Read the Olympics for Adults

With the arrival of the 2024 summer game in Paris, explore the history of the Olympic Games, stories of amazing athletes, and more!

Updated June 21, 2024
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Black mercuries : African American athletes, race, and the modern Olympic games
Wiggins, David Kenneth
Paper Book
"An essential source on African American athletes and Olympic history." --Booklist, Starred Review, and Named a Booklist Top 10 Sports Book of 2023 The first book to fully chronicle the struggles and triumphs of African American athletes...
The sports book : the sports, the rules, the tactics, the techniques
Stubbs, Ray
Paper Book
This is the ultimate guide to sports and the perfect reference for the Paris Olympics 2024 - an amazing year for sport. Discover everything you need to know about more than 200 sports, including all the Olympic and Paralympic events featured in Tokyo and Beijing. Get the...
Total Olympics : every obscure, hilarious, dramatic, and inspiring tale worth knowing
Fuchs, Jeremy
Paper Book
"An indispensable Olympic resource and a lot of pure fun."--Jack McCallum, author of the New York Times bestseller Dream Team Faster! Higher! Stronger! Stranger! A glorious tapestry of legendary characters, forgotten records, crazy accomplishments, unbelievable feats, wacky contests, and...
Long run to glory : the story of the greatest marathon in Olympic history and the women who made it happen
Lane, Stephen (Educator)
Paper Book
On the morning of August 5, 1984, four of the greatest marathoners of all time lined up for one of the most important and long-awaited races in history. By then, they had dominated their competition for at least five years, upending a century's worth of preconceived notions of what marathoners...
Coming up for air
Daley, Tom
Paper Book
A deeply personal and inspiring memoir from the celebrated Olympic gold medal diver and LGBTQ+ advocate, who is set to make history in his fifth Olympic games in Paris 2024 Tom Daley is one of the most beloved athletes of our time,  garnering Olympic diving medals and...
Path lit by lightning : the life of Jim Thorpe
Maraniss, David
Paper Book
A riveting new biography of America's greatest all-around athlete by the bestselling author of the classic biography When Pride Still Mattered. Jim Thorpe rose to world fame as a mythic talent who excelled at every sport. He won gold medals in the decathlon and pentathlon...
Olympic pride, American prejudice : the untold story of 18 African Americans who defied Jim Crow and Adolf Hitler to compete in the 1936 Berlin Olympics
Draper, Deborah Riley
Paper Book
Discover the astonishing, inspirational, and largely unknown true story of the eighteen African American athletes who competed in the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games, defying the racism of both Nazi Germany and the Jim Crow South. Set against the turbulent backdrop of a segregated...

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