Great Athletes from Our First Nations.

Liz Dennett is a public service librarian in the Science and Technology
Library at the University of Alberta.

This grouping of short biographies presents success stories of North American First Nations athletes. The athletes come from a wide variety of backgrounds and First Nations groups, but they all share a common dream: to be a top athlete in their sport. The stories focus on the hard work and dedication that has been required by each of the athletes to achieve their successes. An excellent example of this is Jim Thorpe, who was sent to a hated residential school but developed a love of sports. He was eventually named the best American athlete of the first half of the 20th century by the Associated Press as a result of his pentathlon and decathlon wins at the 1912 Olympics and his success in both professional baseball and football. Other biographies of note are about Jordin Tootoo, a popular NHL star, and Alwyn Morris, an Olympic gold medalist in kayak.

In many cases these athletes are the first Native American to reach a high level in their sport. For example, Cory Witherill is the first Native American to drive in the Indy 500 and Cheri-Becerra-Madsen won the first ever Olympic medal by a female Native American in the 800-metre wheelchair race at the Atlanta games in 2006.

This collection of biographies offers an important look at athletes who are breaking down boundaries and pushing their own physical limits. Young athletes of any background will find excellent role models to inspire them to reach for their own dreams. Recommended.