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Sixteen Years In Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story

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This is a biography of Sammy Lee. He was an Olympic gold metalist. Sammy faced lots of prejudice in his life because he was Korean. He was only allowed in public pools on ceratain days. He never let this get him down this make him want to work harder. Before reading this book I had never heard of Sammy Lee. I enjoyed reading his biography. Sammy Lee never gave up on his dreams. He always tried his best. He is a great role model for kids today.

A Lee & Low New Voices Award Winner, Sixteen Years In Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story is a picturebook based on the true story of the Korean American boy Sammy Lee. In 1932, when Sammy Lee was twelve, he wanted to dive at the public pool - but like all persons of color, he was allowed to use the pool only one day a week. But his passion for diving did not cool, and for sixteen years, he struggled to balance his dream of becoming an Olympic diver with following his father's wishes and becoming a doctor. In 1948, Dr. Sammy Lee earned his place in Olympic history and became the first Asian American to win a gold medal. Sammy Lee's remarkable story, elegantly told by Paula Yoo and illustrated by Dom Lee with soft, semi-impressionistic style artwork, is an inspirational testimony for young readers about the infinite potential within oneself, and the opportunities one can reach for in America.

I truly enjoyed the Sammy Lee Story. What a great tribute to such an amazing historical diving figure. The illustrations were lovely!

Sammy Lee wanted to dive. Locked out of the public pools, he dreamed and practiced, and found a coach.

His father wanted something more stable for Sammy, so Sammy did the responsbile thing. He became a doctor and fulfilled his duty to his father.

And still he dreamed... and practiced. And at age 28, he won Olympic Gold.

Great story for any boy.

Did you know that in 1932, a sign on a public swimming pool that read "Members Only" really meant that only whites were permitted to enter except on certain days? That year, Sammy Lee, the twelve-year-old son of Korean immigrants who ran a restaurant in Highland Park, CA, stood outside the swimming pool fence one hot summer day and saw a boy diving high in the air and breaking the water with hardly a splash. Sammy decided that he wanted to learn how to do that. The following Wednesday, when people of color were allowed to use the pool, his African American friend Hart Crum showed him how to dive doing somersaults. With the summer Olympics being held in nearby Los Angeles that year, Sammy dreamed of becoming an Olympic champion diver.
However, Sammy's father wanted him to become a doctor rather than an athlete. Six years later, when he was eighteen, Sammy was attending a swim and diving competition, and between meets, he sneaked into the pool area to practice. Jim Ryan saw him and agreed to become his coach. Sammy managed to keep his grades up while practicing diving, becoming the first nonwhite elected student body president in his high school and being offered a full scholarship at Occidental College in Los Angeles. Yet, he still faced discrimination, and his grades fell during his first year of college because he spent more time diving than studying. After seeing a rude customer berating his father in the restaurant and his father responding without losing his temper, Sammy understood why his father wanted him to do well in school. They struck a deal that Sammy could continue diving as long as his grades were good enough for medical school.
The 1940 Olympics were cancelled because of World War II, and Sammy thought his Olympic dreams were dead. He did go on to become a doctor in the Army in 1946, but that year he also entered the national diving championship, winning the high-platform dive with the highest score ever, and was able to enter the London, England, Olympics in 1948. While he continued to face discrimination, rather than getting angry he decided to prove his worth in the Olympics and show that people should not be judged by the color of their skin. What happened in those sixteen seconds that followed sixteen years of training? Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds, the true story of Dr. Sammy Lee, has deservedly won numerous book awards including the New Voices Award. It is a wonderful story of dreaming, working hard, overcoming challenges, and being victorious. While it will be of special interest to children of Asian American descent, it illustrates for us all what Sammy's father had told him. "In America, you can achieve anything if you set your heart to it."

This is one of those fabulous books that makes kids curious about learning. The story of Sammy Lee's fight for racial freedom, his struggle balanding his father's wishes and his own, and of his determination in all his endeavours is nothing short of inspiring. His struggle as a Korean American trying to become an Olympic swimmer was so inspiring that I almost cried.

Any child who reads this book will, by the end, have no doubt that the final phrase is true: "In America, you can achieve anything if you set your heart to it." As such, this is a great story for a teacher to read with his class. Young students have often been known to be lazy and to feel entitled. This book will help them understand that it is not that way for everyone, that struggling is a part of life, and it will hopefully inspire them to work harder, especially in the face of difficulty.

In the summary, it says "Sammy Lee's story of determination and triumph sets an extraordinary example for anyone striving to fulfill a dream." I couldn't have said it better myself. I can't over-express how true that statement is.

All this raving, and I haven't yet said anything about the gorgeous illustrations. Each image was beautifully drawn with such obivous love and care that they were all inspiriations in and of themselves.

I think most people could benefit from this book, and it is such a pleasant read that I think anyone would enjoy it. It is especially great, though, for classroom reading, especially in more underprivileged areas.

At age twelve Sammy Lee, the son of Korean American immigrants, sets a lofty goal of winning an Olympic gold medal in diving. Sammy faces formidable odds including limited access to the public pool due to restrictions for people of color. While Sammy's father reminds him that, "In America, you can achieve anything if you set your heart to it," his father encourages him to limit his diving practice and set his sights instead on becoming a doctor. While in a US Army medical school program, Sammy receives permission to take time out at age twenty-eight to train for the 1948 Olympic diving team. All of Sammy's Olympic dreams come down to an incredible sixteen second dive that wins him the gold medal. The exquisite illustrations enhance this compelling story and the author's note provides fascinating background information to enhance the telling of the emotional journey of young Sammy Lee.

This book is perfect for children of all races, ages, nationalities, and backgrounds. It is the story of Sammy Lee, the first Korean-American (and Asian-American) to win a gold medal for the United States in the Olympics. Following in the footsteps of Jesse Owens and others who came before him, Sammy Lee had one passion in his life: to dive professionally and as often as he could. While his father was adamant on his becoming a doctor instead, he promised Sammy that he could dive, so long as it did not interfere with his studies in becoming a doctor.

Remarkably, Sammy did both. This is his story.

In an era when even Olympic gold medalists were not allowed to eat in the same 'white-only' restaurants as his companions and fellow athletes, Sammy broke the color barrier himself in his own field, and proved to the world that you can do whatever you set your mind to. It is a courageous story of overcoming obstacles, defeating adversities, and making the most out of what you have been given. Not only is this an important tale for children, but even adults can find inspiration in these pages. I know I did.

Simply written, beautifully illustrated, and provocative on many levels, Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds is a must-read for anyone who could use a little extra inspiration in their lives. What a truly outstanding piece outlining a truly outstanding story and life!

The true story of Dr. Sammy Lee and his journey to become the first Asian American Olympic gold medal champion while overcoming incredible obstacles, discrimination, and hardships is both inspiring and fascinating to read. Paula Yoo did a great job telling the story in a way that makes it easy for the reader to connect with the character, and Dom Lee's beautiful illustrations remind us of old photographs and are an integral part of the book. The book touches on many important themes such as pursuing your dreams and believing in yourself, even if the odds are stacked against you, and I will highly recommend it to all of my friends and family.

My kids were amazed that Dr. Lee accomplished so much after dealing with so much discrimination. He is an inspiration to everyone and is a proud citizen of this country. The illustrations are wonderful. Just a note - the book implies that his father only wanted him to be a doctor - he says his father supported both of his dreams - to become a doctor and to be a diver. He became successful at both, and more.