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Total Olympics: Every Obscure, Hilarious, Dramatic, and Inspiring Tale Worth Knowing
“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 controversial moments, Total Olympics is pure pleasure for anyone who loves the world’s greatest sporting event. Discover how the modern Games began, in an out-of-the-way Victorian English town named Much Wenlock. Long-discontinued Olympic sports like tug of war, firefighting, live pigeon shooting, and painting. (Picasso for the gold?) And the over-the-top, heroic exploits that make it all so thrilling––like the inspiring story of gymnast Shun Fujimoto who brought his team to victory while fighting through the pain of a broken knee. With hundreds of true stories and stunning photographs, it’s a collection of sports yearns unlike any other.
337 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 11, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
May 23, 2021
Total Olympics is a remarkable compilation of everything related to the Olympics from legendary characters, forgotten records, unbelievable accomplishments, unbelievable feats, and some memorable moments. It covers both the Olympics and Winter Olympics, right from their beginning.
Total Olympics is a comprehensive guide for anyone interested in the History of the Olympics. The author has divided the book into six chapters, covering the forgotten history of the games, legendary Olympians, wild and strange facts and incidents, notable firsts of the games, discontinued Olympic sports, and forgotten heroes who distinguished themselves outside of athletics. The Results and Stats section in the back, listing all the gold medal winners to the names of all the torch lighters is a nice addition.
The book starts with how the modern Games began. It covers the profiles of Olympic Legends over the years as well as the many ‘First’ records (First double, the first winner in both Summer and Winter Olympics). The most fun sections for me were the Long-discontinued Olympic sports like tug of war, firefighting, live pigeon shooting (not real pigeons), and painting. (Picasso for the gold?) And the over-the-top, heroic exploits which were both entertaining and thrilling––like the inspiring story of Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps, and Carl Lewis. Surprise wins. Legends, Upsets, historical footnotes, etc. add a lot more value to this book. The book has plenty of pictures of Olympic heroes. Though each story is short, the book will encourage you to research more about some of the forgotten Olympic Legends.
Though the content is varied, the book focuses mainly on US athletes and Track and Field events. Team Sports like Hockey and Soccer are ignored. Also, the book is heavy on stories of athletes. I would have loved to read more about each Olympic event and some quirky memories about each of them. Having said that, the book is over 300 pages long and the author has compiled an amazing mix of stories, stats, facts, and trivia.
“Total Olympics” not only tells the stories of the Olympics but also has lots of long-forgotten records, debated moments, and crazy accomplishments which make the book a lot of fun to read. The stories are short and well-written with a nice sense of humor. Overall, I enjoyed reading the book. If you are interested in learning about the Olympics, this book is a perfect read for you.
Many thanks to the publishers' Workman Publishing Company and Netgalley for the ARC.
Total Olympics is a comprehensive guide for anyone interested in the History of the Olympics. The author has divided the book into six chapters, covering the forgotten history of the games, legendary Olympians, wild and strange facts and incidents, notable firsts of the games, discontinued Olympic sports, and forgotten heroes who distinguished themselves outside of athletics. The Results and Stats section in the back, listing all the gold medal winners to the names of all the torch lighters is a nice addition.
The book starts with how the modern Games began. It covers the profiles of Olympic Legends over the years as well as the many ‘First’ records (First double, the first winner in both Summer and Winter Olympics). The most fun sections for me were the Long-discontinued Olympic sports like tug of war, firefighting, live pigeon shooting (not real pigeons), and painting. (Picasso for the gold?) And the over-the-top, heroic exploits which were both entertaining and thrilling––like the inspiring story of Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps, and Carl Lewis. Surprise wins. Legends, Upsets, historical footnotes, etc. add a lot more value to this book. The book has plenty of pictures of Olympic heroes. Though each story is short, the book will encourage you to research more about some of the forgotten Olympic Legends.
Though the content is varied, the book focuses mainly on US athletes and Track and Field events. Team Sports like Hockey and Soccer are ignored. Also, the book is heavy on stories of athletes. I would have loved to read more about each Olympic event and some quirky memories about each of them. Having said that, the book is over 300 pages long and the author has compiled an amazing mix of stories, stats, facts, and trivia.
“Total Olympics” not only tells the stories of the Olympics but also has lots of long-forgotten records, debated moments, and crazy accomplishments which make the book a lot of fun to read. The stories are short and well-written with a nice sense of humor. Overall, I enjoyed reading the book. If you are interested in learning about the Olympics, this book is a perfect read for you.
Many thanks to the publishers' Workman Publishing Company and Netgalley for the ARC.
August 2, 2021
This is the kind of book I read in elementary and middle schools. Guinness Book of World Records, books I would buy from Scholastic Books. So when I saw this at the library before the Olympics began I took it home and read/skimmed it, thinking teenagers in this house would love it, but it appears uncracked by any of them. . . hmm, maybe this is more about me than them.
