Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story, by Paula Yoo
Wednesday, May 13th, 2009
The picture book biography Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story, illustrated by Dom Lee, was Korean-American writer Paula Yoo‘s first book. Her book contract came as a result of her manuscript winning the 2003 Lee & Low “New Voices Award“, an award which, since 2000, has been encouraging narratives that children of color can relate to and identify with.
Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds is the story of the prejudices and challenges faced by Sammy Lee on his journey to become the first Asian-American (and the first Korean-American) to win an Olympic Gold Medal, in 1948. The book received a string of well-deserved accolades, and Paula has since written Good Enough (HarperTeens, 2008), a young adult novel about a first-generation Korean-American teen that tries to both fit in and stand out, and the upcoming new picture book biography, illustrated by Lin Wang, Shining Star: The Anna May Wong Story (Lee & Low), about the first Chinese-American movie star to break into Hollywood and to crusade for more meaningful roles for Asian-American actors.
For more on Paula Yoo’s books, check her website and blog. And see here for details on Lee & Low’s “New Voices Award”, which is accepting submissions until Sep 31, 2009. And speaking of awards, on Jun 1 PaperTigers current focus on Korea will give way to new features focusing on the theme of “Book Awards.” Keep your eyes peeled!
