Athletics Books

Jose Canseco's "Juiced" really introduced me to a bit of the steroid culture in baseball and the appeal that steroids definitely have. While reading "Juiced", I found myself yearning for the chance to try steroids and see what they would really offer to me (against all of my better judgment of course). He offers such a bright picture of them at times done in a disciplined way that who WOULDN'T want to give them a try when a career depends on them.

The book is entertaining and as Jose says: he is an entertainer. Don't expect anything cerebral here ... just a interesting view of some of the baseball culture that you may or may not know about.

I enjoyed the book for what it was and found it an entertaining, quick read that I enjoyed while floating around my swimming pool. This was perfect for that.

This was really fun to read. It's been passed along about 4 times...great beach reading

A very bitter man indeed. I guess these books are what you do when you have been disgraced to no end. Your career written off, you're a joke to everyone, your ex is in a men's mag telling how you're basically a eunuch due to your juicing... What's left to do? Throw unsubstantiated accusations at everyone and try to take as many with you as possible. This guy was on ESPN the other day promoting the new book and accusing A-Rod while exonerating Clemens in the same breath. Need I say more? Buy it if you need something to level off that uneven table in the dining room...

If youre looking for book about someone complaining about being accused of taking steroids in a book where he admits to taking steroids and implements others with no proof, this is the book for you. Not once does he submit proof of any of his claims.. Multiple times he complains that he was accuse of steroids even though he says the results were obvious. Also he is so cocky. He repeatedly calls himself the best player ever. NOT EVEN CLOSE. DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK OR HIS NEW ONE!!

I read this book when it first came out and I am glad I did not review it then. Like many others I was skeptical about what Canseco was saying. I just couldn't believe that all the famous athletes that he named took steriods or HGH. The idea that he personal injected many of them seemed ludicrous. The media put it down as a bunch of lies to sell books. Canseco also had his ups and downs and did not have a great reputation in baseball. After the hearings things looked even worse. But what came out in the long run was that everything he said became highly plausible or confirmed by drug testing or further investigation. This book is now a landmark book in the history of major league baseball. The only thing I disagree with Canseco on in this book is the idea that taking steroids was good for the game of baseball even though it led to more home runs and excitement for the fans. At least in his new book based on the accumulated medical evidence he has changed his tune. No one can deny that this was one of the major books to blow the lid on the use of steriods in baseball.

I believe that Canseco wrote this book for the noteriety and the money and that his selective choice of names to name was deliberate to sensationalize the book and sell copies. He now freely admits to naming people to make the book marketable in his new book vindicated. Also I think the book was intended to provide a rationalization for his own use of steroid and for turning so many others onto it. But hte Mitchell report and other investigations has confirmed that those named were really users!

I really enjoyed "The Last Amateurs." I've been a sports fan since grade school and as I write this, I'm closer to 50 than I'd care to be, so it's been a while. The past several years, I've tended to seek books about sports at the more grass-roots level because the games are (usually) purer than where all the money can be found. This is such a book.

If you're a fan of quick and snappy books about major league sports, stay away from this one. It is not a fast read, and there's not a protagonist in it who played in the NBA (okay, maybe Adonal Foyle or David Robinson, but they're abstract figures). That's the point. The Patriot League is all about colleges who expect their athletes to attend class and graduate, and these are good SCHOOLS just below Ivy League status.

I've seen a number of reviewers downgrade "The Last Amateurs" because he spends so much time on so many people. Well, YEAH...who is this book about? As tired as I've become of NBA players with college backgrounds who somehow made it through up to five years of classes without being able to string a coherent sentence together with any sense of intellect, it's kind of nice to get to know D1 players who can actually tell you who the president and is and would likely be able to find Iraq on a map if you asked. When I think of college athletes, these guys are closer to what I'd like to see than the imposters we too often get who would never set foot on a college campus if they couldn't play sports.

If you're a skeptic like me who doesn't buy into the notion that the Final Four is the pinnacle of college basketball, you'll enjoy this one. If you're still held in the thrall of major college sports programs and could care less about schools outside the big conferences like the ACC or Big 10, you SHOULD read it because you've been missing something.

