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Races

The Trials and Triumphs of Canada's Fastest Family

Valerie Jerome

Races book cover image

September 12, 2023

Goose Lane Editions

  • Nonfiction

Races

The Trials and Triumphs of Canada's Fastest Family

Valerie Jerome

The inside track on an under-told story about the intersection of race and sports in Canada.

In the 1960s, Harry Jerome set 7 world records, including the 100-yard dash, earning him the title of the world’s fastest man. His grandfather, John “Army” Howard, was Canada’s first Black Olympian, running in Stockholm in 1912 against nearly impossible odds. Harry’s sister, Valerie, competed for Canada at the 1960 Rome Olympics. With Races, Valerie Jerome sets the record straight on her heroic family’s history, and the racism they fought along the way — from their community, the press, their country, and even inside their family home.