The book focuses on the summer Olympics, and as you might expect on memorable events (the 1936 Nazi games, featuring Hitler and Jesse Owens; the terrorism in Munich) and most memorable athletes (since it is a US-published book, it focuses more on American athletes, but when I was a kid I was all about the flag-waving, USA! USA!), but also a section on discontinued sports: Underwater Swim, Tandem Bicycle, Live Pigeon Shooting (!), Rope Climb, Firefighting (?), Tug of War. It also has a section of forgotten heroes. As I write this I ask H if he had looked at the book and knew of the Underwater Swim and he said he had read tht part and liked it, also read/skimmed the book (but H has five copies of Guinness Book of World Records books in his room, my kinda guy!) and liked it.
One way to look at my life is as a lifelong Olympics enthusiast, watching as much of the summer and winter games as possible, always.
The book focuses on the summer Olympics, and as you might expect on memorable events (the 1936 Nazi games, featuring Hitler and Jesse Owens; the terrorism in Munich) and most memorable athletes (since it is a US-published book, it focuses more on American athletes, but when I was a kid I was all about the flag-waving, USA! USA!), but also a section on discontinued sports: Underwater Swim, Tandem Bicycle, Live Pigeon Shooting (!), Rope Climb, Firefighting (?), Tug of War. It also has a section of forgotten heroes. As I write this I ask H if he had looked at the book and knew of the Underwater Swim and he said he had read tht part and liked it, also read/skimmed the book (but H has five copies of Guinness Book of World Records books in his room, my kinda guy!) and liked it.
One way to look at my life is as a lifelong Olympics enthusiast, watching as much of the summer and winter games as possible, always.
May 3, 2020
This is the book with the bold subtitle, “Every Obscure, Hilarious, Dramatic, & Inspiring Tale Worth Knowing.” Playing armchair quarterback, I thought of more than a few people who had been left out of the book. Yet, I am sure we all could dredge up a memory or two about someone or some event not listed. What’s important is that author Jeremy Fuchs has compiled a fascinating book filled to the brim with stories and anecdotes I had never heard.
The book is laid out beautifully, with plenty of pictures – both black-and-white and color – of Olympic heroes. Rather than take a chronological journey, Mr. Fuchs has opted to create large categories and find places for all those who earned a story in his book. The chapter titles alone are enticing, sure to draw in the curious: Forgotten History, Legends, Wild and Strange, Firsts, Discontinued Sports, and Forgotten Heroes. The Results and Stats section in the back is an added treat of different bits of knowledge, from lists of gold medal winners to the names of all the torch lighters.
Although athletes from other countries are included, the book primarily features those from America (some of the reasoning behind that is probably due to the number of medals won, far more to Americans than any other country). The book is over 300 pages long, and the author has successfully filled every one of those pages with revealing stories. Even better, most of the stories are only a couple of pages long, making it easy to read a few stories and then set the book down for later. Highly recommended. Five stars.
My thanks to NetGalley and Workman Publishing Company for a complimentary electronic copy of this book.
The book is laid out beautifully, with plenty of pictures – both black-and-white and color – of Olympic heroes. Rather than take a chronological journey, Mr. Fuchs has opted to create large categories and find places for all those who earned a story in his book. The chapter titles alone are enticing, sure to draw in the curious: Forgotten History, Legends, Wild and Strange, Firsts, Discontinued Sports, and Forgotten Heroes. The Results and Stats section in the back is an added treat of different bits of knowledge, from lists of gold medal winners to the names of all the torch lighters.
Although athletes from other countries are included, the book primarily features those from America (some of the reasoning behind that is probably due to the number of medals won, far more to Americans than any other country). The book is over 300 pages long, and the author has successfully filled every one of those pages with revealing stories. Even better, most of the stories are only a couple of pages long, making it easy to read a few stories and then set the book down for later. Highly recommended. Five stars.
My thanks to NetGalley and Workman Publishing Company for a complimentary electronic copy of this book.
July 10, 2021
An Absolute MUST for every fan of the Olympics! This little book has facts and "oh-by-the-ways" you've never heard of. There are amazing stories, shining examples that prove Olympians are the heroes we think they are, tales of terrifically awful accidents that hold no one back, accounts of many not being recognized for their glory, some dying too young, and one heroine who thought she'd signed up for something completely different, won gold medals and went home happily ignorant of the whole thing. A reporter doing research years after her death found her progeny and while interviewing them discovered she never knew she was an Olympian who had won gold medals. . . .CRAZY STUFF!
The author starts at the beginning, and goes through all the different Olympics, touching on the hard times, war times, and odd teams that come together for reasons of their times. There was even a refugee Olympian team. He mentions people who got into trouble for infractions that were later par for the course. He lists out Olympic events no longer held, and ones he hopes will be held. All totally entertaining.
Great work by the author to get this out and ready for the reading public right prior to the next Olympics! This is a fun read, a thoughtful read - full of the wonder of our Olympians.