I moved to Indiana roughly 18 months ago, and thus, re-read this book that I had first read a few years back. It was better and more telling the second time, obviously. It's nice to see kids who play for love of the game. You can see that here in the Hoosier State at any Butler University or high school game. I enjoy those tilts/atmospheres far more that IU, Purdue or the NBA's Pacers.

Feinstein has particularly good insight herein, thanks to his fastidious documentation and "all access" passes to the seasons of these teams. I actually follow the Patriot League more now because of this book.
John Feinstein writes a new book each year, and some are better than others. This was perhaps his best.

Remember Feinstein's book when you watch Carolina and Duke and think that's what college hoops is about.

I bought this book since I went to Lehigh and thought it would be extra interesting because of my background and because I played soccer and ice hockey at college. What a let-down!
I found the game by game annayasis drawn out and boring. About the only thing I can recommend to you from the book is the "amaterism" ( if there is such a word) of college sports at Lehigh and the great majority of other colleges in the US that we do not read or hear about on a daily basis.

I see you can purchase a used copy on Amazon for $0.99 - so what the hell - for a buck it's worth it I guess.

I agree with other reviewers who said that Feinstein would've been better off following one team instead of all of them. This could also chop the length down to a more reasonable amount. There's just too much going on to remember everything. I didn't even finish the book because it just took too long to get to the end and it didn't seem like the end would ever come. Feinstein could've told this story in about 250 pages instead of almost twice that. Not terrible, but I wouldn't go out of my way to get it.

I generally enjoy Feinstein's writings and his commentary. 'The Last Amateurs' is Feinstein's best work. Following his standard procedure, Feinstein gets inside access to the teams of the Patriot League, an east coast league of mostly small private colleges. At the time the schools did not offer athletic scholarships. The players played because they wanted to keep playing competitive hoops and they were all required to be real students.

These games are played in small arenas far way from the glare of the big time spotlight. Nonetheless, these players and coaches passionately want to win. The big dream is to make the NCAA post-season tournament. The conference torunament championship that determines which team goes to the the Big Dance is one of the great sporting events on the modern scene.

With very few exceptions, none of these players have the slightest chance of making the NBA. For the coaches, things are a little different because coaching college hoops is their career and they are looking to move up.

Feinstein does a great job of taking the reader behind the scenes. In a way, these players and games are the ideal of amateur competition that has a deep emotional resonance for many fans - and therein lies a danger that too much exposure will ruin the very thing that makes the league attractive.

Highly recommended for college sports fans.

I love this book, but, it is missing the arms (biceps, triceps, and shoulders) and chest! So, therefore, I give it only 4 stars for that reason...otherwise, excellent reference book.

I adore this book and have bought it for several friends! The explanation it provides for different exercises is excellent and easy to follow. My only complaint is that it doesn't include shoulder exercises! Guess women aren't supposed to have shoulders????

I LOVE this book!! Hiss Boo Sucks to all those who whine about it not including the woman's upper body. When I discovered this, after having already been totally impressed by the quality and thoroughness of the medical knowledge, anatomical detail, terminology and artwork in this book, I immediately ordered Delavier's STRENGTH TRAINING ANATOMY, the original volume, which does include both men and women, and which gives a full description of the arms, neck, shoulders and chest. The first volume of course also deals with the back, legs, buttocks and abs (as the Women's volume does), but the Women's Strength Training Anatomy covers these areas in much more detail.
Reason: because women have such different physical characteristics from men, particularly in their lower skeleton. This requires a somewhat different approach to weight training, as the muscles are attached at different angles in women than in men. I can only applaud M. Delavier for pointing this out, and for filling the gap by writing this EXTRA volume particularly for the use of women.
I was so impressed that I happily paid 3 times the price for each volume, here in Australia, as you pay in America. I bought both volumes - and then purchased more for my son and his wife.
I'm a radiographer by profession, so I see through people on a daily basis - unfortunately only the bones, however. The realistic anatomical illustrations in this volume are exactly what is required to depict the muscles used in each exercise, and to pinpoint the optimum exercises to build up whichever body part requires work. Thanks to the use of these books for just 6 weeks, I can now see and feel hard, shapely muscle developing all over my 52-year-old body. When I see an area that needs building up, I can flip right to the appropriate pages for the most effective exercises for that part. I work out my whole body every 3 or 4 days, and can feel a marked difference in muscle strength and shape by the time each training session comes due.
I have a barbell, selection of plates, adjustable dumbbells, a fit ball, and a very inexpensive weight bench with quad extension attachment. I pack this up and take it in the car with me on my mobile job assignments. I can do almost every exercise in these books with this simple equipment, and could not be happier with this book.
Women's Strength Training Anatomy is not the whole deal in itself - it is the companion book to Strength Training Anatomy; an EXTRA volume with much more detailed info written especially for women. I'm always delighted to buy 2 excellent books instead of just one!
As for the complaints that the illustrations are "sexual" and should include more clothes - well, to the pure, all things are pure. I don't see anything remotely sexy in the human body being drawn, pared down to layers of skin, fascia, muscle, tendon and bone. But it is very helpful for educational purposes.

