The Dark Orchestra

by James McDermott, Jon North

LOVE YOUR LIFE OR CHANGE IT The Dark Orchestra is a story about life that just so happens to encompass the sport of Weightlifting. Athletes compete, displaying countless hours of hard work for a shot at the podium, but we are not all privy to how they arrived there. The sacrifices made and struggles endured are vast when en route to the national stage. Jon North's journey began long before he ever set foot on the Weightlifting platform. In his younger years, he was a prisoner to drug addictions that kept him from pursuing a fruitful lifestyle. To break free of his demons, he found the barbell, a now old friend to whom he quite literally owes everything, including his life. The barbell catapulted Jon into the world of Weightlifting, a place where he would embark on a momentous voyage of self-discovery and becoming a national champion. His maturation from a rookie to a gold medalist was arduous and filled with many hardships. Jon learned to use the difficult times of his life, despite how dark the road to the podium became, to fuel his pursuits of mastery in the sport. The courage and confidence to be free made him stronger in life and on the platform.

572 pages, Paperback

Published July 9, 2015

Reviews

[Peter Frelik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part raw memoir, part step-by-step training guide, and part chronological collection of successful blog posts. All wrapped up with the fascinating, imaginary embrace of the titular "Dark Orchestra” in all of us. His reflections on drug addiction and the fight to become a USA weightlifting hopeful are inspiring writing. In my opinion, North still has a voice that needs to be heard, especially when he focuses on the deep, human struggles. Let’s get more of that.

[Mantha Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started out interesting and I was really enjoying it, but after being 2/3 of the way through, I just couldn’t finish the last section of the book.