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Games of Deception: The True Story of the First U.S. Olympic Basketball Team at the 1936 Olympics in Hitler's Germany
From the
New York Times
bestselling author of
Strong Inside
comes the remarkable true story of the birth of Olympic basketball at the 1936 Summer Games in Hitler's Germany.
On a scorching hot day in July 1936, thousands of people cheered as the U.S. Olympic teams boarded the S.S. Manhattan, bound for Berlin. Among the athletes were the 14 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 S.S. 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. Includes photos throughout, a Who's-Who of the 1936 Olympics, and bibliography.
On a scorching hot day in July 1936, thousands of people cheered as the U.S. Olympic teams boarded the S.S. Manhattan, bound for Berlin. Among the athletes were the 14 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 S.S. 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. Includes photos throughout, a Who's-Who of the 1936 Olympics, and bibliography.
Audio CD
First published November 5, 2019
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About the author
Andrew Maraniss
22 books55 followersAndrew Maraniss is the New York Times bestselling author of STRONG INSIDE, a biography of Perry Wallace, the first African American basketball player in the SEC. The original, adult edition of the book received the Lillian Smith Book Award and the RFK Book Awards' Special Recognition Prize, while the Middle Grade adaptation was named one of the Top Biographies and Top Sports Books for Youth by the American Library Association. Andrew's next book (Nov. 2019) GAMES OF DECEPTION, is the true story of the first U.S. Olympic basketball team, at the 1936 Olympics in Nazi Germany. Andrew is a contributor to ESPN's race and sports website, TheUndefeated.com, and is a Visiting Author at Vanderbilt University Athletics. He lives in Brentwood, Tenn., with his wife and two young children. Follow him on Twitter @trublu24.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews
January 9, 2020
I loved this book! It was a good mix of sports and history. The first Olympic basketball game was played on a tennis court in the rain. James Naismith the game’s inventor went to the games, but wasn’t given a ticket. The author filled the story with sports stories balanced against the backdrop of prewar German history. I enjoyed learning the backstory of the athletes and the history behind the Games. “The first casualty of Nazism was the truth.”
September 23, 2022
Maybe I should read/listen to more YA history books. All the facts, all the intrigue, in a much smaller package. I finished this audiobook in two days of intermittent listening. Time well spent.
Andrew Maraniss covers the 1936 Olympics in Games of Deception with a very light focus on the USA's gold-medal-winning men's basketball team. The subtitle would make you think the entire book is about basketball, but that's very much not the case. Maraniss covers the Olympics in general, Nazi Germany, and racism back home in America. Fun fact: while Jesse Owens placed first in four events at these Olympics, numerous other Black Americans also placed in the same events (and have been forgotten to history).
Games of Deception lacks some of the nuance of "adult" non-fiction, but I didn't necessarily miss it. Maraniss basically cuts to the chase. Nazis are bad, racism is bad, basketball was not the same sport we know and love today. Even without the nuance, I learned quite a bit.
Andrew Maraniss covers the 1936 Olympics in Games of Deception with a very light focus on the USA's gold-medal-winning men's basketball team. The subtitle would make you think the entire book is about basketball, but that's very much not the case. Maraniss covers the Olympics in general, Nazi Germany, and racism back home in America. Fun fact: while Jesse Owens placed first in four events at these Olympics, numerous other Black Americans also placed in the same events (and have been forgotten to history).
Games of Deception lacks some of the nuance of "adult" non-fiction, but I didn't necessarily miss it. Maraniss basically cuts to the chase. Nazis are bad, racism is bad, basketball was not the same sport we know and love today. Even without the nuance, I learned quite a bit.
January 30, 2020
As a lover of narrative nonfiction, I'm always happy to give a book like this a read. The book combines many topics of interest : basketball, Olympics, history, WWII, and prejudice. It can be a challenge, however, to bring all those topics together in a coherent and readable way. But Maraniss has succeeded in writing a book that covers all of the topics in an easy-to-read and compelling way. That's undoubtedly one of the reasons the book was just awarded a Sydney Taylor Book Award honor.
The book begins with the departure of the S.S. Manhattan from New York harbor with the Olympic athletes on board. The book then goes back and explains how basketball was invented and eventually became an Olympic sport. Giving brief background information on some of the most influential people, the book then proceeds to describe the players and teams who tried out for the Olympic team and the process used to choose the participants. Other issues related to the Olympics in Germany are also covered including the Nazi's attempts to minimize their deep-seated hatred and mistreatment of the Jews. The deceptions they used to make their country look better reveal the underlying politics that seem to effect every Olympics, despite ongoing efforts to keep politics out of the games. The movement to keep the U.S. from sending athletes to the 1936 games is also covered including the reasons behind it. The book concludes by describing the actual Olympic Games focusing especially on the basketball games.
This excellent nonfiction book provides an intriguing glimpse into the history of basketball, but also the fact that sports don't exist in a vacuum. The historical events leading up to World War II played a key role in the development of both the Olympics as an event and basketball as a sport. Those who participated or observed those games were changed by the experience. Overall, the book is a fabulous addition to a growing number of narrative nonfiction titles that help young readers understand the past a bit better.
The book begins with the departure of the S.S. Manhattan from New York harbor with the Olympic athletes on board. The book then goes back and explains how basketball was invented and eventually became an Olympic sport. Giving brief background information on some of the most influential people, the book then proceeds to describe the players and teams who tried out for the Olympic team and the process used to choose the participants. Other issues related to the Olympics in Germany are also covered including the Nazi's attempts to minimize their deep-seated hatred and mistreatment of the Jews. The deceptions they used to make their country look better reveal the underlying politics that seem to effect every Olympics, despite ongoing efforts to keep politics out of the games. The movement to keep the U.S. from sending athletes to the 1936 games is also covered including the reasons behind it. The book concludes by describing the actual Olympic Games focusing especially on the basketball games.