As is 'Strength Training Anatomy' this is one if not the best book of its kind. It is brilliantly illustrated and packed with great tips and extensive easy to understand information.

Like many other reviewers, I found this to be a beautifully illustrated exercise guide that provides step-by-step instructions for proper execution, variations to emphasize different muscle groups, and safety tips to avoid injury. I, too, feel that the book is incomplete, not just because there is nothing for the upper body, but also because the back section is inadequate. The upper back musculature, which is so important for maintaining good posture and stabilizing the shoulder blades, is not addressed at all. So, you won't find any kind of rowing or pulldown motions.

However, my biggest complaint with this book is in how it is being advertised. Amazon's editorial review and the book's own back cover promote this as a manual that focuses on women's unique anatomy and "exclusively caters to the mechanics and musculature of the female form." I took this to mean that the book would recommend certain exercises and variations based on structural features such as our wider pelvises, which tend to set us up for more patellofemoral problems than men. So I was immensely disappoionted to find that the exercises and variations are all uni-sex. Every movement applies equally to women and men. These are not exercises that are especially designed for or "better" for women; they are simply exercises that women tend to favor, such as the floor work and movements that target the legs, buttocks, hips, and abs.

For what it offers, this book is an excellent resource for women who want to know more about how to target certain muscles and work them effectively. Just be aware that the exercises are not female versions of what men do.

Mr. Browne does an excellent job of examining a sports phenomenon which has not received much actual scholarly treatment. His writing style is clear and level-headed, and the level of detail into which he goes is fascinating. He's written a useful and comprehensive book which is also consistently entertaining. I'd strongly recommend AMPED to anyone who would like to learn more about the subject matter in a pleasurable way.

This book wasnt all I thought it was cracked up to be, it was actually very dull sometimes. He doesnt seem to know what he is talking about to much and talks in very stereotypical terms sometimes. I wouldnt suggest this book.

Amped was an awesome book that really looked at the extreme sport industry. I loved it!

I thought that the book was solid. It points out a lot of aspects of the action sports world that haven't been covered before and I thought it was good. I'm backing it.

Im not a skater, bmxer, or rollerblader. I am a critic and was told to review this book honestly. Honestly it is very bland. It leaves you hoping the next chapter is the final chapter. I dis-like publications that leave me bored throughout each sentence. I would only compare this to my 5th grade social studies bible I so desprately wanted to burn in my fireplace.. Give it a chance and know that you will probably feel the same way..

After looking at the way Tiger has taken HIS game to the NEXT LEVEL, I know one factor is his level of fitness that is undoubtedly surpassing the rest of the field. This book has given me a new body and a new attitude toward the game of golf as well. I am playing with much more energy and control, both physically and mentally than ever before! If Tiger can be the example for being in great shape, why can't WE ALL learn from HIM??? I know I HAVE!

Compared to other books like Complete Golf Conditioning, etc, this is really generic fitness with the word golf added. I was really disappointed in the nutritional section as I am diabetic and there were only high-sugar options which I had to make. Out of all the golf fitness books I bought in the last 2 months, this was the worst by far.

Don Tinder's book gives the best golf fitness tips in the sport. Add this to the book, Nutritional Leverage for Great Golf which tells us how to improve our game through diet, and you have two books that can give you the edge you need to lower your score. Tinder is a master at swing technique and practices what he preaches.

