth. Back matter also includes a terrific note from Mills, one from the illustrator, S. D. Nelson, and one from the co-author, Donna Janell Bowman. If you've heard me in a professional development workshop, you know I direct teachers, librarians, parents, and caregivers to study the back matter before using the book with children! There, you'll get information you probably never had before you picked up this wonderful book. 

Update at 4PM on August 13: There's a curriculum guide! Written by Dr. Natalie Martinez! She rocks. Download and use it. 

I'll end this review with a request to get multiple copies of the book for your classroom and school library, and with S.D. Nelson's illustration of Billy crossing the finish line. See the joy in Billy's face? And look at that eagle (remember I said his dad's words become a refrain?)! Highly recommended!