This excellent nonfiction book provides an intriguing glimpse into the history of basketball, but also the fact that sports don't exist in a vacuum. The historical events leading up to World War II played a key role in the development of both the Olympics as an event and basketball as a sport. Those who participated or observed those games were changed by the experience. Overall, the book is a fabulous addition to a growing number of narrative nonfiction titles that help young readers understand the past a bit better.
April 19, 2020
I love this book so so much. It really feels like home. Being from Kansas, reading about Lawrence, McPherson, Kansas City, it truly made me proud to be from such a salt of the earth basketball state. The 1936 Berlin Olympics were not only the first appearance of basketball, but also included the American rowing team featured in the book Boys in the Boat. Both of these books are true testaments to hard work, determination, grit, and working hard to accomplish a dream, not for the glory and praise from others but for yourself only. The intrinsic drive to do your best to accomplish a goal. My papa John was one of those men. His 1952 Olympic gold medal was displayed in a curio cabinet in his central Kansas country home. He never really talked about it unless asked. He was a junior high teacher who, after retirement, loved taking care of his horses, garden, and watching his grandchildren play the game that has been in our blood since birth. I am so thankful for my Kansas basketball heritage and the men in this book are part of that.
January 6, 2020
The book is equal parts basketball/sports as it is about Germany and the rise of Hitler as he was already installed and in power. The book is almost a pleasant surprise because I usually don't look forward to books focused on sports unless they're told with some pizzazz because most of the sports I didn't play and don't necessarily have interest in. This one really talked about the beginnings of basketball as a game (like Sheinkin did for football) and then how it became an Olympic sport during the 1936 Olympics and how the experience was for the players-- playing outside on a waterlogged converted court where the score barely reached the double digits.
I learned a multitude of factoids about Germany and the Olympics which was fascinating. The focus was spot on and I hope people don't sell the book short (like I would have done) because it's as much nonfiction about a pivotal and volatile time in the world as it was about a sport.
I learned a multitude of factoids about Germany and the Olympics which was fascinating. The focus was spot on and I hope people don't sell the book short (like I would have done) because it's as much nonfiction about a pivotal and volatile time in the world as it was about a sport.
June 10, 2021
Maybe I have misread this somewhere but this is supposedly a kids/ YA book?
No it isn’t. Not even sure who it is for. A a history of the USA’s basketball team going to the 1936 Berlin Olympics. But this book kept going off on tangents to ensure you got the full picture. Too much detail was provided and too many side stories. For a die hard basketball enthusiast this might be an engaging book but for a mother reading to her 3 times a week basketball playing 11 year old we found it dull and badly constructed.
Note: I now see it was an adult book that was ‘converted’ for younger readers. Personally, I don’t think the editors stepped back from this project enough and thought about reading this as a young adult.
No it isn’t. Not even sure who it is for. A a history of the USA’s basketball team going to the 1936 Berlin Olympics. But this book kept going off on tangents to ensure you got the full picture. Too much detail was provided and too many side stories. For a die hard basketball enthusiast this might be an engaging book but for a mother reading to her 3 times a week basketball playing 11 year old we found it dull and badly constructed.
Note: I now see it was an adult book that was ‘converted’ for younger readers. Personally, I don’t think the editors stepped back from this project enough and thought about reading this as a young adult.
November 29, 2019
Follows the game of basketball from its invention to the first Olympic tournament 45 years later, set against the harrowing backdrop of of the rise of the Nazis in Germany and Hitler's attempt to use the 1936 Berlin Olympics to sell the world on the accomplishments of his brutal regime. The story flows from the racism athletes faced, not just in Germany but the United States as well, to the burning question of the day: should, or even can, sports and politics be separated? Can a bunch of factory and odd-jobs workers take the court at the worlds greatest sports event and just play ball?
For more great history for teenage boys, see: http://talestoldtall.com/blog1/nonfic...
For more great history for teenage boys, see: http://talestoldtall.com/blog1/nonfic...
January 31, 2020
“Olympic basketball was born in Nazi Germany.
Nazi Germany died on a basketball court.”
This book blew me away! I learned so much about basketball and about world politics leading up to WWII—which isn’t talked about that often.
Andrew Maraniss has compiled extensive research and presents a very poignant look into this period of history.
I highly recommend!
Nazi Germany died on a basketball court.”
This book blew me away! I learned so much about basketball and about world politics leading up to WWII—which isn’t talked about that often.
Andrew Maraniss has compiled extensive research and presents a very poignant look into this period of history.
I highly recommend!
July 18, 2020
Andrew Maraniss Writes another cl! Or at least for a Basketball geek who likes academic approaches things. It was perfect.
Not only does he talk about the 1936 Olympic basketball team for the USA, he sets up the entire. Environment both worldwide and within the United States. I found it incredibly interesting and enjoyed it immensely.
Not only does he talk about the 1936 Olympic basketball team for the USA, he sets up the entire. Environment both worldwide and within the United States. I found it incredibly interesting and enjoyed it immensely.
March 18, 2021
Enjoyed this one. Reminded me of Unbroken and The Boys in the Boat.
