- Summary
- "The true story of the birth of Olympic basketball at the 1936 Summer Games in Hitler's Germany"-- Provided by publisher.
On a scorching hot day in July 1936, thousands of people cheered as the U.S. Olympic teams boarded the SS Manhattan, bound for Berlin. Among the athletes were the fourteen players representing the first-ever U.S. Olympic basketball team. As thousands of supporters waved American flags on the docks, it was easy to miss the one courageous man holding a Boycott Nazi Germany sign. But it was too late for a boycott now; the ship had already left the harbor. 1936 was a turbulent time in world history. Adolf Hitler had gained power in Germany three years earlier. Jewish people and political opponents of the Nazis were the targets of vicious mistreatment, yet were unaware of the horrors that awaited them in the coming years. But the Olympians on board the SS Manhattan and other international visitors wouldn't see any signs of trouble in Berlin. Streets were swept, storefronts were painted, and every German citizen greeted them with a smile. Like a movie set,it was all just a facade, meant to distract from the terrible things happening behind the scenes. This is the incredible true story of basketball from its invention by James Naismith in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1891 to the sport's Olympic debut in Berlin and the eclectic mix of people, events, and propaganda on both sides of the Atlantic that made it all possible. -- From dust jacket.
- Variant Title
- True story of the first U.S. Olympic basketball team at the 1936 Olympics in Hitler's Germany
- Format
- Book
- Author/Creator
- Maraniss, Andrew, author.
- Published
- New York : Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2019
©2019
- Locale
- United States
Germany
- Contents
-
One man stood alone
A sinister fac̦ade
Inventing a game
Do good and be pure
Man on a mission
Boycott question
Meddling in the Olympics
Mirror, mirror
Hollywood stars
Unrefined
Big time
Choices
On their own
You can't beat fun
Welcome to Germany
Anvil and the hammer
Grandest show
Village people
Witnesses to history
Neutral zone
110,000 bored Germans
Tournament time
Strangest game ever
Center of the universe
Full circle
Afterword: Putting the pieces together
All-time Olympic basketball results. 1936 Team USA roster ; 1936 Berlin Olympics: day-by-day.
- Notes
-
Includes bibliographical references and index.
One man stood alone -- A sinister fac̦ade -- Inventing a game -- Do good and be pure -- Man on a mission -- Boycott question -- Meddling in the Olympics -- Mirror, mirror -- Hollywood stars -- Unrefined -- Big time -- Choices -- On their own -- You can't beat fun -- Welcome to Germany -- Anvil and the hammer -- Grandest show -- Village people -- Witnesses to history -- Neutral zone -- 110,000 bored Germans -- Tournament time -- Strangest game ever -- Center of the universe -- Full circle -- Afterword: Putting the pieces together -- All-time Olympic basketball results. 1936 Team USA roster ; 1936 Berlin Olympics: day-by-day.
Ages 12 up
Grades 7-9
Sydney Taylor Middle Grade Honor book, 2020.
American Library Association Notable Children's Book, February 2020.
Notable Children's Trade Book/Social Studies, 2020.
