The Sarajevo Olympics: A History of the 1984 Winter Games

Jason Vuic's first book, The Yugo: The Rise and Fall of the Worst Car in History (http://www.amazon.com/Yugo-Rise-Fall-Worst-History-ebook/dp/B003CI90BC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1431598052&sr=8-2&keywords=jason+vuic) was a serious history from a master story-teller. He exposed the intricacies of geopolitical business, but kept us reading on. I couldn't stop reading, and had to recharge my Kindle twice just to finish. Since his first book was such an informative read, I purchased this book in the paperback version. It arrived two days ago - though I've only had about 75 minutes to read for pleasure, I spent that time reading the first two chapters of this book. Jason does not disappoint! Some of us are old enough to remember the 1970s and 1980s and the Olympics of those times. Few of us could have understood it at the time, but the cold war was at full boil, only to be put on the back burner in less than a decade (maybe it is back on, but who knows at this point). But Jimmy Carter staged a boycott of summer olympics - no, I refused to watch the consolation games. The Miracle on Ice gave we Americans bragging rights - if amateurs could be pseudo-amateurs-really-professionals, then we must have a pretty good damn country! Few of us knew what was really happening behind the scenes. Even when the 1984 Winter Olympics were televised, most of us didn't even remember that this was the birthplace of WWI (The Great War was conceived elsewhere, but birthed here). So the cold war moved to the back burner, Animal Farm became Manor Farm once again, Sarajevo became a post-olympic ground for crimes against humanity. Jason tells us the story of these Olympics that were staged in Sarajevo in 1984, and he does it with the attention to detail that one should expect out of a history professor, but as a master story-teller who knows how to keep you interested. In a time when History seems to be viewed by students as pointless, Jason proves them wrong. History has meaning for he we are, and it can be exciting to read. That is what Jason has done in this book - he has expertly combined the strong presence of an academic history, balanced with a deeply moving and entertaining story. This book will not disappoint!

Well done Chronicle of the 1984 winter games.