September 14, 2019
Did you know the championship game of the first Olympic Basketball game was was played on a converted tennis court and so much rain fell, the court looked like a "kiddie swimming pool?" Or that the inventor of the game, James Naismith, came to the Olympics but wasn't given a ticket? Or that while the male athletes had luxurious quarters with fantastic food, the female athletes were housed in a dormitory and fed on boiled cabbage and sausage?
Andrew Maraniss packs his book with fascinating sports tidbits like this and, especially in the second half of the book, provides a breathless sense of being an eye-witness at these pivotal games. While the sports is terrific, Maraniss is doing a lot more than historical play-by-play. The modern Olympics have always provided a window on the social and political events of their time but the 1936 games were especially so. A crippling economic depression still gripped the world, Germany was preparing for war, the forces of racial, religious and gender prejudices and systemic discrimination afflicted people everywhere and the growing fanaticism of nationalistic hatred was intensifying. The Germans deliberately used the games to create a benign image of Nazism and while many were fooled, the truth was seen by a worried minority.
Maraniss does an excellent job of providing the complicated background of this intense and fraught period of history for young people, providing information on the political, social and economic situation as well as the origins of the game of basketball, the state of the game and its inclusion in the Olympic games as a medal sport. He does this with a wonderful array of primary source accounts that add a personal lively touch the stories.
The book moved a bit slowly for me at the start as I was familiar with much of the information, providing a lot of information on the origins of basketball, the world situation and the debate on the potential boycott of the games, but the pace really picked up when the US team boards the ship for the games. A really fascinating, well-documented book that celebrates the first Olympic competition as well as placing it in the critical moment of history.
I especially enjoyed the Afterword where Maraniss writes about the origins and research of the books.
Andrew Maraniss packs his book with fascinating sports tidbits like this and, especially in the second half of the book, provides a breathless sense of being an eye-witness at these pivotal games. While the sports is terrific, Maraniss is doing a lot more than historical play-by-play. The modern Olympics have always provided a window on the social and political events of their time but the 1936 games were especially so. A crippling economic depression still gripped the world, Germany was preparing for war, the forces of racial, religious and gender prejudices and systemic discrimination afflicted people everywhere and the growing fanaticism of nationalistic hatred was intensifying. The Germans deliberately used the games to create a benign image of Nazism and while many were fooled, the truth was seen by a worried minority.
Maraniss does an excellent job of providing the complicated background of this intense and fraught period of history for young people, providing information on the political, social and economic situation as well as the origins of the game of basketball, the state of the game and its inclusion in the Olympic games as a medal sport. He does this with a wonderful array of primary source accounts that add a personal lively touch the stories.
The book moved a bit slowly for me at the start as I was familiar with much of the information, providing a lot of information on the origins of basketball, the world situation and the debate on the potential boycott of the games, but the pace really picked up when the US team boards the ship for the games. A really fascinating, well-documented book that celebrates the first Olympic competition as well as placing it in the critical moment of history.
I especially enjoyed the Afterword where Maraniss writes about the origins and research of the books.
June 21, 2020
Games of Deception: The True Story of the First U.S. Olympic Basketball Team at the 1936 Olympics in Hitler's Germany by Andrew Maraniss, 240 pages. NON FICTION. Philomel Books (Penguin), 2019. $19.
Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG ; Violence: PG
BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
In 1936 a group of 14 athletes boarded the S.S. Manhattan en route to the Olympic Games in Germany. Representing the United States, these athletes would become the first basketball team to compete in the Olympic Games. Adolf Hitler had gained power in Germany and many athletes and political figures had heard rumors of mistreatment of Jews and Jewish supporters. The athletes completing in the Olympic games would never see any evidence of this. Berlin, Germany was like a movie set; clean sweep streets, painted store fronts and smiling happy German people who had know idea what was yet to come. This is the fascinating, true story of how basketball came to be and the many accounts of players involved in getting to the games. This book holds so many interesting facts about basketball that I never knew.
Maraniss goes into James Naismith's invention of the game, and to how each player and team sought funding to attend the Olympics. There are also some troubling facts about Adolf Hitler looking to the United State's treatment of Native Americans and African Americans when designing his ideal Germany and when African American athletes, such as Jesse Owens, returned from the games a decorated champion, still faced segregation and persecution. Students who enjoy basketball and World War II will like this book.
Jessica Nelson Librarian
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2020...
Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG ; Violence: PG
BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
In 1936 a group of 14 athletes boarded the S.S. Manhattan en route to the Olympic Games in Germany. Representing the United States, these athletes would become the first basketball team to compete in the Olympic Games. Adolf Hitler had gained power in Germany and many athletes and political figures had heard rumors of mistreatment of Jews and Jewish supporters. The athletes completing in the Olympic games would never see any evidence of this. Berlin, Germany was like a movie set; clean sweep streets, painted store fronts and smiling happy German people who had know idea what was yet to come. This is the fascinating, true story of how basketball came to be and the many accounts of players involved in getting to the games. This book holds so many interesting facts about basketball that I never knew.
Maraniss goes into James Naismith's invention of the game, and to how each player and team sought funding to attend the Olympics. There are also some troubling facts about Adolf Hitler looking to the United State's treatment of Native Americans and African Americans when designing his ideal Germany and when African American athletes, such as Jesse Owens, returned from the games a decorated champion, still faced segregation and persecution. Students who enjoy basketball and World War II will like this book.
Jessica Nelson Librarian
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2020...