I follow the recommendations in this book and feel great. I don't want to be bored with useless information, and this book hits at the heart of what to do both in the gym and on the golf course. The author has motivated me to work out again! Thanks Don!

The title of this book says it all. I am feeling better, looking better, and I play with more strength and energy than ever before. This book is the answer for my fitness and golf game too!

There are so many good running books. Don't waste your time with this poor effort. Ms. Pont's prose is passable but she has no feel for the sport of cross country. A very poor effort.

The story lines that make up this book are interesting, and the development of the team and individual student-athletes during the season makes the book a worthwhile read. Still, I found the author's relentless overuse of adverbs and adjectives almost unbearable at times. There is almost no event too trivial to be overdescribed. I would encourage the author to "think Hemingway" in the future, because sometimes less is more. I do not mean this criticism to be overly harsh, and perhaps for younger readers -- and by that I mean students, not middle-aged former runners like me -- the stylistic elements that annoyed me wouldn't be a concern. I have a son who's an aspiring runner, and he enjoyed the book, so maybe it's best suited for readers close to the age of the students the author teaches and coaches.

As a cross country coach and runner, I found this book appealing on several levels. It is an easy read and it shows the joys of running to run, not just to win. The style was very descriptive, but it gave a unique and original twist to the book. That is one thing about distance runners . . . they all have a unique and original twist!

Great topic, but I wish she'd written more like a coach and less like an English teacher. Does every runner on her team have blue shadows for muscles? Not a complete waste of time, but pretty close.

What a wonderful book!

Sally Pont truly captures the pain and glory of running in this elegant portrait of the Moravian Academy co-ed cross-country team. If you've confronted and embraced the daunting task of running at any time in your life--especially on a competetive level--you will love Sally Pont. As an extremely involved coach and teacher, Pont takes us on a journey through the fall cross-country season, showing us the changes in the leaves and the obstacles her athletes encounter as they continually ask themselves: Why run?

Surprisingly, this book is not just about or for the runners. Reaching into her bag of literary treats, the English teacher in Pont emerges as she looks lovingly at her athletes and compares them to Shakespearean characters or analyses the team in terms of Greek mythology. Her writing is lyrical and beautiful; even for those who have never run a mile, this book is inspirational in the pure feeling that Pont puts into her prose.

In glorious detail, she describes the ins and outs of training for a 5 kilometer race (3.1 miles), the struggle for improving a personal time, and the team effort that is its own ultimate reward at the end of the day. Through Pont, the reader shares in this experience as we find ourselves cheering through each winning race and empathizing with the disappointment of defeat.

An inspiring read for both runner and non-runner alike--I highly recommend Sally Pont's book for all readers!

This book is a very useful tool for any aspiring athlete. Some of it is obvious and some it is quarky but altogether it is very useful. And I'm certain that if one applies these techniques you will see big gains. This book helped me understand my emotions as they relate to my sport. And it gave me ways to be a tough thinker and a actor. Everyone knows its important to try and be tough but not everyone knows how. This book has just about everything you need to know to take you game to the next level.

If your short on time skip through and just read chapters 1,7,9,11, 14 and 15. Theres 18 chapters total.

This book provides some great "food for thought" for practitioners of any sport, be it a team or an individual sport. You do not have to believe every word or make all the written exercises the author proposes; just read and think. At least, you will approach the "mental game" in a new way.

Extremely helpful "how to" book for becoming mentally tough. Unlike other sports pysche books, this one tells you very specific things to do to improve concentration, focus and most important, resiliency. Think of this as a cookbook of recipes for creating the appropriate mental response at the right time.

All I can say is that my husband a college baseball coach of 35 yrs thought this book was so important he sent it to the Cubs trainer and the pitching coach for the Padres!

This is a pretty good, easy read. It doesn't hit you with a lot of scientific mumbo-jumbo that you'll never understand. Instead, it gives you a basic, common-sense approach to improving the mental aspect of your game. The author shows how the physical world and the emotional world are related, and how being stronger mentally can help you perform better in your sport.

It is not geared towards any one sport, but rather it is geared to athletes in general.

The exercise introduced in the book
is precise and easy to do, also time
saving.

The book looks like brand new, thanks.

The author of this weight loss manual knows from personal experience how difficult it can be to lose weight. He used his own experiences to develop this weight loss plan.

