David Maraniss
David Maraniss' new book is Rome 1960: The Olympics That Changed the World.
From a Q & A at the publisher's website:
Q. What is especially compelling about the 1960 Summer Olympics?Read the full Q & A.
A. What attracted me to Rome, what made it special in my mind, was the uncommon combination of legendary athletes, the tension of the cold war, the beauty of the setting, and the issues that arose during the 18 days of competition. With the entire world on the same stage at the same time, I saw the opportunity to weave the drama on the playing fields with the political and cultural issues that were emerging then.
Q. You say in the book that the 1960 Summer Olympics marked the passing of one era and the dawning of another. What do you mean by that?
A. In so many ways, the 1960 Olympics marked a passing of one era and the birth of another. Television, money and doping were bursting onto the scene, changing everything they touched. Old-school notions of amateurism, created by and for upper-class sportsmen, were being challenged as never before. New countries were being born in Africa and Asia, blacks and women were pushing for equal rights. For better and worse, one could see the modern world as we know it today coming into view.
Visit David Maraniss' website.
--Marshal Zeringue
