A Passion for Victory by Benson Bobrick

Every Olympic cycle, there's a new crop of hungry athletes looking to make their golden dreams come true; there's also a new crop of books about the International sporting event. Schools and libraries in particular need to make sure their collections are current and relevant and cover not only today's athletes but also athletes from games past. What sets A Passion for Victory apart from other books is that it explores the area that other books often skip over: the origins of the Ancient Olympics and the first Modern Olympic Games. Sure, many books talk about the ancient traditions or talk about Pierre de Coubertin, but it's often just a cursory look on the way to focusing on today's sports stars. This book looks closely at the Greek traditions and the people who shaped the development of the Olympics. It also stops around mid-20th century in terms of the Modern Olympics. Because of this focus, it wouldn't make sense for this to be the only book on the Olympics that you have (particularly if you're looking for something that will discuss the games to the present day), but it would make an excellent addition to any sports collection.

I received a review copy from NetGalley courtesy of Random House.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
The Battle of Nashville by Benson Bobrick
Rush For Gold: Mystery at the Olympics by John Feinstein
The 2012 London Olympics by Nick Hunter