Strong As Sandow

How Eugen Sandow
Became the Strongest
Man on Earth 

Charlesbridge

(pub. 8.22.2017)
40 pages

A True Tale with
A Cherry On Top   

A uthor 
    and illustrator: Don Tate

C haracter: Eugen Sandow

O verview from the jacket flap: 

     "As a boy, Eugen Sandow was sickly and weak. But his spirit was strong. Through exercise and healthy living, he built himself up to be one of the strongest men on earth.
     Sampson and Cyclops were also strong. The brawny brutes flexed their mighty muscles, lifted heavy weights, and hoisted horses and elephants like they were feathers.
     Who would dare try to defeat them in a contest of strength?...
     Ezra Jack Keats Book Award winner Don Tate tells the larger-than-life story of Eugen Sandow, the father of modern-day bodybuilding and a champion of healthy living for all.

T antalizing taste: 
      

     "Strong and Stronger
     Prussia to Belgium 1885?-1887
     One day a traveling circus rolled into town. Friedrich [his name before he changed it to Eugen] snuck away from school to watch. He was starstruck by the performers - tumblers, wrestlers, acrobats, strongmen. The lure was simply too much to resist. Friedrich left the university and joined the circus. He became an acrobat. 
     Life as an acrobat was physically demanding. Friedrich tumbled and bent and balances. He flipped and flopped and stood on his hands. Soon he began to notice in his body: his muscles wee getting bigger and stronger."

 

and something more: In the Author's Note, Don Tate discusses what drew him to tell the story of Eugen Sandow:  "As a kid, I was skinny. Recognizing my anxiety about it, my dad bought me a bench press and a copy of the The Bodybuilder's Nutrition Book.  It featured nutrition information, along with photos of famous bodybuilders... I dreamed of someday having powerful muscles like them." And then, in his 30s, Don Tate began his "bodybuilding journey" and eventually took and first and second in a contest. And the book includes a photo of Don Tate in 1998 in the Upper Midwest Natural Bodybuilding Championships.
   I was interested to learn that "writing Sandow's story was challenging" for Don Tate because of limited records about Sandow and varied stories about Sandow and his past and accomplishments.  Don Tate explained his goal for the book: "to tell the story as I think Sandow would have wanted it told, fanciful as that might be. Regardless of his true origins (and a few less-than-admirable things I learned about him) the story of Eugen Sandow is an important one. His tale of sickly kid turned physical-fitness guru and self-made businessman inspired millions of people... [He showed] how a healthy body is necessary for a healthy mind. His lesson rings true today."