The Race to Be Myself Young Readers Edition

Gr 6 Up–On the eve of her first world championship in 2009, middle-distance runner Caster Semenya was forced to take a gender test. The test confirmed that she has a genetic condition referred to as a difference in sex development. The leaked test results launched a storm of speculation that overshadowed her storied career, including three world championships and Olympic gold medals in 2012 and 2016. Though others have labeled her as intersex, Semenya describes herself as a proud Black South African woman, daughter, sister, wife, and mother to two young girls. With engaging prose and color photos, she tells her story starting with childhood in a rural village in Northern South Africa. Semenya was a strong-willed “tomboy,” but always felt accepted by her loving family. Semenya’s parents and older family members lived much of their lives under apartheid, and their experiences inspire her to speak out and fight against injustice. As she contemplates the end of her career, Semenya hopes her story will help others accept themselves amid a more tolerant world. Suggest to readers who’ve enjoyed Tommie Smith’s Victory. Stand! Raising My Fist for Justice and Megan Rapinoe’s One Life: Young Readers Edition.