ONLINE: Andrew Maraniss
press release: A message from Mystery to Me:
We were recently made aware of the Wisconsin Book Festival's event with Stacey Abrams that is scheduled for 7:00 pm CT on Thursday night--the original time of our event with Andrew and David Maraniss.
In an effort to amplify and make room for Black voices, we are moving our event to 6:00 pm CT Thursday night (same date, different time) so that anyone who wants to tune in to Representative Abrams's 7:00 pm CT event can do so without conflict.
If you are unable to attend our 6:00 pm event, never fear: the Maraniss author visit will be recorded and available to watch as soon as it wraps!
If you have any questions at all, please email our the Mystery to Me events manager, Charlotte Colaluca.
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, bibliography, and index.
About the Author: New York Times bestselling author Andrew Maraniss writes sports and history related nonfiction for adults and teens. His new book, GAMES OF DECEPTION, is the true story of the first US Olympic basketball team at the 1936 Olympics in Nazi Germany. It received the Sydney Taylor Book Honor for authentically portraying the Jewish experience. The original, adult edition of his first book, STRONG INSIDE, received the Lillian Smith Book Award and the RFK Book Awards' Special Recognition Prize, while the Young Readers adaptation was named one of the Top Biographies for Youth by the American Library Association. Andrew is a Visiting Author at Vanderbilt University Athletics and a contributor to ESPN's sports and race website, TheUndefeated.com. He was born in Madison and now lives in Nashville, Tenn., with his wife and two young children.
Follow him Twitter @trublu24.