Lit: Uniquely Portable Magic - The Olympics Edition

You know I'm focused on the Olympics this week which got me to thinking about books related to all things Olympics. Considering my love of this event and my fondness for memoirs, I'm surprised by how few books about the events and the athletes I've read. Perhaps it's the idea that there are only so many ways to tell the story of amazing talent, astonishing perseverance, incredible hard work, and victory in the face of overwhelming odds. Still, there must be some that stand out.

Books I have read with an Olympics element:

*The Underwater Window by Dan Stephenson: a work of fiction about an Olympic swimmer (think Michael Phelps)

*Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand: the story of Louis Zamperelli, an Olympic runner, who became a World War II prisoner of war after his plane was shot down

*The Other Side of the Mountain by Evans Valens: the story of skier Jill Kinmont who was in training for the Olympics when a tragic fall left her a quadriplegic

The long list of books with an Olympic theme includes these books that are getting added to the TBR list:

*The Boys In The Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown

*Rome 1960: The Olympics That Changed The World by David Maraniss

*Something In The Air: The Story of American Passion and Defiance in the 1968 Mexico City Olympics by Richard Hoffer

*Munich 1972: Tragedy, Terror, and Triumph at the Olympic Games by David Clay Large

*In The Water They Can't See You Cry by Amanda Beard

Have you read any books  about the Olympics or Olympic athletes that you would recommend?