About BC Books Online
BC Books Online was created for anyone interested in BC-published books, and with librarians especially in mind. We'd like to make it easy for library staff to learn about books from BC publishers - both new releases and backlist titles - so you can inform your patrons and keep your collections up to date.
Our site features print books and ebooks - both new releases and backlist titles - all of which are available to order through regular trade channels. Browse our subject categories to find books of interest or create and export lists by category to cross-reference with your library's current collection.
A quick tip: When reviewing the "Browse by Category" listings, please note that these are based on standardized BISAC Subject Codes supplied by the books' publishers. You will find additional selections, grouped by theme or region, in our "BC Reading Lists."
Description
At the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics an unknown Vancouver runner named Percy Williams shocked the sports world by capturing the 100- and 200-metre gold medals. Some said the feat was a fluke. It wasn't. In 1929 Percy silenced naysayers by sweeping the US indoor track circuit, then he went on to set a world record in the 100 metres that would stand until the arrival of Jesse Owens. And in between he waged a speed duel with the fleetest men on the planet, a battle for track supremacy and the title “World's Fastest Human.” Based on extensive research that included access to Percy's private letters, diary and scrapbooks, I Just Ran is the first full-length account of this sports legend, one of the most famous Canadians of his day but now largely forgotten. It begins as the Cinderella story of a youth who conquers a sport dominated by American sprinters. Then it gets grittier, for success and fame had a dark side. I Just Ran follows Percy and his janitor-coach Bob Granger as they journey through the world of elite running in the 1920s and '30s — a world that was not always pretty beneath the veneer of amateurism.
Awards
- Winner, Silver Medal 2012 Independent Publisher Book Award
Editorial Reviews
“I Just Ran is a classic story of an unwilling hero’s journey. The prose is beautiful and the book includes photographs of Williams, his family, and the coach who nurtured and supported his athletic career.” —Norah Myers, Canada’s History
“If you’re into memoirs or biographies, I strongly recommend I Just Ran…” —Literary Press Group
“Hawley’s compelling biography draws from Williams’ private archives of letters, diaries and scrapbooks and traces his movement through the world of elite running in the 1920s and 1930s, to his life and death beyond the track.” —K. Jane Watt, British Columbia History
“This thought-provoking book leaves the reader pondering the psychological cost of achieving too much at too young an age and then not being able to cope with the acclaim that comes following that.” —CBC Books
“Samuel Hawley, a Kingston writer and historian, has penned a masterful account of Williams’ spectacular rise and fall, drawing on the sprinter’s private letters, diary, and scrapbooks.” —Ottawa Citizen
“If there has been a more thorough and necessary sports biography of a British Columbian in recent decades, we haven’t seen it.” —BC Bookworld
“Hawley has produced an outstanding re-creation of the complexities of [Percy’s] life by an exhaustive use of every personal and media reference.” —Doug Clement
“Hawley has produced an outstanding re-creation of the complexities of [Percy’s] life by an exhaustive use of every personal and media reference.” —Doug Clement
“Hawley’s compelling biography draws from Williams’ private archives of letters, diaries and scrapbooks and traces his movement through the world of elite running in the 1920s and 1930s, to his life and death beyond the track.” —K. Jane Watt, British Columbia History
“I Just Ran is a classic story of an unwilling hero’s journey. The prose is beautiful and the book includes photographs of Williams, his family, and the coach who nurtured and supported his athletic career.” —Norah Myers, Canada’s History
“If there has been a more thorough and necessary sports biography of a British Columbian in recent decades, we haven’t seen it.” —BC Bookworld
“This thought-provoking book leaves the reader pondering the psychological cost of achieving too much at too young an age and then not being able to cope with the acclaim that comes following that.” —CBC Books
“Samuel Hawley, a Kingston writer and historian, has penned a masterful account of Williams’ spectacular rise and fall, drawing on the sprinter’s private letters, diary, and scrapbooks.” —Ottawa Citizen
“If you’re into memoirs or biographies, I strongly recommend I Just Ran.” —Literary Press Group
