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Summary
Summary
Let the games begin again! Acclaimed sports writer Sue Macy's comprehensive portrait of the Summer Olympics has now been fully updated for the 2008 games in Beijing, China. This new edition includes a complete retrospective of the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece. The new text will also incorporate updates to all charts and records, as well as fun facts and anecdotes from the most recent Olympics and training, making this a perfect Olympics history handbook as the 2008 Games unfold historically in China.Swifter, Stronger, Higher (Updated Edition) paints a dramatic and fascinating picture of the Summer Olympics. Absorbing narrative and vivid photographs tell stories of tragedy, triumph, scandal, and of course, action from over a century of the modern games! A foreword by sportscaster Bob Costas, five new interior photos (more than 100 total), at-a-glance information on each Olympiad, a map of Olympic sites, a chart of record-setters, and a rich guide to further resources round out this exceptional update to a gold-medal title.
Author Notes
Sue Macy is the award-winning author of Bull's-Eye: A Photobiography of Annie Oakley; Winning Ways: A Photohistory of American Women in Sports; A Whole New Ball Game: The Story of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League; and Freeze Frame: A Photographic History of the Winter Olympics. She lives in Englewood, NJ.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 3 Up-While other books on the topic go into more depth on specific sports, athletes, or historical events, none are as enthusiastically broad or as enjoyable to read as this one. And, it's superbly illustrated with colorful, well-chosen, and enticing photographs. Following a foreword from sportscaster Bob Costas, Macy shares her own young Olympic dreams to represent the appeal of the Games and how they have changed over time. She tells of the rebirth of the Olympic movement in the late 1800s, the changing status of female participants, and the triumph of the thousands of "awe-inspiring athletic performances." Different personalities throughout the years emerge; likewise, fair attention is given to some of the controversies and tragedies that have befallen the event. Nary a spread goes by without dynamic photographs and artifacts, both contemporary and historical; some show, and photo galleries present, compilations of diverse athletes competing, excelling, and celebrating. A world map indicating Summer Olympics sites through 2008 and an almanac of quick data follow. Next up are over a dozen pages giving several paragraphs of fascinating facts from every Olympiad as well as a sample of a poster, medal, or outstanding athlete representing each one. Wonderful research notes, an annotated resource list, and an Olympic quiz bring this book across the finish line first.-Andrew Medlar, Chicago Public Library, IL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Arriving in time for the summer events in Athens is Swifter, Higher, Stronger: A Photographic History of the Summer Olympics by Sue Macy. This account of the modern Olympics, beginning in 1896, covers women's entrance into the games, star athletes who broke records, and expectations and controversies including racism, terrorism and drug scandals. Photographs, charts of record-holders and an introduction by Bob Costas round out this timely release. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
This loosely organized but informative and accurate history focuses on the development, heroics, and tragedies of this world competition. Topics include famous female Olympians, controversies, and ""unlikely heroes."" Well-captioned black-and-white and color photos of uneven quality illustrate the book, which contains a timeline highlighting memorable events. Reading list, websites. Ind. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
In time for this summer's Games, a slickly produced overview that's just right for getting readers up to speed on the modern Olympics' revival, development, and high (or low) spots. Macy combines historical and topical approaches, opening with accounts of Pierre de Coubertin's brilliantly successful efforts to promote that revival and his ugly feud with Alice Milliat over the inclusion of women's events. She goes on to quick profiles of dozens of prominent Olympians, frankly discusses drug and gender issues, politics and violence, then closes with capsule descriptions of each Olympiad from 1896 on. The plethora of illustrations includes shots of posters, gold medals, and athletic gear, but is largely comprised of crisply reproduced photos of athletes, either in action or accepting their laurels. It's a relatively quick once-over, but, capped by a superb, annotated, multimedia source list for readers seeking systematic statistics or specifics about individual events, this sets a pace that few, if any, competitors are likely to match. (index) (Nonfiction. 10-15) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Gr. 4-8. Skurzynski conveys a strong sense of scientists' enthusiasm for the search for extraterrestrial life while providing a glimpse of the tenacity, patience, and hope that the search requires. She begins with an engaging history of how the idea of flying saucers and extraterrestrials became part of the American consciousness. Later chapters trace specific quests by individuals or small groups of scientists who are searching for signs of life beyond earth through innovative experiments using radio waves, light, and molecules. The text remains readable even while explaining intricate scientific concepts and complex, still unshaped scientific ideas. The vibrant, full-color photos enhance the work impressively, but science enthusiasts will likely be most impressed by the infectious excitement expressed by the brilliant and tenacious people profiled in the book. --Roger Leslie Copyright 2004 Booklist