A Sincere Thanks to Jeremy Fuchs, Workman Publishing Company and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review.
#TotalOlympics #NetGalley
The author starts at the beginning, and goes through all the different Olympics, touching on the hard times, war times, and odd teams that come together for reasons of their times. There was even a refugee Olympian team. He mentions people who got into trouble for infractions that were later par for the course. He lists out Olympic events no longer held, and ones he hopes will be held. All totally entertaining.
Great work by the author to get this out and ready for the reading public right prior to the next Olympics! This is a fun read, a thoughtful read - full of the wonder of our Olympians.
A Sincere Thanks to Jeremy Fuchs, Workman Publishing Company and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review.
#TotalOlympics #NetGalley
May 26, 2020
“Total Olympics” by Jeremy Fuchs contains all the Olympic facts, fun, and fiction that an aficionado could want. It shows the power of friendship and peace that prevailed in the 54 Olympic Games over 122 years when the global community came together to embody the motto of the modern Olympics: “Faster, Higher, Stronger.”
“Total Olympics” gives readers a look behind the scenes, to the events and the people that made headlines and some that did not. Surprise wins are documented along with teams that dropped out leading to unexpected results. Legends and dynasties in a sport are celebrated along with the upsets of newcomers over hardened regulars. Interesting historical footnotes are documented, for example the “missing marathoner” whose official time was 54 years, 8 months, 6 days, 5 hours, 32 minutes, and 20.3 seconds. Advertising campaigns are listed including the “Thank you mom” ads from Proctor & Gamble and McDonald’s “Gold Medal Meal. Readers remember the athletes who rose from obscurity to become media “darlings.” It does not overlook the tragic or the controversial such as drug scandals and politically-motivated events.
“Total Olympics” not only tells the stories of the Olympics but it also lists every fact, every record, and every location of both the summer and winter Olympic Games. There are medal counts, the names of US flag bearers (and their sport) and even those who lit the torch. It is filled with trivia contest winning facts, and is just plain entertaining to read. It has wonderful pictures of Olympians from the past as well as details of long forgotten records, wacky contests, controversial moments, and crazy accomplishments. I am sure that the postponement of this year’s Olympics will add yet another chapter to the lore and mystery that is Olympiad.
“Total Olympics” gives readers a look behind the scenes, to the events and the people that made headlines and some that did not. Surprise wins are documented along with teams that dropped out leading to unexpected results. Legends and dynasties in a sport are celebrated along with the upsets of newcomers over hardened regulars. Interesting historical footnotes are documented, for example the “missing marathoner” whose official time was 54 years, 8 months, 6 days, 5 hours, 32 minutes, and 20.3 seconds. Advertising campaigns are listed including the “Thank you mom” ads from Proctor & Gamble and McDonald’s “Gold Medal Meal. Readers remember the athletes who rose from obscurity to become media “darlings.” It does not overlook the tragic or the controversial such as drug scandals and politically-motivated events.
“Total Olympics” not only tells the stories of the Olympics but it also lists every fact, every record, and every location of both the summer and winter Olympic Games. There are medal counts, the names of US flag bearers (and their sport) and even those who lit the torch. It is filled with trivia contest winning facts, and is just plain entertaining to read. It has wonderful pictures of Olympians from the past as well as details of long forgotten records, wacky contests, controversial moments, and crazy accomplishments. I am sure that the postponement of this year’s Olympics will add yet another chapter to the lore and mystery that is Olympiad.
June 1, 2020
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
This would have been right in time for the summer Olympics if they hadn't been postponed to 2021, a book looking back at interesting facts about the previous editions. Filled with some history, some remarkable people who competed in the various sports events, and also some discontinued sports this was a very nice read to get in the mood for Tokyo 2020.
While not everything was new to me, I did find out that the international parking sign (white on blue P) was invented for the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics, and that initially it had been planned as a two-yearly rather than a four-yearly event.
I just found that the book, clearly marketed for the American market, focused a bit too much on American athletes. Especially chapter two, about the Legends, was at least 90% American where I’m sure there are also ‘legends’ from other countries. In the later chapter ‘Forgotten Heroes’ this is slightly less, but remains prominent still.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
This would have been right in time for the summer Olympics if they hadn't been postponed to 2021, a book looking back at interesting facts about the previous editions. Filled with some history, some remarkable people who competed in the various sports events, and also some discontinued sports this was a very nice read to get in the mood for Tokyo 2020.
While not everything was new to me, I did find out that the international parking sign (white on blue P) was invented for the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics, and that initially it had been planned as a two-yearly rather than a four-yearly event.
