Olympic Reads

The 2012 Summer Olympics are here!  What are your favorite events?  I can’t wait to see the gymnastics competitions, the diving, and of course the Opening Ceremony.  I may also have to check out the archery, sure to be popular this year with all of those Hunger Games and Katniss fans tuning in to watch!  Pass the time between watching your favorite athletes and events with some Olympic reads:

How to Watch the Olympics: the Essential Guide to the Rules, Statistics, Heroes, and Zeros of Every Sport by David Goldblatt
“With witty, detailed descriptions and clever illustrations, How to Watch the Olympics will help anyone grasp handball, archery, wrestling, fencing, and every other Olympic event like a true pro.”  (from publisher description)

The Complete Book of the Olympics by David Wallechinsky
“Every sports writer assigned to cover the Games ensures they have their early copy of this prodigious work of reference, packed with absorbing anecdotes and essential statistics. A treasure trove of 116 years of Olympic history, it is also an amazingly readable book, for in the course of recording every single Olympic final since 1896, it concentrates on the strange, the memorable, and the unbelievable.”  (from publisher description)

A Passion for Victory: the Story of the Olympics in Ancient and Early Modern Times by Bobrick Benson
“From the barefoot races of 8th century BC to the underwater obstacle courses in the early 20th century to the high-tension Berlin Games preceding World War II, the Olympics have always been exciting dramas of athletic prowess and human interest. In A Passion for Victory, award-winning author Benson Bobrick tells the details of the captivating story of the Olympic Games, starting with their inception in Ancient Greece.”  (from publisher description)

Dream Team: How Michael, Magic, Larry, Charles, and the Greatest Team of All Time Conquered the World and Changed the Game of Basketball Forever by Jack McCallum
“In Dream Team, acclaimed sports journalist Jack McCallum delivers the untold story of the greatest team ever assembled: the 1992 U.S. Olympic Men's Basketball Team that captivated the world, kindled the hoop dreams of countless children around the planet, and remade the NBA into a global sensation.” (from publisher description)

Rome 1960: the Olympics that Changed the World by David Maraniss
“From the critically acclaimed and bestselling author David Maraniss, a groundbreaking book that weaves sports, politics, and history into a tour de force about the 1960 Rome Olympics, eighteen days of theater, suspense, victory, and defeat”  (from publisher description)

Winning Balance: What I’ve Learned So Far About Love, Faith, and Living Your Dreams by Shawn Johnson
“Recounts the Olympic gymnast's life, her training, and experiences since winning four medals at the Beijing Olympics.” (from publisher description)

Off Balance: a memoir by Dominique Moceanu
“At fourteen years old, Dominique Moceanu was the youngest member of the 1996 U.S. Women's Olympic Gymnastics team, the first and only American women's team to take gold at the Olympics. But behind the fame, the flawless floor routines, and the million-dollar smile, her life was a series of challenges and hardships.” (from publisher description)

And watch the catalog for these Olympic titles, coming soon:

Igniting the Flame: America’s First Olympic Team by Jim Reisler

Running for My Life: One Lost Boy’s Journey from the Killing Fields of Sudan to the Olympic Games by Lopez Lomong

Showdown at Shepherd’s Bush: the 1908 Olympic Marathon and the Three Runners Who Launched a Sporting Craze by David Davis

Kim Tomblin
Collection Development Librarian