About Something Like the Gods
|
A lively, literary exploration of one of the West’s most iconic cultural figures—the athlete.
Why is the athlete so important to us? Few public figures can dominate the public imagination with such power and authority. Even in our cynical times, when celebrities can be debunked at the speed of light, many still look to athletes as models for our moral and emotional lives. An aging fastballer goes for a few last wins in his final season, and he becomes an exemplar for our daily struggles against time. A top golfer cheats on his wife, and his behavior sparks a symposium on marital fidelity more wideranging than if the lapse had come from a politician or religious leader. Drawing from art, literature, politics, and history, Something Like the Gods explores the powerful grip the athlete has always held on the Western imagination. Amidon examines the archetype of the competitor as it evolved from antiquity to the present day, from athlete-warriors such as Achilles and Ulysses to global media icons like Ali, Jordan, and Tiger Woods. Above all, Something Like the Gods is a lyrical study that will appeal to anyone who has ever imagined themselves in the spikes, boots, or sneakers of our greatest athletes—or wondered why people do. |
Praise for Something Like the Gods
"By identifying the continuity and the changes over aeons of history in a style that is amusing and deft, Amidon succeeds where many have failed: He’s written a critical history of sports that also captures what exactly attracts us to these games in the first place." Dave Zirin. Bookforum.
"a short, interesting, and extremely useful history of sports...Something Like the Gods is full of information you want to pass on immediately...Amidon's political consciousness, his gleeful skewering of sport's perennial propensity for doing the wrong things at the wrong time, give him a real head of steam." Nick Hornby, The Believer.
"a passionate and lyrical canvas of a pantheon of athletic figures who have become transformed into celebrities, folk heroes and icons…Amidon’s literary prose style energizes his narrative…[he] takes his readers on a fascinating journey…a tight writing style gives his work the pace and precision of a well-engineered novel... a first-class compendium of essays on the history of sport." Scott A.G.M Crawford, Globe and Mail.
"while the entire second half of the book is spent in the sports-saturated 20th- and 21st-centuries—this era of polished, televised, branded and cross-branded competitions—the themes that Amidon threads throughout the book successfully demonstrate that corporate, modern events like today’s Super Bowls are played with the same inspiration for play that motivated our deep ancestors. In Amidon’s words: 'The line from the hunter’s club to the Louisville Slugger might be a long one, but it is also unbroken.'" Miles Wray, Ploughshares.
"More than any other cultural figure, Stephen Amidon argues, the athlete captures the imagination, hopes, dreams, fears and frustrations of the average American. “Rappers, rockers, movie stars, politicians, self-help gurus, and talk show hosts all have their own constituencies,” he writes, “but none of them have the ability to stop the world in its tracks like the athlete. Amidon’s smartly written and thoroughly researched new book, “Something Like the Gods,” traces the path of the modern athlete from the Greek battlefields to the basketball parquet and, for the next few weeks, to the Olympic compound in London." T. Rees Shapiro. Washington Post
"ranges far beyond the Olympics to examine the glorification of all sports and the godlike status — and marketing frenzy — that surround today's athletes." Nick Ochwar L.A Times
"A brief but enlightening history of the athlete as a cultural icon...Amidon's broad historical sweep fascinates with its facts and challenges with its commentary...A cultural history of sports that says as much about all of us as it does about athletes." Kirkus Reviews
"Amidon's examination of the athlete as Western icon--from violent warrior in ancient times to trending topic in today's 24/7 entertainment culture--is erudite and entertaining. ...Deftly balancing big-picture assessments with particular case studies...Amidon's treatise will please scholars and spectators alike." Publisher's Weekly
"Gets one thinking. Who can ask more than that of an author and a book?" Bill Littlefield Only a Game NPR
"a short, interesting, and extremely useful history of sports...Something Like the Gods is full of information you want to pass on immediately...Amidon's political consciousness, his gleeful skewering of sport's perennial propensity for doing the wrong things at the wrong time, give him a real head of steam." Nick Hornby, The Believer.
"a passionate and lyrical canvas of a pantheon of athletic figures who have become transformed into celebrities, folk heroes and icons…Amidon’s literary prose style energizes his narrative…[he] takes his readers on a fascinating journey…a tight writing style gives his work the pace and precision of a well-engineered novel... a first-class compendium of essays on the history of sport." Scott A.G.M Crawford, Globe and Mail.
"while the entire second half of the book is spent in the sports-saturated 20th- and 21st-centuries—this era of polished, televised, branded and cross-branded competitions—the themes that Amidon threads throughout the book successfully demonstrate that corporate, modern events like today’s Super Bowls are played with the same inspiration for play that motivated our deep ancestors. In Amidon’s words: 'The line from the hunter’s club to the Louisville Slugger might be a long one, but it is also unbroken.'" Miles Wray, Ploughshares.
"More than any other cultural figure, Stephen Amidon argues, the athlete captures the imagination, hopes, dreams, fears and frustrations of the average American. “Rappers, rockers, movie stars, politicians, self-help gurus, and talk show hosts all have their own constituencies,” he writes, “but none of them have the ability to stop the world in its tracks like the athlete. Amidon’s smartly written and thoroughly researched new book, “Something Like the Gods,” traces the path of the modern athlete from the Greek battlefields to the basketball parquet and, for the next few weeks, to the Olympic compound in London." T. Rees Shapiro. Washington Post
"ranges far beyond the Olympics to examine the glorification of all sports and the godlike status — and marketing frenzy — that surround today's athletes." Nick Ochwar L.A Times
"A brief but enlightening history of the athlete as a cultural icon...Amidon's broad historical sweep fascinates with its facts and challenges with its commentary...A cultural history of sports that says as much about all of us as it does about athletes." Kirkus Reviews
"Amidon's examination of the athlete as Western icon--from violent warrior in ancient times to trending topic in today's 24/7 entertainment culture--is erudite and entertaining. ...Deftly balancing big-picture assessments with particular case studies...Amidon's treatise will please scholars and spectators alike." Publisher's Weekly
"Gets one thinking. Who can ask more than that of an author and a book?" Bill Littlefield Only a Game NPR