The Best and Worst of the Olympics
The Best and Worst of the Olympics

Author: David Kohn

Publisher: Independently Published

Published: 2024-06-30

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13:

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Suitable for sports enthusiasts of all ages, this book captures the triumph and tragedy of the greatest show on earth, the Summer Olympics. The 50 stories take you into the greatest moments ever from over 100 years of the Games ... and the worst. There are tales of great personal heroism and battling against the odds, of thrilling duels, of winning teamwork, of innovators who reinvented their sport, of magical nights and of performances that were simply brilliant. And there are tales of cheating and drug taking, of incredibly bad luck, of refereeing injustices, of moments of stupidity, of seriously bad politics and many other scandals. Readers will be familiar with some of the moments and athletes, but will learn more about the personal back-stories or the historical context in which events played out. Other stories will be new to all but Olympic aficionados. It's a book that can be read in one sitting or dipped into from time to time. There really is something for everyone in The Best and Worst of the Olympics

Rome 1960
Rome 1960

Author: David Maraniss

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2008-07

Total Pages: 500

ISBN-13: 1416534075

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An account of the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome reveals the competition's unexpected influence on the modern world, in a narrative synopsis that pays tribute to such athletes as Cassius Clay and Wilma Rudolph while evaluating the roles of Cold War propaganda, civil rights, and politics. 250,000 first printing.

The Best Olympics Ever?
The Best Olympics Ever?

Author: Helen Jefferson Lenskyj

Publisher: State University of New York Press

Published: 2012-02-01

Total Pages: 273

ISBN-13: 0791488101

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Despite International Olympic Committee president Juan Antonio Samarach's proclaiming the Sydney 2000 Olympics as the "best ever," the truth of the matter is much less one-sided. In The Best Olympics Ever? Helen Jefferson Lenskyj discloses what the Sydney 2000 Olympic industry suppressed: the real costs and impacts.

Dancing with the Devil in the City of God
Dancing with the Devil in the City of God

Author: Juliana Barbassa

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2015-07-28

Total Pages: 352

ISBN-13: 1476756279

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From prizewinning journalist and Brazilian native Juliana Barbassa comes a deeply reported and beautifully written account of the seductive and chaotic city of Rio de Janeiro as it struggles with poverty and corruption on the brink of the 2016 Olympic Games. Juliana Barbassa moved a great deal throughout her life, but Rio was always home. After twenty-one years abroad, she returned to find her native city—once ravaged by inflation, drug wars, corrupt leaders, and dying neighborhoods—undergoing a major change. Rio has always aspired to the pantheon of global capitals, and under the spotlight of the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games it seems that its moment has come. But in order to prepare itself for the world stage, Rio must vanquish the entrenched problems that Barbassa recalls from her childhood. Turning this beautiful but deeply flawed place into a pristine showcase of the best that Brazil has to offer in just a few years is a tall order—and with the whole world watching, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Library Journal called Dancing with the Devil in the City of God “akin to Charlie LeDuff’s Detroit”—a book that “combines history and personal interviews in an informative and engaging work.” This kaleidoscopic portrait of Rio introduces the reader to the people who make up this city of extremes, revealing their aspirations and their grit, their violence, their hungers, and their splendor, and shedding light on the future of this city they are building together. Dancing with the Devil in the City of God is an insider perspective from a native daughter and “a fascinating look at the people who live in and aspire to change one of the world’s most impressive cities” (Booklist, starred review).

Total Olympics
Total Olympics

Author: Jeremy Fuchs

Publisher: Workman Publishing Company

Published: 2021-05-11

Total Pages: 336

ISBN-13: 1523510897

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An amusing miscellany of more than 100 years of legendary, obscure, hilarious, and inspiring Olympics history, including the heroes, the records, the forgotten moments, the sports themselves (ski ballet? tug of war? firefighting?), the controversies, and the athletes who achieved Olympic glory (or shame).

