It’s that time again where the excitement of gearing up for the Olympics is palpable. We eagerly anticipate watching our favorite athletes push their limits and chase the dream of being the gold medal winner. I’ve been enthralled watching the trials and the recently released SPRINT documentary series on Netflix as the opening ceremony comes ever closer. As the anticipation and excitement continue to grow, here are a few books to fully jump into the history of the Olympics. 

The Games: A Global History of the Olympics by David Goldblatt

An expansive history book that begins with the reinvention of the Olympic Games in Athens in 1896. David dives fully into the stories and chronicles classic moments until the Rio Games of 2016. 

The Naked Olympics: The True Story of the Ancient Games by Tony Perrottet

Well written and informative, Tony creates a vivid picture of what the ancient games looked like and how different they are from the current festivities. He tracks the ancient Olympic festival day by day to recreate the experience for modern readers. 

Dreamers and Schemers: How an Improbable Bid for the 1932 Olympics Transformed Los Angeles from Dusty Outpost to Global Metropolis by Barry Siegel

A great history about the early years growth and urban planning in and around Los Angeles which surrounds the 1932 Olympic Games. Including the good and bad of Los Angeles, the story features the athletes, the newspaper owners and editors, celebrities, and important people who made the 1932 games so successful. 

Olympic Pride, American Prejudice: The Untold Story of 18 African Americans Who Defied Jim Crow and Adolf Hitler to Compete in the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Deborah Riley Draper and Travis Thrasher

Defying both the racism of Nazi Germany and the Jim Crow South, 18 African American athletes competed in the 1936 Olympic Games. Set against the backdrop of a segregated United States, it tells the stories of these athletes in fun and interesting ways to really make them come to life. 

One Day in September: The Full Story of the 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre and the Israeli Revenge Operation “Wrath of God” by Simon Reeve

Based on years of exhaustive research, this is the best account of a devastating tragedy. At the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, a band of Palestinian terrorists took 11 Israeli athletes and coaches hostage. Covering the events with precise detail, the fast-paced narrative is eminently readable.

The Three-Year Swim Club: The Untold Story of Maui’s Sugar Ditch Kids and Their Quest for Olympic Glory by Julie Checkoway

In 1937, a schoolteacher on the island of Maui challenged a group of poverty-stricken sugar plantation kids to swim upstream against their circumstances and the current with a goal of getting to the Olympics. A fascinating tale of people overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds to achieve remarkable goals. 

The Lord of the Rings: Power, Money, and Drugs in the Modern Olympics by Vyv Simson and Andrew Jennings

Written as the 1992 Barcelona Olympics were occurring, the book still has relevance and insights into what is happening today. The overall issues addressed by this book including the corporatism of the games, the empire building and political bickering within sports administration, doping, and the social and economic costs that are still with us today. 

Happy Reading!

Featured in the July 13, 2024 issue of The Independent