We were supposed to be enjoying the worldwide phenomenon that is the Olympic games right about now. But thanks to that other worldwide phenomenon that will remain nameless, we have to wait a few more months. I love the Olympics and while I agree with the IOC’s decision to suspend the games until 2021, I’m sad that I don’t get to watch the games this year.

If you are a fan of the Olympics like me, I’ve got a few items to help hold you over to next summer. 

Against Hitler’s platform of Nazi power, 18 African American athletes  —including 2 women — succeeded on the world stage. I would guess that most folks recognize the name Jesse Owens, but he was accompanied by other teammates, like Cornelius Johnson, who also managed to take home gold medals. This book was interesting and it was definitely helped satisfy my Olympic itch. There is a documentary about this same topic. Also, keep an eye out for a fictionalized version of this story called Fast Girls by Elise Hooper that’s supposed to be released sometime this summer.

I’m not a rower. The only time I can remember rowing my grandparents' old row boat, I managed to run it into our neighbor’s sailboat. That’s partially why I really enjoyed this one. But mostly, I liked it because it was just a good read. Getting ready for the 1936 games, the American rowers from the University of Washington were definitely one of the favorites. There was a lot of controversy about if the Americans were even going to compete in the Nazi games. I enjoyed reading about all the different guys and how much they had to work to make it happen.

If books aren’t your thing, we’ve also got several movies that feature the Olympic stage. These are a few favorites.

Happy waiting for the Olympics...

:) Amanda