Books : Rome 1960: The Olympics That Changed the World

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Author name: David Maraniss

: Rome 1960: The Olympics That Changed the World
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Type of bind: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.48
EAN num: 9781416534075
ISBN number: 1416534075
Label: Simon & Schuster
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 496
Printing Date: July 01, 2008
Publishing house: Simon & Schuster
Sale Popularity Level: 1987
Studio: Simon & Schuster



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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 very 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 very first doping scandal, the very first commercially televised Summer Games, the very 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.com:
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, grey 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 quickly 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



Customer Reviews
User popularity level: out of 5 stars

Rated by buyers 5 out of 5 stars - 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 very 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 watch many of the vents on television had much to do with this. That being said, I will admit to being a history nut and this work by David Maraniss is a history as much as it is a work about a particular sport.

The 1960 Olympics was held at a time when the world was on the cusp of great change. Not only in the United States were these changes about to take place, but the entire world was on the edge, and we were beginning one of those periodic watershed eras that come along every so often. New nations in Africa were being formed. The old Colonial powers had gasped their last and were no more. Governments were changing, attitudes were changing and the world was just beginning to become wired. There were two super powers at that time, the United States and Russia. These two countries were locked in a war, the Cold War and this war was at its height. These Olympics held in Rome, had this struggle of ideas as a constant backdrop and its presents was quite significant. The two Germanys, for the very first time, were acting as a single team; not having completely split as they would soon do and the entire contest was not only the United States v/s Russia, but it was East v/s West.
Racism, sexism and all the other old evils of this world were alive and well. The games were still controlled by Avery Brundage and his band of "old guard." Brundage was truly a horrid man and represented the worse of the "ruling class" of the time and treated the Olympic movement as a private fiefdom and all those who participated as his own flock of surfs. Truly, in my opinion, and the author's as well, you could not have found a man, or group of men, who personified racism, sexism, arrogance, privileged class ethos and egotism more than Brundage and his cohorts.

The author's easy writing style makes this an easy, understandable and enjoyable read. As has been pointed out, each chapter is almost a news report, cum essay, on different aspect of these games; addressing individuals, events and the ever present political background. Many of the great names appear is this work; Wilma Rudolph. Lance Larson. Otis Davis, Herb Elliott, Cassius Clay, Rafer Johnson, C.K. Yang, Abebe Bikila, Al Oerter, the Tigerbelles and their coach Ed Temple, and many, many more (to name just a few) of the truly greats are written about, assessed and discussed. The author has given us a real feel for the times and has given us much to reflect over. Communications, training methods, attitudes toward different sexes and races, the beginnings of doping, how the athletes were treated and how various fans responded are all covered in this fine work.

I do take some umbrage with the assertion that these games change the world. I personally feel that these games were held at a time of change and that those who participated, at ever level, were merely reacting to the changes taking place rather that actually forcing the changes themselves. This is a mote point though and really has little to do with the actually book. It the subtitle upsets you, ignore it.

This was a very informative, well written, well researched work and it as truly a joy to read.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks



Rated by buyers 5 out of 5 stars - 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 historical moment, a moment replete with racial overtones, cold war implications, doping allegations and other key elements. He tells you about the Roman weather and landscape, about the physical challenges and physical ailments of the athletes, their romantic connections, financial support (or non-support), their equipment, their friendships and their rivalries. He does not endeavor to cover every last detail of the 1960 olympics. For example, while he quotes the gold medalist swimmer Bill Mulliken, he does not discuss Mulliken's unexpected, dark-horse victory. Nevertheless, this is a lovely read, with apt illustrations, historical point and significant human interest.


Rated by buyers 5 out of 5 stars - 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 subsequent several. Other issues that came into the spotlight was the battle of the China's, National versus Communist requiring the former to accept a different name, the emergency of drug enhancements that resulted in the death of a Danish cyclist, the contrast in the dominance of grey athletes such as Rafer Johnson and Wilma Rudolph and the Tennessee State contingent that included long jumper Ralph Boston with how they were treated in some parts of the country where blacks were still segregated, and the fascinating discusion of what was defined as amateur athletics that meant living virtually in poverty in the U.S. in stark contrast to a professional life style for many athletes in other countries. However, the greatest parts of the book are the individual stories of inspiring competitors such as Rudolph who fought off the effects of polio as a child to become the dominant sprinter in the games and won the crowd with her open and very likable personality. The author also describes the frustration of many athletes who are expected to win such as ray Norton who struggles valiantly but meets the definition perhaps of trying too hard as woman's track coach Ed Norton states that in the sprints, those that strain are defeated by those that can run relaxed. Other great stories and descriptions of great completions include Otis Davis who had very little experience in running internationally but wins a photo finish in the 400 meters. Many other great portrayals include swimmers such as Lance Larson who appears rooked out of a medal and diving champ Ingrid Kraemer from East Germany but on a trumped combined German team, the German brash sprinter Armin Hary who wins the 100 meters, the U.S. basketball team made up of some of the greatest stars of the future like Oscar Robertson and Jerry West, the wide open emergence of Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) who shouts that he will have Floyd Patterson "for dinner!", and of course the Ethiopian that shocked the world winning the marathon barefoot, Abebe Bikila. Bikila's win is ironic because along the course he passes a notable Ethiopian monument that was stolen by Mussolini's forces in the 1930s when Italy invaded Ethiopia. Fittingly, the climax of the book is Rafer Johnson's titanic battle against his college teammate from National China, C.K.Yang that comes down to the very last event, Yang's best. The book is complete with excellent photographs such as Australia's Herb Elliott shattering the 1500 meter field to the most poignant photo of all, Johnson and Yang at the end of their final event, Johnson with his head laying across Yang's shoulder for support as they appear to hold each other up after the exhausting competition, competitors but always friends. This is a highly readable book and it is well written. Obviously, more to the American view but well laced with interviews and discussions of notable athletes from al countries like the "Flying Sikh".


Rated by buyers 5 out of 5 stars - 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 of sports in the communist countries as a propaganda tool, Aparthied, the seperation of Germany, events tainted by drugs, the struggle of the IOC to seperate amateurs from professionals. A fascinating book.


Rated by buyers 5 out of 5 stars - Rome 1960 memories and new revelations
"Dad! Your name is in this book" That was a pleasant surprise. I bought the book because I was on the U.S. Cycling team for the Rome and Tokyo Olymics. I hadn't started reading it when my son, Chuck, made his discovery. Another book I had read recently dealt with the 1964 Tokyo Olympics as an importabt point in modern Japanese history. Inventing Japan: 1853-1964 (Modern Library Chronicles)Ian Buruma's 5 page prologue highlights that Olympic experience. I saw the marathon on various TV screens as I was going to different banks buying Olympic coins. Abe Bikela was the winner as he was in Rome except he wore shoes this time. The drama was that a Japanese runner, Tsubuya Kokichi, entered the stadium in second place. The crowd roared as he headed into the turn for the last lap. Then an English runner entered the stadium at a much faster pace than Kokichi. There was a very Japanese intake of breath by the thousands of fans. The Englishman passed Kokichi in the home stretch to claim second. Tsubuya Kokichi was one of two Japanese competitors that committed suicide because they felt they had failed to meet expectations.

The book Rome 1960 has enriched and expanded my experience as a participant and a spectator. Even if my name wasn't in the book I appreciated the connections I had with other named athletes and personalities. I succeeded where Rafer Johnson failed. I was in Spartacus, as an extra. The studio hired my NROTC unit to march as Roman soldiers.
Thanks to David Maraniss for his great book.

Wes Chowen

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