I just found that the book, clearly marketed for the American market, focused a bit too much on American athletes. Especially chapter two, about the Legends, was at least 90% American where I’m sure there are also ‘legends’ from other countries. In the later chapter ‘Forgotten Heroes’ this is slightly less, but remains prominent still.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
January 26, 2020
For anyone looking to feed their fascination of the Olympics, this book is for you. Full of historical facts of the Games (including the ancient games), this book includes chapters on Forgotten History, Legends, Wild and Strange, Firsts, Discontinued Sports, Forgotten Heroes, and an extensive list of Olympic results and stats.
I am a huge Olympic fan and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Although parts of the book are too focused on the accomplishments of U.S. athletes for my non-American liking , I enjoyed learning about, or recalling, various Olympic achievements. The impact of war, politics and religion on the Games is also noted. I appreciated having the photos of the athletes alongside their stories, demonstrating the changing uniforms along the way.
Thank you to Netgalley and Workman Publishing Company for the ARC of this book in exchange for the honest review provided here.
I am a huge Olympic fan and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Although parts of the book are too focused on the accomplishments of U.S. athletes for my non-American liking , I enjoyed learning about, or recalling, various Olympic achievements. The impact of war, politics and religion on the Games is also noted. I appreciated having the photos of the athletes alongside their stories, demonstrating the changing uniforms along the way.
Thank you to Netgalley and Workman Publishing Company for the ARC of this book in exchange for the honest review provided here.
September 15, 2020
While there is no one aspect, sport, site or other topic covered in depth in this book, it gets high marks for covering a lot of material in a relatively brief amount of pages. I particularly liked the portions that weren't about sport, but instead on why the Olympics were postponed such as world wars. A rarity in that this was billed as a sports book but I enjoyed the non-sports parts instead. I see the publication date is pushed back to 2021, probably to accommodate the moving of the Tokyo Olympics to 2021.
September 25, 2024
This collection of brief biographical highlights of various Olympians, famous and obscure, makes for a good deal of interesting stories. It's heavily tilted towards athletes from the United States and the wider anglosphere, so while it doesn't quite contain "every obscure, hilarious, dramatic and inspirational tale," it does still have plenty of unique anecdotes. The organization is a bit confusing at times, and sometimes a chapter might reference something mentioned previously as if for the first time. While the entries occasionally sound a bit glib and Wikipedia-esque, the book is meant to be a lighthearted overview. Ultimately, there are a lot of fascinating bits of Olympic lore packed in here that can be enjoyable to explore.
July 28, 2022
Overall, a speedy read of various fun facts regarding the modern Olympics games although there are short pieces that reveal some notables from the ancient Greek games. More of a focus on USA Olympic athletes, it does touch on some inspirations from across the globe and even some of the hardships they endured training, the hard decision on whether they should return to their homeland as it degenerates into open warfare, and the harsh conditions they return to for participating and/or winning especially women from predominately Muslim countries.
Forgotten events like tug-of-war, tandem bicycling, painting, firefighting, the dreaded rope climb amidst others. We hear about the newest additions but don't often think of the ones that were cut unless they were a personal favorite. There are several entries that touch on the games in Berlin under Hitler's rule as well as the Hungarian Revolution and the Munich games of 1972 which changed the face and security force surrounding the games. Cities that made an Olympic bid - Squaw Valley's success despite the small town and many event locations being not nearby - and games removed from the winning city for various reasons. The 1992 basketball team from the newly independent Lithuania whose uniforms were provided by The Grateful Dead musical group which were tie-dyed in the national colors with a skeleton playing bball.
Definitely a required read for the trivia buff as well as the dedicated olympic fan.
2022-165
Forgotten events like tug-of-war, tandem bicycling, painting, firefighting, the dreaded rope climb amidst others. We hear about the newest additions but don't often think of the ones that were cut unless they were a personal favorite. There are several entries that touch on the games in Berlin under Hitler's rule as well as the Hungarian Revolution and the Munich games of 1972 which changed the face and security force surrounding the games. Cities that made an Olympic bid - Squaw Valley's success despite the small town and many event locations being not nearby - and games removed from the winning city for various reasons. The 1992 basketball team from the newly independent Lithuania whose uniforms were provided by The Grateful Dead musical group which were tie-dyed in the national colors with a skeleton playing bball.
Definitely a required read for the trivia buff as well as the dedicated olympic fan.
2022-165
March 5, 2021
A very interesting book about various aspects of the Olympic games. More a series of themed vignettes than a "proper" history book, each section is interspaced with related facts. Totally up my alley as an Olympics nerd.
I received a copy through Netgalley, and was disappointed that the ebook transfer process for this title was not well done interspacing paragraphs and picture descriptions. Probably a better printed book even if this didn't happen.
I received a copy through Netgalley, and was disappointed that the ebook transfer process for this title was not well done interspacing paragraphs and picture descriptions. Probably a better printed book even if this didn't happen.
July 18, 2021
An overall entertaining book about the history of the modern Olympics and the athletes involved in them, this book covers it all: the good, the bad, the tragic, the comedic, the rise of some sports and the fall of others. A lot of short biographies of athletes got old after awhile and i skimmed through many of them, but i quite enjoyed the lesser known history aspects.
