Non-fiction book about Gino Bartali
Road to Valour: A True Story of World War II Italy, the Nazis, and the Cyclist Who Inspired a Nation is a non-fiction book about the humanitarian and two-time Tour de France-winning cyclist, Gino Bartali, which was written by Aili and Andres McConnon and first published in 2012.
The book chronicles Bartali's journey from poverty as a child in Tuscany to a career as a professional cyclist that saw him win the Tour de France in 1938 and 1948. It also highlights his efforts to assist groups politically targeted in World War II-era Italy, including smuggling false identity documents and sheltering a Jewish family.
Reception
On September 8, 2012, the book was number eight after a five-week period on the Maclean's Non-Fiction Bestseller List.[1]
Critical reception
Ben Reiter of Sports Illustrated praised the book's “exhaustive research,” and compared it to Laura Hillenbrand's “Seabiscuit: An American Legend.”[2] Bill Littlefield reviewed the book for NPR[3] and in The Boston Globe, praised the authors for telling the story of Bartali's "great and greater victories powerfully and well.”[4] The Globe and Mail called it “(i)mpeccably researched and thrillingly told."[5] Publishers Weekly found it to be “both inspiring and immensely enjoyable.”[6] Booklist described it as a "dramatic and moving story that is virtually unknown to most readers."[5] Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel described Bartali's story as "a moving example of moral courage."[5]
Honors
Road to Valour won the Mazzei Prize from the National Italian-American Foundation in 2012,[7] a Christopher Award,[8] and the Canadian Jewish Book Award for biography in 2013.[9] It was also shortlisted as a finalist for the 2013 PEN/ESPN Prize for Literary Sports Writing.[10]
References