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Rome 1960: The Olympics That Changed the World Author: David Maraniss Binding: Hardcover ISBN: 1416534075 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours from Simon & Schuster Price: $17.79 Editorial Review: 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 David Maraniss draws compelling portraits of the athletes competing in Rome, including some of the most honored in Olympic history: decathlete Rafer Johnson, sprinter Wilma Rudolph, Ethiopian marathoner Abebe Bikila, and Louisville boxer Cassius Clay, who at eighteen seized the world stage for the first time, four years before he became Muhammad Ali. Along with these unforgettable characters and dramatic contests, there was a deeper meaning to those late-summer days at the dawn of the sixties. Change was apparent everywhere. The world as we know it was coming into view. Rome saw the first doping scandal, the first commercially televised Summer Games, the first athlete paid for wearing a certain brand of shoes. Old-boy notions of Olympic amateurism were crumbling and could never be taken seriously again. In the heat of the cold war, the city teemed with spies and rumors of defections. Every move was judged for its propaganda value. East and West Germans competed as a unified team less than a year before the Berlin Wall.There was dispute over the two Chinas. An independence movement was sweeping sub-Saharan Africa, with fourteen nations in the process of being born. There was increasing pressure to provide equal rights for blacks and women as they emerged from generations of discrimination. Using the meticulous research and sweeping narrative style that have become his trademark, Maraniss reveals the rich palate of character, competition, and meaning that gave Rome 1960 its singular essence. Amazon Best of the Month, July 2008: Armed with the same engaging narrative found in Clemente and When Pride Still Mattered, Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Maraniss chronicles the triumphs, tragedies, and treacheries of "the Olympics that changed the world" with Rome 1960. The same Games that announced the greatness of icons like Cassius Clay, Wilma Rudolph, and Rafer Johnson, also exposed a growing unrest between East and West, black and white, and male and female. Even the host city of Rome, Maraniss recounts, was "infused with a golden hue...an illuminating that comes with a moment of historical transition, when one era is dying and another is being born." With moving portraits of the Games's remarkable personalities woven among tales of espionage and propaganda, Rome 1960 explores an Olympics unable to fight off the troubles of the modern world. Cold War sniping and issues of social inequalities were spilling into fields and stadiums, and the face of sport was rapidly changing. History buffs and sports fans alike will appreciate Maraniss's quiet reporting, as he deftly removes himself from a storyline that is still relevant today. --Dave Callanan Avg. Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5.0 "SPORTS AND HISTORY - WONDERFUL COMBINATION - WELL WRITTEN!" "Five-Star History" "The Cold War, Drugs, Twin China's, Erosion of Amateur Athletics, Brundage and the Great Stars That Shine" "Let the games begin!"   Ready to buy? Price: $17.79 List Price: $26.95 You save: $9.16 (33%)

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5.0

• SPORTS AND HISTORY - WONDERFUL COMBINATION - WELL WRITTEN!
  I am not particularly fond, overall, of sports literature and normally do not read in this particular genre, although, I must admit I enjoy watching sports, follow various sports year by year, and indeed, have been an overall participant in various sports, all my life, more so when I was younger. The Olympic games have always occupied a special place for me and the 1960 Olympics was the first one that I became truly aware of what was going on. My age at the time and the fact that I actually was able to... more info

• Five-Star History
  The strong response of Amazon reviewers is definitely justified and cheers are in order for both the author and Simon and Schuster for bringing this book out just in time to coincide with the 2008 games. This is five-star historiography, with the perfect blend of biographical, cultural, political and athletic fact. Maraniss showcases the experience of a number of individuals (for American readers, Rafer Johnson, Wilma Rudolph, Cassius Clay, Avery Brundage, et al.) but situates that experience within its... more info

• The Cold War, Drugs, Twin China's, Erosion of Amateur Athletics, Brundage and the Great Stars That Shine
  Maraniss defines the 1960 Olympics that changed the world not purely because of the political influence of the Cold War, that was obvious in 1936, but in describing the emergence of Russia as a dominant athletic power where the Soviet Union and the U.S. became the dominant medal winners and where the cold war rhetoric emerged more directly in the Olympics as they increasingly did over the next several. Other issues that came into the spotlight was the battle of the China's, National versus Communist... more info

• Let the games begin!
  What a great primer to get me all juiced for the 2008 Olympics. The Olympics are my favorite sporting event. The grandeur and the dramatics are unequalled in any sport. This absorbing book by David Maraniss takes you back in time to the 1960 Olympics in Rome and the smooth flowing narrative makes this a quick read and matches the excitement you would expect from an Olympic Event. You can sense the winds of change sweeping the world as we head into the turbulent 60's. It's all there the racism, the emergence... more info

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