As far as I am concerned, '8 Minutes in the Morning to a Flat Belly' was a total waste of my money. I've been following this workout and eating plan for over four months now and have seen no reduction in neither my belly size nor my weight. Frankly, I was seeing more results from my old Denise Austin Low Impact Aerobic Workout tape than this, so it looks like I'm saying goodbye to Jorge and going back to Denise. Sorry Jorge, I gave it my best shot but your plan just doesn't work for me.

Jorge Cruise has built a successful career around weight loss through books, appearances and his website. His personal experience struggling with weight as a young child and adult have won him over an audience that can relate. With this kit the New York Times Best selling author guarantees users will lose up to 6" in less than 4 weeks. I think it's more important to focus on the increased muscle strength and tone your body will have rather than the number of inches lost and that's how I went into this review.

This 8 Minutes in the Morning to a Flat Belly Kit includes an instructional CD (not DVD) of a 33 minute personal coaching session with Jorge and 26 daily workout cards made of very thick cardstock. The purpose of this kit is to help busy people lose two pounds a week by getting their muscles to burn fat 24/7.

THE CD

The CD Breakdown:

* Intro/Welcome
* Get Ready to Start
* How to Lose 6" in 4 Weeks
* Kit Overview
* Your New Life
* Your Challenge

Jorge explains the focus of this kit is using exercises to build muscle, not increasing your cardio like most weight loss programs. Cardio is good for your heart but it's not effective for weight loss but still he recommends some form of cardio activity three times a week for 20-30 minutes to strengthen your heart muscle. The exercises restore metabolism by building muscles that will burn more calories than fat. Jorge swears the biggest cause of muscle loss is fad diets.

As for eating, Jorge only touches on this. He wants participants to eat to make muscle, avoiding calorie counting, eat every three hours (breakfast, lunch, supper, two snacks and an evening treat), use the Cruise down plate (visual image of protein, carbs, veggies on your plate) and stop eating three hours before bed. The biggest asset here is the flat belly planner (you make copies for each day of the week) to organize and log success by tracking food, water and exercise.

He touches a bit on emotional eating and again touts his website for 24/7 support and meal plans but I couldn't find anything other than ads to buy meals, books and vitamins. The CD closes with an inspirational talk about enjoying your life.

THE CARDS

The specialized fold out cards are a multi level "strength training plan". Each card contains four one minute moves which you repeat once giving you an 8 minute workout. There is a card for every day of the week with a weekend card covering both Saturday and Sunday.

There are three levels of intensity to choose from. Level 1 is for the beginner and requires no equipment other than a chair, table, wall and the kit box. Jorge recommends everyone start at level one. If you haven't had any physical activity, I totally agree. Level 1 is by no means for wimps but it is doable. After 8 minutes you can definitely tell you've worked your muscles. Level 2 is more challenging; again, with only a chair and wall as your required equipment. In Level 3 the exercises are advanced using a fitness ball and medicine ball. The three levels are colour coded in pink, yellow, and blue for easy searching.

If you follow the recommended cards you only actually work the belly 3 times a week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday). Tuesday is for the upper body and Thursday is for the lower body. On Sunday Jorge recommends a body cleanse using a Psyllium shake. The card and CD recommend you visit his website for further details on the shake but all I found was a link to buy the powdered product. The natural Psyllium husk can be found in a bulk food store if you need more fiber in your diet.

The cards also contain a Power Thought and Visualization. Jorge Thoughts provide useful suggestions for improving your health and mental wealth. Some of the visualizations are corny, i.e. visualizing a first date with someone after you've reached your goal and their response to your body. The first week of visualizations center around how others see you, looking better to get a response from others and feeling better because of their response. Sometimes there are hints on emotional eating and success stories about people who have used Jorge's plan.

Does it work? Yes, but like any routine meant to put you in shape it is a life long plan of action, not a miracle cure. This kit is easy to understand and the exercises are doable. Obese people can do these exercises (week one and two anyway) but might have to slightly modify the moves due to surrounding flesh and extra weight. I found it helpful to have a small minute timer to do the one minute exercises as there are no repetitions to keep track of. I felt reasonably energized after only 8 minutes. It actually works out to ten if you include the warm up and cool down stretches.