August 25, 2021
1/16 of this book is about basketball, which you could probably read all of the details on Wikipedia. Most of it is filler about the build up to WW2, very little of which is novel. The narrator is very passionate
June 12, 2024
Disappointing. I love basketball and a good sports story. I had also heard this compared to “The Boys in the Boat” which I thoroughly enjoyed. Not much basketball and not much story. It was no where near “The Boys in the Boat” in writing or quality.
July 18, 2024
I checked this audiobook out because I wanted something to listen to before bed. I often find sports books best for this purpose - they contain enough narrative and plot to keep me engaged, but not in a way that is hard to follow. If I doze off early and have to rewind a section, they generally move quickly enough that I don't mind hearing the same passage a few times. Generally they have some humor, and some reflection, so I'm getting something I couldn't get by just watching highlight reels.
When I started listening to Games of Deception, though, I was pleasantly surprised to find that for such a concise book, it packs a historical and moral punch. The book is more about the context of the 1936 Olympics in Nazi Germany than anything else, and it seriously considers a varied set of experiences relating to the games and the rise of Hitler, as well as the international debate surrounding America's participation in the games at all. I had always seen the image of Jesse Owens after winning gold and had felt a sense of pride at America's rejection of Nazi white supremacy, but had never stopped to consider why Owens was there in the first place. Maraniss' history encouraged me to think meaningfully about how politics and ethics infuses not just the sports we play and how we play them, but whether we should play them at all. The narrator uses pacing especially well to punctuate these points.
The basketball narrative is fine. You meet interesting characters, follow their experiences with both sport and the social changes rocking the international order in the early 20th century, and watch them compete in a truly bizarre first Olympic basketball competition. It served all the purposes I was looking for when I initially checked out the book, and only felt lackluster in comparison to the really effective historical work I hadn't seen coming.
I would highly recommend this book to those interested in the intersection of sports and history. I would also recommend young athletes (high school and college) read this book as part of a guided experience. The book forces you to answer important questions: What makes sports important? How can sports foster collaboration, teamwork, and determination? How can sports ignore important issues? How can athletes compete and play with a strong moral compass? How does that compass extend off the court or field? I think this would make an excellent (and important) read for people in that part of their lives. I would recommend this to my grandfather and my brother, Luke. I would also recommend it to my friend Emma, who may be interested in this frame of looking at the rise of Nazi Germany and the early period of the Holocaust.
When I started listening to Games of Deception, though, I was pleasantly surprised to find that for such a concise book, it packs a historical and moral punch. The book is more about the context of the 1936 Olympics in Nazi Germany than anything else, and it seriously considers a varied set of experiences relating to the games and the rise of Hitler, as well as the international debate surrounding America's participation in the games at all. I had always seen the image of Jesse Owens after winning gold and had felt a sense of pride at America's rejection of Nazi white supremacy, but had never stopped to consider why Owens was there in the first place. Maraniss' history encouraged me to think meaningfully about how politics and ethics infuses not just the sports we play and how we play them, but whether we should play them at all. The narrator uses pacing especially well to punctuate these points.
The basketball narrative is fine. You meet interesting characters, follow their experiences with both sport and the social changes rocking the international order in the early 20th century, and watch them compete in a truly bizarre first Olympic basketball competition. It served all the purposes I was looking for when I initially checked out the book, and only felt lackluster in comparison to the really effective historical work I hadn't seen coming.
I would highly recommend this book to those interested in the intersection of sports and history. I would also recommend young athletes (high school and college) read this book as part of a guided experience. The book forces you to answer important questions: What makes sports important? How can sports foster collaboration, teamwork, and determination? How can sports ignore important issues? How can athletes compete and play with a strong moral compass? How does that compass extend off the court or field? I think this would make an excellent (and important) read for people in that part of their lives. I would recommend this to my grandfather and my brother, Luke. I would also recommend it to my friend Emma, who may be interested in this frame of looking at the rise of Nazi Germany and the early period of the Holocaust.
January 5, 2021
Olympic basketball was born in Nazi Germany in 1936.
Nazi Germany died on a basketball court (after the Nuremberg Trials that sentenced to death several Nazi leaders--that didn't commit suicide by taking cyanide pills). (201)
This was a very interesting read about the history of basketball. It included MANY stories of what might or might not have been. In other words, several people WERE excluded from making the trip AND many others had some CRAZY but fortunate circumstances that led to their unlikely participation (i.e. fund raisers, throwing money on blankets on the court, etc.).
Some things that stood out:
-The Nazi regime was intend to present a facade that Germany is the premier place to live due to the remarkable leadership of the country. However, several Olympians didn't listen to instructions and explored outside the "stage" set for them. It was obvious that the place wasn't as beautiful, they were preparing for war, Jews were being neglected and mistreated, etc.
-I grew up in Cincinnati (Ohio) and the author said he visited the American Jewish Archives there (which I didn't know existed)! The author said he met 95 year-old Al Miller, who was thirteen at the time of the 1936 Olympics, and was able to hear all kinds of stories surrounding those events. When asked what could be done NOW to prevent another genocide, he responded to some schoolchildren: "They must simply remember the final words of the pledge of the (American) national anthem they said that morning with their hand over their hearts: 'Liberty and justice for all.'" (211-212)
-They played these first Olympic basketball games outside because the Germans thought they knew better than James Naismith, but the championship game prevented ANY skill from being displayed since people could not dribble AT ALL, they slid ALL over the court, etc. The final score was 19-8 as the Americans beat the Canadians. But it was unfortunate that the skills of the game were not put on display due to the Germans not listening to advice from the outside.