Entertaining and interesting for Olympics fans, sports fans, and trivia fans
I received an Arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Entertaining and interesting for Olympics fans, sports fans, and trivia fans
I received an Arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
July 20, 2021
Total Olympics isn’t really total. It would be difficult to publish everything about the Olympics in one book. However, it’s still worth reading this book. It reminds me slightly of A Guinness World Records book. The Olympic statistics and results are at the end of the book. My favorite chapter was “Legends”. They are the athletes who keep folks interested in the Olympic Games, year after year. Television viewers like me want to see if the latest athletes can compare to these legends. I will definitely be watching the Olympic Games in Japan this month.
May 17, 2021
A well-written and appealing compendium of stories about the organization (or lack thereof), competitors, politics, and other aspects of the many Olympics. Has a wonderful range of stories including quality accounts of competitors of varied ethnicities. Recommended to teen and adult Olympics, sports, history, and sociology fans.
September 14, 2024
Admittedly, I read a full 35% and then just skimmed through the rest reading the segments that interested me. Which I think is fine for this type of book, like a reference book. I did find it interesting but the hilarious and forgotten tales are slim compared to the lengthy athletes bio section.
If I come into possession of a physical copy, I'd just leave it on the coffee table. It's perfect for flipping through and learning something new during quick, random times. It was dry when I tried to read it straight through like a novel but I'm sure some people can handle it like that. I thought even that this book could've been split into multiple volumes for ease of reading until I just decided to read what interested me instead.
If I come into possession of a physical copy, I'd just leave it on the coffee table. It's perfect for flipping through and learning something new during quick, random times. It was dry when I tried to read it straight through like a novel but I'm sure some people can handle it like that. I thought even that this book could've been split into multiple volumes for ease of reading until I just decided to read what interested me instead.
March 22, 2020
I received an electr0nic ARC from Workman Publishing Company through NetGalley.
Fuchs has done an incredible amount of research and shares a wide variety of facts and background information about the Olympics. Short chapters capture the events and people involved - love the succinct style. Trivia buffs will be prepared for all Olympics categories after enjoying this book.
His writing style flows smoothly; he provides enough details without bogging down on any one topic. He also provides an entire chapter of dates, people and locations to sum up the entire history of the modern Olympics. I enjoyed learning about so many people who have been part of history - known and unknown.
I recommend it for history and sports fans as well as trivia buffs.
Fuchs has done an incredible amount of research and shares a wide variety of facts and background information about the Olympics. Short chapters capture the events and people involved - love the succinct style. Trivia buffs will be prepared for all Olympics categories after enjoying this book.
His writing style flows smoothly; he provides enough details without bogging down on any one topic. He also provides an entire chapter of dates, people and locations to sum up the entire history of the modern Olympics. I enjoyed learning about so many people who have been part of history - known and unknown.
I recommend it for history and sports fans as well as trivia buffs.
December 13, 2019
Fun facts about the Olympics.
Random obscure facts every Olympic fan would love.
Interesting but not long winded.
Thankyou Netgalley for this ARC
Random obscure facts every Olympic fan would love.
Interesting but not long winded.
Thankyou Netgalley for this ARC
October 11, 2020
To be published on my blog at release day: Nonstop Reader.
Total Olympics is a comprehensive trivia and history book collected and curated by Jeremy Fuchs. Due out 11th May 2021 from Workman Publishing, it's 336 pages (print version) and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.
I love trivia and factoids. My subjects have always been classics, language, science and nature, with modern culture and entertainment a distant fourth place. Sports (for me) was a never-ran. In fact, on my pub trivia team, nobody ever listens to me on the sports questions. I should've committed this book to memory. Journalist sports writer Fuchs has assembled a pretty staggering array of facts and tidbits from Olympic history. The entries are arranged thematically: (forgotten) history, standout legends, wild and strange, firsts, discontinued sports (some real howlers included here), and forgotten heroes. Each of the chapters includes a dizzying array of facts and interludes about olympic games from the past, when and where, who and sometimes why.
The writing is clear and engaging, Mr. Fuchs has a good sense of humor and ties the history together in an entertaining fashion. The book is full of historical photos and facsimiles of documents. There's a very useful collection of medalists by sport, with winners arranged chronologically, in the back of the book. There is, naturally, an index included, to facilitate finding information.
The publication date has been pushed back ostensibly to coordinate with the Tokyo olympic games, in 2021.
Five stars. This is a comprehensive guide, full of useful photos, and very good at its stated purpose.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes
Total Olympics is a comprehensive trivia and history book collected and curated by Jeremy Fuchs. Due out 11th May 2021 from Workman Publishing, it's 336 pages (print version) and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.