Even if you didn't follow his dietary suggestions these exercises will be of benefit. If only 8 minutes a day can improve your life it's worth trying and we all can spare 8 minutes for some activity. Reviewed by M. E. Wood.

I really love the exercises in this book, and they really do help me! I have been adding more than just these exercises to my routine (mostly walking), but for toning, I love these.

As for the rest of the book, I am not sure that I agree with his ideas. If you are looking just for some great exercises to do in a small amount of time, this is an awesome book!

The process as detailed in this book is completely correct and only a complete idiot could or would fail to see this in terms of the cycles functioning in every aspect of their own life. Its very simple and involved A "decision/belief" connected to what you want to do or find that you must do in your life. Then comes intense, hard training and focus ( mental and or physical ). All "training" toward a desired objective which you believe is possible to attain MUST consist of hard and intense focus - "sweating it out" with increasing stress to a specific level ( a la the Yerkes-Dodson Law ). When this level is reached, it is immediately followed by a "release", which means backing off or letting go of the training and pursuing some other unrelated activity or passtime which completely disconnects the intellect and body from the training process. This causes an automatic "catching up" of various elements and capabilities to take place, and in turn, this "catching up" causes a "Breakthrough" experience where you advance to a higher level in your training. A new reality of function is then the norm.
The process is absolutely accurate and it works with 100% consistency. However, the book is written in a meandering, long-winded, side-tracking manner that makes it tedious reading. When I read a book on subjects like this, I want the meat-and-potatoes right in front of me all layed out step-by-step sequencially with straight-up talk and explanations. I don't want trips into the lifestyles of people I don't know or views on case histories from almost the beginning of the book onward - all of which bogs down the flow and lessens the grasp of the topic.
The whole issue with what's wrong with this book is that it doesn't GET TO THE POINT fast enough. It doddles. It blathers. It keeps droning on and on. And in fact, the book could have been one third of its length if the topic had been explained properly ( A + B = C ) so that the reader could put the process into practice right off. Since the process is itself very simple and easy to employ, all the superfluous information must only have been included for one purpose, and that is to increase the book's size and thereby increase its price!
Still, its a great and accurate process and its worth learning about and consciously using, but its too bad the book explaining it is so damned drawn out.

Some do it in the shower, some do it in the woods, some do it with friends, and some do it in their sleep. If you don't do it; read this book. "It" is `Breakout' of prior mental and emotional patterns and into a state of mind where enhance performance flows. Athletes call it the zone, for others it is when solutions `pop' into the mind or conversations/presentations flow and `connect' with others. In this book, Herbert Benson, M.D. and William Proctor take the reader through the body's biological or anatomical response during the Breakout process, as they define the four-stages:
* Stage one begins with a hard mental or physical struggle.
* Stage two involves pulling the Breakout trigger, completely severing prior thoughts and emotional patterns - the doing "it" part.
* Stage three is the `peak experience', or performance element of the process.
* Stage four is a return to a `new-normal' state, meaning one with enhanced mind-body performance patterns.

In Part II of the book, the authors devote a chapter each to six types of Breakout resulting `peak experiences' - Self-Awareness, Creativity, Productivity, Athleticism, Rejuvenation, and Transcendence - before discussing how an intrinsic belief system can help trigger a Breakout and offer peak experiences beyond our analytical mind-set's capabilities.

Although the book is an easy read and does contain several descriptions of how the Breakout trigger might be pulled, I would not describe this as a self-help book. It more of an informative read than a practical how-to book for finding your `zone'.

Dennis DeWilde, author of
"The Performance Connection"

Why did I buy this book? It was one of those darn impulse purchases. I mean it's not terrible or anything In some ways it explains the well-known phenomena of creativity after intellectual struggle and more interestingly it provides an explanation of why meditation etc. may work. But there's not much substance and it is certainly not worth full price. Also towards the end it pushes religion on the reader. If this type of thing bugs you, be forewarned.

Excellent Read! The best self-help book ever. It will take you to the next level and higher than you have ever been!

Greg

Pretty much anything you enjoy doing can be a source of "The Breakout Principle." There. I've read the book for you.

No matter how many times this story is told, it remains so brutal, so very cold.

