Why read Bartali's Bicycle?

Book cover of Bartali's Bicycle: The True Story of Gino Bartali, Italy's Secret Hero

Book description

This 2021 National Jewish Book Award finalist by author Megan Hoyt and illustrator Iacopo Bruno brings to light the inspiring, true story of Gino Bartali, a beloved Italian cyclist and secret champion in the fight for Jewish lives during World War II.

Gino Bartali pedaled across Italy for years, winning…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Bartali's Bicycle as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Karen Gray Ruelle

Author

Gino Bartali was a world-famous champion cyclist from Italy. But the world only learned many years later that he was also secretly working for the Italian resistance during WWII to help save the lives of hundreds of Jewish men, women, and children. He acted as a courier, delivering crucial identity papers and other documents that he had rolled up and hidden in the frame of his bike. Everybody recognized the champion and cheered him on as he raced by. They assumed he was in training. They had no idea that he was using his skills to help battle the enemy…

From Karen's list on courage during the holocaust.