Rome 1960

The Olympics that Changed the World

By: David Maraniss

Narrated by: David Maraniss

Length: 5 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

Best-selling author David Maraniss weaves sports, politics, and history into a groundbreaking tour de force.

The athletes competing in the 1960 Rome Olympics included 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 18 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 60s. 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, and the first athlete paid for wearing a certain brand of shoes.

In the heat of the cold war, 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 14 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 of theater, suspense, victory, and defeat.

©2008 David Maraniss (P)2008 Simon and Schuster, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Maraniss provides an intelligent context for his evocative reportage." ( Publishers Weekly)

Super good book & story telling

My father played in the 1960 Olympics for the Mexican basketball team. I grew up hearing stories he told. I had no idea of all the “firsts” this particular Olympics is historically now known for. Fascinating story, well written and read (I listened to audio book), and I felt I was there. What a tremendous part of history! And now that my father has been gone for 30 years, I wonder how aware he was of all the politics, both among nations and among teams, he was aware. Each time I heard of team members going to this or that restaurant while in Italy, I wonder if that’s the restaurant my father told me about where he and his teammates Ahmad he’d crystal wine goblets against the rock fireplace, just because they were “cool Olympic team members” and they could.

I recommend this book for anyone above 21 who is interested in sports, politics and Olympics. I supposed anyone younger who has the capacity to understand and appreciate the politics & history of what was going on in the world at that time (Bay of Pigs, Berlin Wall, Cold War, etc) would appreciate reading this book as well, but I don’t think there will be many. Haha.

Excellent

No idea how many important events and impactful people were involved. Well worth the listen

Very Good Book

I found this book to be very enlightening. The author did a great job of telling the stories of the 1960 Rome Games in light of how they changed the way the Olympic games would be viewed after that. This is a great read, especially since the Summer Games are just around the corner.

A wonderful story well told

David Manarsis is a talented story teller. I was seventeen in 1960 and I remember many of the athletes who are the focus of this Book. I enjoyed learning about their backgrounds. It is sad to see we are still dealing with the same race issues.

Good book but missing material from the text

The audiobook is missing while sentences and bits of key story information that is in the paperback version. Im doing a report on this for history class and I just realized that audible is not the way to go. I would advise using this in partnership with the paperback so you don’t miss a bunch of stuff like I did.

Why does is it skip so much?

I’m reading along with the book, and the audiobook skips on so much text during the first chapter. I play this is in 2x, so it is really throwing me off when the audiobook skips a sentence, phrase, and in a few cases, a whole paragraph.