-James Naismith, the inventor of the sport of basketball was able to make the trip! However, the Olympic committee would NOT let him in to watch the first game!!! No special ceremony or acknowledgement was made, but after complaints from representatives from NUMEROUS countries, officials realized their poor judgment, brought him in and made amends as a result of Naismith's humility.
-It was CRAZY to read STORY AFTER STORY of Jews who were NOT allowed to participate in the Games--even from America! That STILL just boggles my mind!!!
Nazi Germany died on a basketball court (after the Nuremberg Trials that sentenced to death several Nazi leaders--that didn't commit suicide by taking cyanide pills). (201)
This was a very interesting read about the history of basketball. It included MANY stories of what might or might not have been. In other words, several people WERE excluded from making the trip AND many others had some CRAZY but fortunate circumstances that led to their unlikely participation (i.e. fund raisers, throwing money on blankets on the court, etc.).
Some things that stood out:
-The Nazi regime was intend to present a facade that Germany is the premier place to live due to the remarkable leadership of the country. However, several Olympians didn't listen to instructions and explored outside the "stage" set for them. It was obvious that the place wasn't as beautiful, they were preparing for war, Jews were being neglected and mistreated, etc.
-I grew up in Cincinnati (Ohio) and the author said he visited the American Jewish Archives there (which I didn't know existed)! The author said he met 95 year-old Al Miller, who was thirteen at the time of the 1936 Olympics, and was able to hear all kinds of stories surrounding those events. When asked what could be done NOW to prevent another genocide, he responded to some schoolchildren: "They must simply remember the final words of the pledge of the (American) national anthem they said that morning with their hand over their hearts: 'Liberty and justice for all.'" (211-212)
-They played these first Olympic basketball games outside because the Germans thought they knew better than James Naismith, but the championship game prevented ANY skill from being displayed since people could not dribble AT ALL, they slid ALL over the court, etc. The final score was 19-8 as the Americans beat the Canadians. But it was unfortunate that the skills of the game were not put on display due to the Germans not listening to advice from the outside.
-James Naismith, the inventor of the sport of basketball was able to make the trip! However, the Olympic committee would NOT let him in to watch the first game!!! No special ceremony or acknowledgement was made, but after complaints from representatives from NUMEROUS countries, officials realized their poor judgment, brought him in and made amends as a result of Naismith's humility.
-It was CRAZY to read STORY AFTER STORY of Jews who were NOT allowed to participate in the Games--even from America! That STILL just boggles my mind!!!
December 2, 2019
Games of Deception is a quality young adult nonfiction piece about basketball and the Berlin Games. Directed toward an audience of teens and young adults, the book covers the creation of the game, the formation of the Olympic team, the conflict over whether or not to boycott the games, and the Nazi propaganda machine during the games itself. Touching on many important topics connected to the team and the games, Maraniss writes an accessible but challenging book that will a great addition to any school library.
I really liked the details about Jesse Owen captivating performance, and how the author explained the difference between current college and professional players and the amateurs who formed the team. Maraniss also does a good job of setting the scene both in the US and internationally. The depression is raging all over the globe and with it Hitler sees an opportunity to gain control. And the Olympic game is a chance to showcase the ‘perfect society’ the regime has built.
Games of Deception features many pictures of the key players and places where the events take place, including the rain soaked tennis court where the gold medal game is played. Important to note is that the writing takes the time to look at the history through a 21st century lens. He notes the exclusion of Jewish athletes as well as African-American members of the Olympics teams. And also how the men and women were treated differently at the time. It might be hard for a young person to wrap his or her head around this rampant bigotry, but Maraniss provides examples and evidence to help a reader.
A well-written book about a little-known piece of sports history.
4 out of 5 stars
For my full review: https://paulspicks.blog/2019/11/21/ga...
For all my reviews: https://paulspicks.blog
I really liked the details about Jesse Owen captivating performance, and how the author explained the difference between current college and professional players and the amateurs who formed the team. Maraniss also does a good job of setting the scene both in the US and internationally. The depression is raging all over the globe and with it Hitler sees an opportunity to gain control. And the Olympic game is a chance to showcase the ‘perfect society’ the regime has built.
Games of Deception features many pictures of the key players and places where the events take place, including the rain soaked tennis court where the gold medal game is played. Important to note is that the writing takes the time to look at the history through a 21st century lens. He notes the exclusion of Jewish athletes as well as African-American members of the Olympics teams. And also how the men and women were treated differently at the time. It might be hard for a young person to wrap his or her head around this rampant bigotry, but Maraniss provides examples and evidence to help a reader.
A well-written book about a little-known piece of sports history.
4 out of 5 stars
For my full review: https://paulspicks.blog/2019/11/21/ga...
For all my reviews: https://paulspicks.blog
March 28, 2022
This is a non-fiction book that looks at the origins of basketball, exploring its religious, racial and political beginnings as a sport, culminating in it being played for the first time as an Olympic sport in Germany, 1936 when Hitler hosted the Olympic games.
It doesn't delve quite as deeply into the players' backgrounds as The Boys in the Boat does. But you do get a sense, albeit brief, of the white, Christian, prejudicial beginnings of the sport and the YMCA, where it took off.
You also get a pretty good sense of how some players who were chosen to go to the Olympics, early on, grappled with the antisemitism displayed by the US Olympic committee head and how he courted Hitler and his minions to get basketball included as a sport in the games. You learn of a team that refused to give their tacit endorsement of such prejudices via their participation in the games and voted not to compete in the qualifying games. And at least one of the US basketball team's players who did go was openly Jewish, unlike the US rowing crew, whose Jewish team member hid his belief and grappled with that decision.