Steven Ungerleider attempts to take the vast history of the rise of the East German athletic machine through the systematic usage of illegal performance-enhancing drugs, with young athletes as part of what was a vast research project which worked in conjunction with the fielding of international performers and the fall of so many athletes due to their bodies breaking down due to the prescribed illicit drugs.

With the backdrop being a sensational trial in Germany of a number of high-ranking members of the former GDR drug program, it may be as shocking what sentences were rendered, when juxtaposed with the reprehensible work done on unsuspecting athletes to literally turn their bodies into machines.

For those looking to get a solid start into researching this era of merging sports with a police state, Ungerleider provides the track to begin the journey.

...read this book. Cited by Fainaru-Wada and Williams in their controversial book about Barry Bonds and Balco, this is also a great read, though more limited in scope. Also think about picking up the new book from ESPN's Shaun Assael about the domestic steroid addiction, entitled Steroid Nation. In a country continually struggling with the role of chemicals and medicine in healthcare, these books will at least refine your opinions, if not change them altogether.

The book entitled "Faust's Gold: Inside the East German Doping Machine" is mostly about the trials against trainers and top directors of the former East German Sports Machinery.
It is well-known by those familiar with the history of olympic sports that, during the seventees and eightess, before the Berlin wall felt down, East Germany dominated some event competitions. In particular, the female German swimmers were recognized by their huge appearance, like football line-backers, among other comparissons.
The book digs in the system, how those athletes were induced to doping without their knowledge. It goes through the entire trial and at the same time describes the training process. Perhaps, since I would like to know more about their training methods, I miss a further discussion.
I think the book should also have the point of view of those who were not plaintiffs in the trials, i.e. those athletes who never failt a drug test and do not consider themselves as victims of the system. It could be good that the reader can create her own opinion.
I am convinced that the main purpose of the book is to show the damage of state-run doping programme on young athletes, and be aware of how harmfull it is for athletes involved in those practices. Something that has to be avoided at any cost.

The drug usage or brutal training methods that GDR sport system
applied are well reported in the media. Even from 1970s, some
atheletes who escaped to western countries revealed something.
After the collapse of Berlin Wall, more have been disclosed.
If all the previous reports in magazines and newspapers are
accumulated and surveyed, you will find how narrow this book
covers. It only focuses on a trial and those swimmers involved.
From other sources, I also know something more startling for
drug use, like swimmers are forced to take 11 shots in the butt
before they are allowed to go to the USA for a competition.
Some reports said that East European countries took
uninformed children for trials of the drugs in their summer
sport camps. I guess it also happened in GDR.
Some brutal methods beyond drugs are also taken, like applying
electric current for the muscle strength, or pumping air into
swimmer's rectum to increase the float. The author fails to
investigate these things and did not describe the whole
picture inside the GDR sport machine.

During the late 60s, 70s, and 80s Soviet dominated Eastern Europe was pre-eminent in Olympic sports. None was more so than the late unlamented East Germany. This account uncovers the means to that success as well as the cost to those individuals.
At the 1976 Olympics, The USA's swimming champion, Shirley Babashoff, asserted that the then overwhelming dominance of East Germany's swimmers was due to drugs and "blood doping". Many in the Western media said she had sour grapes.
When the Berlin Wall fell, the former East Geramn athletes came forward with their accounts. Many were administered drugs without their knowledge, being told they were "vitamins". Those who suspected, complied because of the competitive advantage or fear of being set off the elite squads.
In later years, former athletes had medical problems or had offspring with disabilities. The medical problems were similar in most cases, deformities in offspring, problems with fertility, or problems relating to seconday sex characteristics(deepened voices with females or breast cancers with males). Even during the 70s and 80s there were anecdotes of East German female athletes that exhibited overly agressive behavior and having masculine builds.
Many doctors who administered these drugs were or are still practicing medicine in the new reunited Germany. The author followed the efforts of the former athletes to get compenstion from these doctors through the German courts.
What is so disquieting is that there are athletes the world over(American athletes included) that are still using these drugs even when the side effects are widely known. This is all in the name of winning. To the USA's credit the government isn't systematically administering these drugs.
To think many years ago many sports pundits thought the US should try to imitate East German methods.