The 4 Year Olympian
The 4 Year Olympian

Author: Jeremiah Brown

Publisher: Dundurn

Published: 2018-03-24

Total Pages: 374

ISBN-13: 1459741331

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Improbable, heart-wrenching, and uplifting, Jeremiah Brown’s journey from novice rower to Olympic silver medallist in under four years is a story about chasing a goal with everything you’ve got. After nearly being incarcerated at age seventeen and becoming a father at nineteen, Jeremiah Brown manages to grow up into a responsible young adult. But while juggling the demands of a long-term relationship, fatherhood, mortgage payments, and a nine-to-five banking career, he feels something is missing. A new goal captures his imagination: What would it take to become an Olympian? Guided by a polarizing coach, Brown and his teammates plumb the depths of physical and mental exertion in pursuit of a singular goal. The 4 Year Olympian is a story of courage, perseverance, and overcoming self-doubt, told from the perspective of an unlikely competitor.

The Long-Lost Secret Diary of the World's Worst Olympic Athlete
The Long-Lost Secret Diary of the World's Worst Olympic Athlete

Author: Tim Collins

Publisher: North Star Editions, Inc.

Published: 2020-09-01

Total Pages: 146

ISBN-13: 163163447X

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Meet Alexander—a boy living in Athens, Greece, in 380 BC. The famous Olympic games are just around the corner, and he gets to go and assist one of Athens’ prized athletes. But when the athlete gets sick the day of his competition, can Alexander uncover the plot against Athens and prove himself a hero?

Brave Enough
Brave Enough

Author: Jessie Diggins

Publisher: U of Minnesota Press

Published: 2020-03-10

Total Pages: 376

ISBN-13: 1452962006

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Travel with Olympic gold medalist Jessie Diggins on her compelling journey from America’s heartland to international sports history, navigating challenges and triumphs with rugged grit and a splash of glitter Pyeongchang, February 21, 2018. In the nerve-racking final seconds of the women’s team sprint freestyle race, Jessie Diggins dug deep. Blowing past two of the best sprinters in the world, she stretched her ski boot across the finish line and lunged straight into Olympic immortality: the first ever cross-country skiing gold medal for the United States at the Winter Games. The 26-year-old Diggins, a four-time World Championship medalist, was literally a world away from the small town of Afton, Minnesota, where she first strapped on skis. Yet, for all her history-making achievements, she had never strayed far from the scrappy 12-year-old who had insisted on portaging her own canoe through the wilderness, yelling happily under the unwieldy weight on her shoulders: “Look! I’m doing it!” In Brave Enough, Jessie Diggins reveals the true story of her journey from the American Midwest into sports history. With candid charm and characteristic grit, she connects the dots from her free-spirited upbringing in the woods of Minnesota to racing in the bright spotlights of the Olympics. Going far beyond stories of races and ribbons, she describes the challenges and frustrations of becoming a serious athlete; learning how to push through and beyond physical and psychological limits; and the intense pressure of competing at the highest levels. She openly shares her harrowing struggle with bulimia, recounting both the adversity and how she healed from it in order to bring hope and understanding to others experiencing eating disorders. Between thrilling accounts of moments of triumph, Diggins shows the determination it takes to get there—the struggles and disappointments, the fun and the hard work, and the importance of listening to that small, fierce voice: I can do it. I am brave enough.

The Best Worst Summer
The Best Worst Summer

Author: Elizabeth Eulberg

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2021-05-04

Total Pages: 258

ISBN-13: 1547601515

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From the acclaimed author of The Great Shelby Holmes comes a new middle grade story about two summers-three decades apart-and the box of secrets linking them together. This is going to be the worst summer ever for Peyton. Her family just moved, and she had to leave her best friend behind. She's lonely. She's bored. Until . . . she comes across a box buried in her backyard, with a message: I'm so sorry. Please forgive me. Things are about to get interesting. Back in 1989, it's going to be the best summer ever for Melissa and Jessica. They have two whole months to goof around and explore, and they're even going to bury a time capsule! But when one girl's family secret starts to unravel, it's clear things may not go exactly as planned. In alternating chapters, from Peyton in present day to Melissa three decades earlier (a time with no cell phones, no social media, and camera film that took days to develop, but also a whole lot of freedom), beloved author Elizabeth Eulberg tells the story of a mystery that two sets of memorable characters will never forget.