Saturday, August 04, 2012

Bobrick, Benson. A PASSION FOR VICTORY

Bobrick, Benson. A PASSION FOR VICTORY 
New York : A.A. Knopf, 2012 
IL 5-8, RL 8.7 
ISBN 0375868690 
As I watched the opening ceremonies of the summer Olympics, I was thrilled by the spectacle. The modern technology that allows the amazing show. And the athletes all looked so proud as they marched into the stadium. But has it always been like this? What were the Olympics like years ago? In this book, we find out. We learn about the first Olympic festival in 776 BC. And as we watch celebrities from the world attending the games, could it have been the same feeling when Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, Herodotus and other celebrities of their time attended? From the games of the ancient times up through the 1948 games, we learn about the athletes both famous and little known. Like the Cuban marathoner Felix Carbajal, who stopped along the route to shake hands, paused in an orchard to eat some fruit which made him sick. Then he took a nap before finishing the race. And he actually came in fourth! That certainly wouldn't happen in the 21st century!

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