It's one of those books I wish had a good educator's guide, or a publisher-offered free teaching guide, but it doesn't. Therefore I can't recommend it in Teachers. But it is a high-interest topic that many of your students may be interested in reading and would make a great addition to a classroom or home bookshelf.
Looking for more book suggestions for your 7th/8th grade classroom and students?
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
It doesn't delve quite as deeply into the players' backgrounds as The Boys in the Boat does. But you do get a sense, albeit brief, of the white, Christian, prejudicial beginnings of the sport and the YMCA, where it took off.
You also get a pretty good sense of how some players who were chosen to go to the Olympics, early on, grappled with the antisemitism displayed by the US Olympic committee head and how he courted Hitler and his minions to get basketball included as a sport in the games. You learn of a team that refused to give their tacit endorsement of such prejudices via their participation in the games and voted not to compete in the qualifying games. And at least one of the US basketball team's players who did go was openly Jewish, unlike the US rowing crew, whose Jewish team member hid his belief and grappled with that decision.
It's one of those books I wish had a good educator's guide, or a publisher-offered free teaching guide, but it doesn't. Therefore I can't recommend it in Teachers. But it is a high-interest topic that many of your students may be interested in reading and would make a great addition to a classroom or home bookshelf.
Looking for more book suggestions for your 7th/8th grade classroom and students?
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
October 5, 2024
This was a fascinating read tracing the Team USA’s basketball team’s presence in the Olympics! It started in the 1936 Olympics, which were set in Berlin just before WW2. (Interestingly, I listened to this while in Berlin and wish there had been a site to visit where the basketball games were played in that Olympics). As a child, I watched the Dream Team play in the 1992 Olympics and marveled at their prowess. I had no idea that Olympics basketball originated in the Berlin 1936 Olympics, which is one of the most famous Olympics because it was Hitler’s presentation to the world of how “good and amazing” Nazi Germany was. I have always been fascinated by the 1936 Olympics—Jesse Owens, Louis Zamperini, “The Boys in the Boat” USA rowing team—all occurred jn Berlin. It was eye opening to learn of basketball at the same Olympic Games.
The book also devotes a great deal to the story of James Naismith, who created basketball in America. The first section of the book follows how and why he created it, and how where he created it in Springfield, Massachusetts. Because of the geography of where it was created and its proximity to a YMCA international headquarters/training center, basketball spread globally thanks to Naismith, and it spread quickly. All of the unique ties and connections with basketball and Naismith came together at the 1936 Olympics. It was not the most riveting book that I have ever read, but I enjoyed how it traced basketballs roots as a sport and as an Olympic event. If you enjoy basketball and the Olympics, I commend this to you! This was truly a fascinating read!
The book also devotes a great deal to the story of James Naismith, who created basketball in America. The first section of the book follows how and why he created it, and how where he created it in Springfield, Massachusetts. Because of the geography of where it was created and its proximity to a YMCA international headquarters/training center, basketball spread globally thanks to Naismith, and it spread quickly. All of the unique ties and connections with basketball and Naismith came together at the 1936 Olympics. It was not the most riveting book that I have ever read, but I enjoyed how it traced basketballs roots as a sport and as an Olympic event. If you enjoy basketball and the Olympics, I commend this to you! This was truly a fascinating read!
June 22, 2020
The game is basketball, the deception is the Nazis attempts to make these games seem like any other Olympics, bringing athletes from many countries together to compete in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Both stories were fascinating especially at their intersection. Many in America wanted to boycott the games, one player decided not to go because of the atrocities. Another Jewish player convinced himself that playing was the right thing to do, and had a wonderful time in Berlin, but all the time questioned whether he should be there or should have stayed home. A couple of things that fascinated me: how the team was chosen, or in fact, teams. The two finalists of a national competition were the two teams to go to Berlin, and because of the restrictions of numbers of players allowed on court, they continued as two teams, playing alternate games. Another: the conditions under which the teams played, basically on what was more of a muddy football style pitch than a basketball court. And finally the unequal treatment of women; while men were feted and lived like kings the women were shoved into a dormitory and only got enough to eat if they arrived promptly at the dining hall. The whole series of deceptions was fascinating, if unsurprising given what history has taught us. For me an added layer of interest was the Kansas connection. A good section was given over to James Naismith's invention of the game and his later move to KU where his original 13 Rules of Basketball are still displayed, and that one of the two teams to make it to Berlin was from a small town, McPherson, KS.
July 29, 2020
I love the recent trend (or at least that's what it seems like to me) of taking extremely well-written adult non-fiction and rewriting or adapting a version for young readers. I have enjoyed many of these books and Games of Deception is a great one in that tradition. This is the story of the first US Olympic basketball team and how they played in the 1936 Olympics in Germany. The book covers the beginnings of basketball and the various opportunities and struggles that the game had to become popular. It shares information about the individual players and their struggles including, for many, the difficult decision to be on a team that was going into Hitler's Germany. One of my favorite parts of this book though is the description of what the Olympics were like in Germany and what the basketball players faced. How the facade of the beautiful, clean city and lavish hospitality for some teams and team members existed while the rotting core of values and savagery was just outside or underneath this public vision. It was also interesting to note the treatment of women at the time which is not a focus of the book but a detail worth giving some acknowledgment. This is definitely a book I would recommend to students to read and I would probably read some sections out loud to the class about the dichotomy of the public/private situation that was leading into WWII. Non-fiction narratives are really coming into their own in my reading library.
