Week of August 4, 2008

News Item: The Games of the XXIX Olympiad begin this week in Beijing and will run through August 24th. A few of the recent problems associated with the event include the following: at least 20,000 people have cleaned up algal blooms along the coastlines of Qingdao where sailing events will be held; poor air quality plagues Beijing and nearby cities; the past and current treatment of Tibetans by the Chinese government prompted Students for a Free Tibet to disrupt the Olympic torch relay this past spring. Included here are titles related to the social history of the Olympics and its past games.

Beijing’s Games: What the Olympics Mean to China
By Susan Brownell. Rowman & Littlefield, 2008
Call Number: GV722 2008 .B76 2008

Berlin games: How the Nazis Stole the Olympic Dream
By Guy Walters. William Morrow, 2006
Call Number: GV722 1936 .W35 2006

The Best Olympics Ever?: Social Impacts of Sydney 2000
By Helen Lenskyj. State University of New York Press, 2002
Call Number: Available online through NetLibrary
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