The Jamaican Bobsled Captain
Ben Stubenberg
North Street Book Prize 2025 (view all the winners)
First Prize, Creative Nonfiction
Critiqu
e by Jendi Reiter
Ben Stubenberg's The Jamaican Bobsled Captain: Dudley "Tal" Stokes and the untold story of struggle, suffering, and redemption behind "Cool Runnings" is a book that makes me glad we expanded our Creative Nonfiction category to include narrative journalism and biography. A former U.S. government worker, private pilot, and current newspaper reporter in his adopted home of Turks and Caicos Islands, Stubenberg is dedicated to chronicling the cultures and history of the Caribbean.
First-round judge Annie Mydla appreciated how the deep dive into technical details of bobsled strategy and construction "defeats the Disney movie myth of 'happy-go-lucky poor Black guys win a moral victory just by being themselves'. Surprise, surprise, the bobsledders aren't just happy-go-lucky mad lads—they are serious, analytical men who persevered through much racism and ridicule. I'm glad that this story is being told more seriously."
I didn't expect this book to win me over—I never saw Cool Runnings, and when I last paid attention to the Olympics, all I cared about was gymnastics and figure skating. (Surya Bonaly was robbed!) I also wondered whether the topic was timely and significant enough to warrant another book-length treatment. I'm glad I was wrong.
The best journalistic feature stories dramatize individual lives as a case study for larger social issues. Here, the unlikely journey of Jamaican athletes to the Winter Olympics takes us behind the scenes to witness the technical calculations, judgment calls, and occasional skullduggery that go into to shaving that crucial hundreth of a second off one's racing time. There's no truth to the stereotype of sports as un-intellectual. It's a science and a big business—one in which the majority of athletes take a financial loss to chase the possibility of stardom. We learn about Cold War politics, the legacy of colonialism in the Caribbean, and the racial and economic inequalities that influence who makes it to the podium.
The writing style was clear but without much of a literary voice. In the passages where the author paused the narrative for editorial summing-up of its themes, there were too many clichés and mixed metaphors. However, he excelled at sketching his characters in brief memorable paragraphs, so that I was rarely confused despite the large number of people mentioned. The story moved swiftly from one dramatic turning point to another. Whether you're a sports fan, a movie fan, or just someone who wants to read a story of perseverance, there's something in this book to engage you.
Read an excerpt from The Jamaican Bobsled Captain (PDF)
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