March 24, 2022
Games of deceptions by Andrew Maraniss is a book about the Olympic games in germany just before the war it is mainly about basketball during this time. I came across this book in my school's library.
This book starts off about how basketball has become a sport and the inventor, James Naismith. Then it talks about James getting it into the Olympic games for the first time ever but there was one problem the Olympic games, they were going to be held at germany and Hitler was in charge at this time many people did not want america to participate in the games but we still did and it was not supposed to be political but when the players got to Germany it was clear Hitler was using the games to promote his ideologies.
The book ended with a short explanation of what some of the players' lives were like after the games and what they did in their older ages and it also talks about what James did in his old age as well. My favorite quote of the book was ¨But for Ai Miller, the scene was memorable for another reason one he would vividly recall more than eighty years later. Jesse Owens, the fastest man on earth, was the first black man he'd ever seen¨ This is my favorite quote because it shows how much people were exposed to different cultures compared to now.
I thought this book was ok, I personally would not read it again but some one interested in basketball and Germany during the Olympic games would like this book.
This book starts off about how basketball has become a sport and the inventor, James Naismith. Then it talks about James getting it into the Olympic games for the first time ever but there was one problem the Olympic games, they were going to be held at germany and Hitler was in charge at this time many people did not want america to participate in the games but we still did and it was not supposed to be political but when the players got to Germany it was clear Hitler was using the games to promote his ideologies.
The book ended with a short explanation of what some of the players' lives were like after the games and what they did in their older ages and it also talks about what James did in his old age as well. My favorite quote of the book was ¨But for Ai Miller, the scene was memorable for another reason one he would vividly recall more than eighty years later. Jesse Owens, the fastest man on earth, was the first black man he'd ever seen¨ This is my favorite quote because it shows how much people were exposed to different cultures compared to now.
I thought this book was ok, I personally would not read it again but some one interested in basketball and Germany during the Olympic games would like this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 8, 2023
The name of the book I read is Games of Deception by Andrew Maraniss. The topic of the book is about basketball in Nazi Germany. I found the book in our school's library. I was just looking around, pondering on what I was going to read. I looked at about 3 or 4 books before I picked it out.
The book is about the 1936 olympic basketball team. It tells you how James Naismith invented basketball, how people were boycotting even going to the olympics. Then the team gets to Berlin and they play their games and the USA comes out on top.
The way the book ended was good. It had team USA versus Mexico in the final match. It was raining really hard and the court was made out of dirt. So when they went to play it was just mud. It was a close match in the first half, then after halftime team USA only allowed them to score only 2 points. They scored around 21 more points. “Olympic basketball was born in Nazi Germany. Nazi Germany died on a basketball court.” (Maraniss 201). Those were the last lines of the book and I think that they are pretty cool.
I think that the book was good. It had a good flow to it and it really went into detail. Some similar books would be any about basketball or the olympics. There’s not a bunch of pages but he really makes it count. If you like sports then I think you should give it a try.
The book is about the 1936 olympic basketball team. It tells you how James Naismith invented basketball, how people were boycotting even going to the olympics. Then the team gets to Berlin and they play their games and the USA comes out on top.
The way the book ended was good. It had team USA versus Mexico in the final match. It was raining really hard and the court was made out of dirt. So when they went to play it was just mud. It was a close match in the first half, then after halftime team USA only allowed them to score only 2 points. They scored around 21 more points. “Olympic basketball was born in Nazi Germany. Nazi Germany died on a basketball court.” (Maraniss 201). Those were the last lines of the book and I think that they are pretty cool.
I think that the book was good. It had a good flow to it and it really went into detail. Some similar books would be any about basketball or the olympics. There’s not a bunch of pages but he really makes it count. If you like sports then I think you should give it a try.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 11, 2021
The history of the Olympic debut of basketball, a brief history of the game, how the US team was chosen that year, and a look at human rights/racial issues of the time and how the Nazi's were using the Olympics for their own purposes in 1936.
An eye-opening look at how basketball came to be an Olympic sport and the turmoil surrounding the 1936 Olympics both in the US and in Germany. I've read lots of books on WWII, but none that looked at how the Nazis used sports for their own ends or how it kind of backfired on them in some ways at the Olympics. The conditions that the first US Olympic team had to play under, the weird way the team was formed, and how racial issues in the US even came to bear on the US selection of Olympians were fascinating (sometimes in a horrifying and/or sobering way). This isn't just a sports read. It has a lot of depth in the look at culture, racial issues, politics, and how neutral things like sports can be used for great good or great evil.
Notes on content: About 4 mild swears in quotes, and one strong use of profanity in quotes. No sexual content. Both Nazi persecution of Jews and persecution of black people in America are talked about, including killings. Nothing graphic, but definitely sobering.
An eye-opening look at how basketball came to be an Olympic sport and the turmoil surrounding the 1936 Olympics both in the US and in Germany. I've read lots of books on WWII, but none that looked at how the Nazis used sports for their own ends or how it kind of backfired on them in some ways at the Olympics. The conditions that the first US Olympic team had to play under, the weird way the team was formed, and how racial issues in the US even came to bear on the US selection of Olympians were fascinating (sometimes in a horrifying and/or sobering way). This isn't just a sports read. It has a lot of depth in the look at culture, racial issues, politics, and how neutral things like sports can be used for great good or great evil.
Notes on content: About 4 mild swears in quotes, and one strong use of profanity in quotes. No sexual content. Both Nazi persecution of Jews and persecution of black people in America are talked about, including killings. Nothing graphic, but definitely sobering.
