Games of Deception by Andrew Maraniss EPUB

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Games of Deception by Andrew Maraniss EPUB

"Rivaling the nonfiction works of Steve Sheinkin and Daniel James Brown's The Boys in the Boat.... Even readers who don't appreciate sports will find this story a page-turner." (School Library Connection starred review)

"An insightful, gripping account of basketball and bias." (Kirkus Reviews)

From the New York Times best-selling author of Strong Inside comes the remarkable true story of the birth of Olympic basketball at the 1936 Summer Games in Hitler's Germany. Perfect for fans of The Boys in the Boat and Unbroken.

On a scorching hot day in July 1936, thousands of people cheered as the US Olympic teams boarded the SS Manhattan, bound for Berlin. Among the athletes were the 14 players representing the first-ever US 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.

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