I love trivia and factoids. My subjects have always been classics, language, science and nature, with modern culture and entertainment a distant fourth place. Sports (for me) was a never-ran. In fact, on my pub trivia team, nobody ever listens to me on the sports questions. I should've committed this book to memory. Journalist sports writer Fuchs has assembled a pretty staggering array of facts and tidbits from Olympic history. The entries are arranged thematically: (forgotten) history, standout legends, wild and strange, firsts, discontinued sports (some real howlers included here), and forgotten heroes. Each of the chapters includes a dizzying array of facts and interludes about olympic games from the past, when and where, who and sometimes why.
The writing is clear and engaging, Mr. Fuchs has a good sense of humor and ties the history together in an entertaining fashion. The book is full of historical photos and facsimiles of documents. There's a very useful collection of medalists by sport, with winners arranged chronologically, in the back of the book. There is, naturally, an index included, to facilitate finding information.
The publication date has been pushed back ostensibly to coordinate with the Tokyo olympic games, in 2021.
Five stars. This is a comprehensive guide, full of useful photos, and very good at its stated purpose.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes
May 13, 2021
I have always loved watching the Olympics, so Jeremy Fuchs' Total Olympics was a book I just had to read! I fell in love with the Olympics back in 1992, watching Shannon Miller in a tight run for gold in the women's gymnastics all-around competition. But to be honest, I didn't know much about previous Olympics until reading this book. It was fascinating! First of all, I had no idea that the first modern Olympics originated from a small town in England and featured a pig chase. Or an "old women's" race where the winner received a pound of tea. The popularity of the Wenlock Games then spread across England and just grew from there. Fuchs also goes into the history of the Winter games as well as how tightly the Olympics is weaved together with the economy of each participating and hosting nation -- lots of interesting and eye-opening back stories! The author also goes into a lot of detail about how major events such as the Cold War, refugees, and World War I and II affected the Games, as well as intriguing controversies and side stories such as a figure skating pair winning a medal 50 years after competing, It was also so compelling to read about iconic events that happened before my time, such as the 1968 Podium Protest and the Israeli hostage situation at the 1972 Games. My only complaint is that there are so many events and topics covered that I was left wanting more details for each -- some of them seem almost like a glimpse compared to a few of the earlier chapters that included more history and detail. But otherwise, this was a captivating overview of the many events, historical aspects, Olympic "lore", and interesting tidbits of the Olympic Games that many fans will enjoy.
May 19, 2021
Subtitle: Every Obscure, Hilarious, Dramatic & Inspiring Tale Worth Knowing
When I was in junior high and high school, the school libraries had the huge coffee-table books about the Olympics. I remember that some of them were single-volume books focused on the Olympic Games of one particular year, while at least one other cover all of the Olympics games starting with their revival in 1896 and running through the most recent games at the time the book was published. I loved those books so much that I checked them out at least once each year.
Based on all of that reading, I believed that I knew everything about the Olympics that there was to know. Total Olympics showed me I was wrong about that.
The author divides the book into six chapters, covering the forgotten history of the games, legendary Olympians, wild and strange facts and incidents, notable firsts of the games, discontinued Olympic sports, and forgotten heroes who distinguished themselves outside of athletics. I would give some examples from each of these categories, but in the interest of avoiding spoilers I won’t.
I gave Total Olympics five stars on Goodreads. It made me recall a lot of the things that attracted me to the Olympics to begin with, and refreshed my memory on more recent Games that I didn’t pay as much attention to because of how hectic life can be.
When I was in junior high and high school, the school libraries had the huge coffee-table books about the Olympics. I remember that some of them were single-volume books focused on the Olympic Games of one particular year, while at least one other cover all of the Olympics games starting with their revival in 1896 and running through the most recent games at the time the book was published. I loved those books so much that I checked them out at least once each year.
Based on all of that reading, I believed that I knew everything about the Olympics that there was to know. Total Olympics showed me I was wrong about that.
The author divides the book into six chapters, covering the forgotten history of the games, legendary Olympians, wild and strange facts and incidents, notable firsts of the games, discontinued Olympic sports, and forgotten heroes who distinguished themselves outside of athletics. I would give some examples from each of these categories, but in the interest of avoiding spoilers I won’t.
I gave Total Olympics five stars on Goodreads. It made me recall a lot of the things that attracted me to the Olympics to begin with, and refreshed my memory on more recent Games that I didn’t pay as much attention to because of how hectic life can be.
August 12, 2020
Read if you: Want a fun. informational, and browsable collection of Olympic triumphs, disappointments, and oddities.
While there are usually several excellent children's books about the Olympics/Olympic sports before each Olympics, this is usually not the case for adult readers. Luckily, this intriguing and attractively designed collection of Olympic stories (both well-known and lesser known) will be published just in time for the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021. Although published for the general adult market, young adults interested in Olympic history will definitely enjoy this.
Librarians and booksellers: Your patrons/customers will definitely gravitate to this when the Tokyo Olympics gets closer in 2021!