April 22, 2021
On a scorching hot day in July 1936, thousands of people cheered as the U.S. Olympic teams boarded the S.S. Manhattan, bound for Berlin. Among the athletes were the 14 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. 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. Includes photos throughout, a Who's-Who of the 1936 Olympics, bibliography, and index. [Amazon summary]
If we are talking about a basketball team and the 1936 Olympics, that part of the book is a 4. However, most of the book dealt with the theatrics, deception, & horror of Hitler. I've read that part in many other books. It should have been more about basketball. But then it would have been much shorter.
If we are talking about a basketball team and the 1936 Olympics, that part of the book is a 4. However, most of the book dealt with the theatrics, deception, & horror of Hitler. I've read that part in many other books. It should have been more about basketball. But then it would have been much shorter.
Read
January 14, 2020I read Maraniss' first book (Strong Inside) a few years ago and really enjoyed it so this book was already on my "want to read" list. Then, I had the pleasure of meeting the author and invited him to speak to my Rotary Club. Very good presentation about the contents of this book and it's worth the read if you're interested sports history, pre-WWII history, basketball, Olympics, Nazi Germany, or race/social justice. All these themes are touched on in the book and Maraniss does a great job weaving them together into one story. Honestly, I enjoyed reading the history of Nazi Germany during the 1936 Olympic games more than the basketball history. And I loved the addition of all the pics.
Some great quotes in there too. My favorite:
"But these dangerous prejudices never went away. They're still with us, and every generation must resist them. If the first casualty of Nazism was the truth, as many have written, then we must tell the truth about past, call out dangerous lies in our own time, and raise alarms when we see justice or humanity imperiled." - Andrew Maraniss
Some great quotes in there too. My favorite:
"But these dangerous prejudices never went away. They're still with us, and every generation must resist them. If the first casualty of Nazism was the truth, as many have written, then we must tell the truth about past, call out dangerous lies in our own time, and raise alarms when we see justice or humanity imperiled." - Andrew Maraniss
July 23, 2020
I read this book over Christmas break from school (my favorite time to indulge in reading for enjoyment!). As a graduate from the University of Kansas, basketball and its traditions have been engrained in my being since the first day on campus. All first year KU students are invited to a "traditions night" where we learn the alma mater, "Rock Chalk Chant" and the "wave the wheat" tradition. With that said, I thought I knew all there was to know about the creation of basketball until I read this book. Andrew Maraniss dove into the history and making of basketball by James Naismith, the struggles faced by athletes competing in the 1936 Olympic Games, and the deception of visitors to Germany during the Holocaust. In writing this book, Andrew Maraniss seamlessly intertwined several historical events in to an easily readable format. I would highly recommend this book to sports and history buffs, and those (like me) who want to expand their knowledge of the history of basketball and life during Nazi Germany.
March 15, 2022
Long before LeBron or Steph Curry, and in order for basketball to become the third most popular sport in the world, fourteen, no-name, amateur players had to walk up a gangplank and sail into the heart of Nazi Germany. This is the amazing, dramatic story of the birth of the game, how it achieved such rapid popularity and what those Olympians learned in Hitler’s Berlin. Full of sports history, a chilling, eye-witness look at an evil regime and lots of thoughts on how sports and politics entwine.
This is a dense, but never dull, book. It does genuinely deliver tons of basketball history and gets across the many powerful personalities that shaped the game. It should come as no surprise that both the question of whether athletic competition improves character, and the inextricable connection of sport with politics, has been there since the beginning. There is a lot of (in my opinion) fascinating information about Nazi Germany and reflection on racism and sexism in athletic competition. If your child isn't old enough for that, this isn't the book for you.
This is a dense, but never dull, book. It does genuinely deliver tons of basketball history and gets across the many powerful personalities that shaped the game. It should come as no surprise that both the question of whether athletic competition improves character, and the inextricable connection of sport with politics, has been there since the beginning. There is a lot of (in my opinion) fascinating information about Nazi Germany and reflection on racism and sexism in athletic competition. If your child isn't old enough for that, this isn't the book for you.
March 25, 2020
We know about Jesse Owens and the “Boys in the Boat” at the Nazi Olympics, but the US basketball team in Berlin is a lesser known story that is still notable. This was the first time basketball made it into the Olympics and the guy that invented the sport in Springfield, MA (I used to live there and they have the hall of fame there) had problems getting in to watch the games. The other details of the story you’ll likely know of how Nazi Germany used the Olympics to show their power and hide their anti-Semitic laws. At the end, it discusses those Olympic athletes that were later tortured in the concentration camps. One of them they talk about when you visit Auschwitz as they have a swimming pool for guards that they forced a French swimmer to swim to exhaustion for fun. The book also makes good parallels to the oppression of certain groups of people in the US at the same time. The ending is quite notable in that the Nazis hung for war crimes were hung in a basketball court.
May 21, 2020
I'm a bit perplexed by my feelings on this book. I should have loved it, given the subject matter of sports history, which is one of my major research interests. But although I found a few gems of interesting history I didn't know in here, I was more upset at the lack of nuance in almost every paragraph. There were several points where I was completely distracted from the book because a sentence would be stated as outright fact, and although I agreed with it, I had read whole 300 page books making that argument, because there is so much nuance on so many of these subjects -- they're not obvious statements. And while this was for a younger audience, so 300 pages of examination wouldn't be appropriate, I have read a large number of YA nonfiction books that can handle that nuance or even hindsight with more finesse. So, overall I thought this book was interesting, but I wish it was even better.
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