Inside Track
By: Carl Lewis
Carl Lewis was
thought of as the best athlete of his day. When Carl was younger he was thought
of as the “Runt” of the family, always overshadowed by his two older brothers
and younger sister. Carl stuck with it though and by the end of high school
went from being the “Runt” to the “Star”. He did sprints such as the 100m and
200m, he also did the long jump. His goal by the end of high school was to jump
25 ft. Everyone thought he was crazy, but by the end of the season he was
regularly jumping mid 25’s and nobody was laughing anymore. In his book Carl
talks about the illegal offers and bribes he received from college recruiters.
He explains the side of track and field that people don’t normally see.
From his prophetic boyhood with meeting
Jesse Owens to his defeat in Seoul by Ben
Johnson to his world record in the 100m, Carl exposes the sport of amateur
track. He reveals how the media loves or hates you with the flip of a coin.
I
highly recommend this book because the behind the scenes action of track and
field is extremely interesting. Athletes are spreading rumors about other
athletes, reporters write complete lies, and the world of steroids at the time
is controversial. The downside of the book is the amount of names you have to
remember. He also talks about things he assumes the reader knows. The good
story line and fast pace grabs your attention from the beginning and never lets
go.
Fireside 1992
ISBN
0-671-78024-7
Created by: Kyle Phyfer