Note: This was originally slated for a May 2020 publication. I requested it several months ago, before the COVID-19 outbreak forced the postponement of the Games scheduled for July-August 2020. I;m glad Workman was able to reschedule this publication; it will be a great book for readers to dip into during the airing of the games!
Many thanks to Workman Publishing Company and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.
While there are usually several excellent children's books about the Olympics/Olympic sports before each Olympics, this is usually not the case for adult readers. Luckily, this intriguing and attractively designed collection of Olympic stories (both well-known and lesser known) will be published just in time for the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021. Although published for the general adult market, young adults interested in Olympic history will definitely enjoy this.
Librarians and booksellers: Your patrons/customers will definitely gravitate to this when the Tokyo Olympics gets closer in 2021!
Note: This was originally slated for a May 2020 publication. I requested it several months ago, before the COVID-19 outbreak forced the postponement of the Games scheduled for July-August 2020. I;m glad Workman was able to reschedule this publication; it will be a great book for readers to dip into during the airing of the games!
Many thanks to Workman Publishing Company and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.
January 13, 2021
I continued to read this book long after I should have gone to sleep. Just one more section... This book is very difficult to put down. Every story is interesting. Many of them I had never heard before. Starting with history of the ancient Greek Olympics, the author then explains how the modern Olympics came into being and evolved into what it is today (for better or worse).
This book is completely absorbing. You can lose all track of time. Conversely, you can also pick it up when you have a free moment and just read one tidbit. This is a good one to have on your coffee table or nightstand. It is very readable and beautifully Illustrated.
It would make a great gift for any sports fan. This is a winner. Pun intended.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.
This book is completely absorbing. You can lose all track of time. Conversely, you can also pick it up when you have a free moment and just read one tidbit. This is a good one to have on your coffee table or nightstand. It is very readable and beautifully Illustrated.
It would make a great gift for any sports fan. This is a winner. Pun intended.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.
March 2, 2021
I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review. This was genuinely very interesting for anyone with even a remote interest in sports - so many inspiring, funny, difficult or amazing stories and so many people I’d never heard of before. The only problem I had with this was possibly a result of it being an ARC - many times I’d be part way through a person’s story, and it would suddenly cut off and another “topic” would be inserted (e.g. how the Paralympics originated), and then it would go back to the previous story. It would cut off mid sentence, and I’d have to skip a few pages ahead to finish a paragraph, go back and read the inserted topic, then resume. I think this is just a blip and it wouldn’t be in the final released copy/print hopefully.
May 18, 2020
Olympics fans, rejoice! This full-color book is chock full of fascinating stories, fun facts, and inspirational profiles about Olympians, individual events, and different Olympics years. I loved looking at the pictures and reading the stories celebrating the Olympics and Paralympics and the athletes that compete in them. This book is easy to pick up and put down (each profile is about a page or two). I learned a lot! I'm a huge Olympics fan and really enjoyed seeing some of my favorite folks, learning about a bunch of people who were new to me, and hearing about scandals and quirky events as well as what we've come to expect from modern Olympics. Fascinating!
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
August 15, 2021
I love books like this. It was a terrific read. I love the Olympics, and there were a lot of short stories and anecdotes to satisfy a fan like me. I think there are plenty more stories to be told, but this was a collection of bite-size volumes. It is geared for adults (political and personal situations), but I found myself reading many of the more incredible or wacky things to my family.
Fuchs definitely has his opinions on various stories and situations, however his thoughts aren't a distraction. I think he found great stories to focus on, and he laid the book out in a really readable way.
This book could have a sequel for sure...or Fuchs could do an entire book on the 1900 Paris games alone.
Fuchs definitely has his opinions on various stories and situations, however his thoughts aren't a distraction. I think he found great stories to focus on, and he laid the book out in a really readable way.
This book could have a sequel for sure...or Fuchs could do an entire book on the 1900 Paris games alone.
February 15, 2024
The year was 1992. I was in fourth grade and my teacher was obsessed with the Olympics. She, in one of the craftiest and most pleasing self-care style lesson plans I’ve ever been taught, used the Albertville Winter Olympics as a way to teach us about the world. And that’s what she did.
She passed on her Olympics obsession to me.
My love of the Olympics has admittedly waned some in the years since, a thing I attribute to the ridiculous way the broadcasters pick four or five ‘ones to watch’ and mostly only talk about them for two weeks. But I’ll still watch the Games and, apparently, read about them.
Total Olympics: Every Obscure, Hilarious, Dramatic, and Inspiring Tale Worth Knowing is, let’s be honest, an awfully long title for a book. It is also the only appropriate title for Jeremy Fuchs’ collection of anecdotes that make up this book. The stories are short, to the point, and delivered in a conversational style that makes it easy to read for ten minutes, take a break, tell your friends the random facts you just learned, and then go back to reading.
You don’t even need to fall down Wikipedia rabbit holes to find out more about the athletes and stories Fuchs highlights because, after you check one or two things at Wikipedia or elsewhere, you realize he’s already done all the research you need to know for you and you can sit back and have a good time while you wait for the Paris Games to start.
As it is a collection of short things, it’s hard to pick out favorites so we’ll just leave it at… if you love the Olympics and want to know more stories from them, the ones NBC broadcasters (if you’re American) skim over or don’t mention at all, this is the book you should have around.
My rating: 4 stars
Genres/Topics: history, sports, nonfiction, collections, Olympics
I received a copy of Total Olympics through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest & original review. All thoughts are my own.
She passed on her Olympics obsession to me.
My love of the Olympics has admittedly waned some in the years since, a thing I attribute to the ridiculous way the broadcasters pick four or five ‘ones to watch’ and mostly only talk about them for two weeks. But I’ll still watch the Games and, apparently, read about them.
Total Olympics: Every Obscure, Hilarious, Dramatic, and Inspiring Tale Worth Knowing is, let’s be honest, an awfully long title for a book. It is also the only appropriate title for Jeremy Fuchs’ collection of anecdotes that make up this book. The stories are short, to the point, and delivered in a conversational style that makes it easy to read for ten minutes, take a break, tell your friends the random facts you just learned, and then go back to reading.
You don’t even need to fall down Wikipedia rabbit holes to find out more about the athletes and stories Fuchs highlights because, after you check one or two things at Wikipedia or elsewhere, you realize he’s already done all the research you need to know for you and you can sit back and have a good time while you wait for the Paris Games to start.
As it is a collection of short things, it’s hard to pick out favorites so we’ll just leave it at… if you love the Olympics and want to know more stories from them, the ones NBC broadcasters (if you’re American) skim over or don’t mention at all, this is the book you should have around.
My rating: 4 stars
Genres/Topics: history, sports, nonfiction, collections, Olympics
I received a copy of Total Olympics through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest & original review. All thoughts are my own.
May 8, 2020
Interesting, fun snippets
I enjoyed this book. It certainly provided a lot of interesting information in the form of short snippets about the Olympics, stories that don’t usually pop up in mainstream media. The stories are well-written and author Jeremy Fuchs writes conversationally and with a good sense of humor. The only shortcoming of the book is the preponderance of stories that revolve around the US, possibly at the expense of interesting stories from elsewhere. Nonetheless, this is a book well worth reading.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley for review purposes.
I enjoyed this book. It certainly provided a lot of interesting information in the form of short snippets about the Olympics, stories that don’t usually pop up in mainstream media. The stories are well-written and author Jeremy Fuchs writes conversationally and with a good sense of humor. The only shortcoming of the book is the preponderance of stories that revolve around the US, possibly at the expense of interesting stories from elsewhere. Nonetheless, this is a book well worth reading.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley for review purposes.
April 1, 2022
I discovered this book through Keep the Flame Alive podcast, on which Jeremy appeared in an interview. I took it out from the library last summer and started reading it—I found it fascinating with all of the stories of the Olympics and Paralympics. Before Beijing 2022, I purchased it to finish at my leisure and boy was it worth it! Each tale is 1-3 pages long, with plenty of color and B&W photographs to accompany the amazing, wacky, and awe-inspiring stories from the Olympic Games. Well researched and fun to read, I highly recommend for anyone interested in sports! It’s perfect as a tear-through book or as something to pick up and read if you have 5 minutes to spare.
July 29, 2023
Total Olympics by Jeremy Fuchs does justice to the grandeur and significance of the Olympic Games in modern times. Fuchs curates the important historical moments, from Jesse Owens defying racial barriers in the 1936 Berlin Games to the "Miracle on Ice" in 1980, to some lesser-known stories of athletes' triumphs and tragedies. I am not a big sports fan, but it was hard not to feel inspired and even wanting to pick up some athletic equipment after reading some of these stories
Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.
Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.
January 22, 2024
Late to the table on this catching up with reading 2024.
I love both the summer olympics and winter olympics and proud to have attended both the paralympics and olympics in London 2012 so was please when I was asked to review this book.
This is book you can pick up and read in an afternoon, learn interesting facts around the history of the olympics, I expect the author was anticipating the launch of this book to coincide with 2020Tokyo - but as we all lived through Sars Covid-19 the olympics were sadly postponed to 2021. As with Sars Covid-19 other aspects impacted on the olympics, war, politics and religion which is outlined in this book.
An interesting read which I enjoyed.
I love both the summer olympics and winter olympics and proud to have attended both the paralympics and olympics in London 2012 so was please when I was asked to review this book.
This is book you can pick up and read in an afternoon, learn interesting facts around the history of the olympics, I expect the author was anticipating the launch of this book to coincide with 2020Tokyo - but as we all lived through Sars Covid-19 the olympics were sadly postponed to 2021. As with Sars Covid-19 other aspects impacted on the olympics, war, politics and religion which is outlined in this book.
An interesting read which I enjoyed.
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