Six books to know about before the Paris Olympics begin
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The games of the XXXIII Olympiad in Paris are approaching and there are numerous ways to get excited about the upcoming festival of sport. The 2024 Paris Olympics will be on NBC4 this summer from July 26 to August 11 with live coverage throughout each day.
Every four years, the summer Olympics bring us the most iconic sports moments and stories. No sporting event on earth has quite so many epic chapters ranging from the birth of the games in ancient Greece to the upcoming opening ceremony across the Seine River.
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Here are six books to add to your reading list this summer that cover the amazing stories, athletes, and history of the Olympic Games:
No Limits: The Will to Succeed
Michael Phelps may be the most iconic Olympian of all-time. The swimmer from Baltimore cemented himself as the most decorated Olympian ever, winning an astounding 28 medals with 23 of them being gold.
“No Limits: The Will to Succeed” brings an in-depth look into Phelps’ journey to Olympic glory that included hurdling multiple obstacles through hard work. Click here for more information.
Letters to a Young Gymnast
In 1976, 14-year-old Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci catapulted to international stardom after her perfect gymnastics performances at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. Comaneci won three golds in Montreal and received worldwide recognition as a teenager for her performances.
“Letters to a Young Gymnast” is Comaneci’s memoir that dives into how she helped begin a new era for women’s sports and her story from Romania to Olympic legend. Click here for more information.
A Kind of Grace
Jackie Joyner-Kersee is still considered one of the greatest track and field athletes of all time. The American proved she was the greatest female athlete on the planet twice after winning gold in the heptathlon at the 1988 Seoul Games and the 1992 Barcelona Games.
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“A Kind of Grace” is Joyner-Kersee’s autobiography that tells her journey from East St. Louis, Illinois to UCLA to becoming a track and field icon. Click here for more information.
Total Olympics: Every Obscure, Hilarious, Dramatic, and Inspiring Tale Worth Knowing
Thousands of athletes from every corner of the world have competed in the Olympics. With over a 100-year history, it is impossible to know every story that transpires at each edition of the games.
Jeremy Fuchs tries to tell those untold stories in “Total Olympics: Every Obscure, Hilarious, Dramatic, and Inspiring Tale Worth Knowing”. This book tells the best stories that range from triumphant to controversial, crazy to legendary, and so much more. Click here for more information.
One Life
Megan Rapinoe’s career is one with multiple headline moments. The California native became of the best US soccer players ever helping lead the USWNT to two World Cup titles and an Olympic gold medal. She then became a fixture in the public eye as she became an advocate for equal pay and for multiple LGBTQ organizations.
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“One Life” was released in 2021 with Rapinoe’s autobiography becoming a New York Times bestseller. She goes through her journey on and off the field and dives into her experiences as an Olympian and advocate. Click here for more information.
Olympic Pride, American Prejudice
The most astonishing stories of the Olympic Games come from the athletes that went to Berlin in 1936 and competed in Nazi Germany. While Ohio State’s Jesse Owens has the most well-known story from the Berlin Games, there are many other inspiring stories of American athletes who defied racism and prejudice.
“Olympic Pride, American Prejudice” is the story about 18 Black athletes torn between boycotting the Berlin games or participating against the backdrop of a segregated United States. This book dives into many amazing athletes in a largely unknown story that jumps into sports and politics. Click here for more information.
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