The real heroes of Maraniss’ book are the sprinter Wilma Rudolph and the decathlete Rafer Johnson. Brash, talkative, super-confident, he seduced everyone, even his opponents, on his way to a gold medal in the light-heavyweight division. Rome was the stage that introduced an 18-year-old Cassius Clay to the world, four years before he became Muhammad Ali. What Maraniss has - what any writer on the Olympics has - are great personalities, heart-warming human-interest stories and the unmatchable make-or-break drama of athletic competition. The best way to enjoy David Maraniss’ “Rome 1960: The Olympics That Changed the World” is to ignore its hyperbolic subtitle and plunge like a 10-meter platform diver into the games themselves.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |