Customer Reviews

The Olympic Odyssey: Rekindling the True Spirit of the Great Games

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Cousineau has written a deeply inspiring book about what's at the heart of athletic competition. By ditching the dish about joyless promoters, greedy agents and big money sports stars and instead packing in amazing and inspiring stories of effort and courage by athletes and coaches from as far back as the 8th century B.C.E. up to the 2000 games, Cousineau maps out an impassioned blueprint for reclaiming "the soul of sports." The timeless "olympic" lessons he relays, the heart-swelling tear-jerking stories he tells will inspire not only Olympic athletes (every Olympic hopeful should have this book in their gym bag) and players in the big leagues, but also kids on school teams, parents of young athletes, everyone who just loves to play, and sports fans of all stripes. The section on coaching alone is worth the price of the book. If every coach or parent-coach digested the wisdom from legendary "Philosopher Coaches" such as John Wooden and Percy Cerutty, honored "The 10 Commandments of True Sportsmanship," and followed the author's own wise suggestions for "rekindling the true spirit of the great games" every kid would be involved in team sports and loving it! (A startling statistic in the book--75% of all kids stop playing sports by age 12.)

In January, I wrote a negative review of this book due to ten factual inaccuracies that jumped out at me. Since then, corrections have been made, and, I must admit, it is one uplifting read. I understand that the U.S. Olympic Committee will be providing one copy to each athlete heading for Athens in August. Good for them. It transcends the world of sports and games. A little treasure for anyone in search of positive ways to deal with life's daily challenges.

I read this book just before the holidays. With the Olympics coming up, and & the title suggesting a fresh viewpoint, I thought it might be interesting. Well it is! It's full of inspiring stories, insights, and just plain lots of interesting things I didn't know about the history and struggle to get these games happening. I ended up rethinking my Christmas presents and bought 5 copies to give to my dad, mom, stepdad, brother-in-law, and sister. It proved to be a great choice, they all were reading it within a few days after Christmas and were enjoying it. Now we're not all fanatical sports-fans, but if it could please that wide a range of readers with different interests, I'd say this must be a good book. This is my first review for Amazon, and must admit I didn't get my copies here (I found them in my local bookstore) but when I checked in to see how others were reviewing this book tonight, I thought I'd leave you with my opinion, since I do often buy other books here. I think this one's a good read! I especially liked, in addition to the history, the personal glimpses into how many of the atheletes overcame something to push on & succeed. I keep on my wall beside my computer now "Coach Leonard Natkowski's Hand-out" which ends saying: "...If you think you'll lose, you've lost, for out in the world you'll find success begins with a fellow's will. It's all in the state of mind. Life's battles don't always go to the stronger or faster man; but sooner or later, the man who wins is the man who thinks he can." That's how sports reminds us to keep going in life; attitude + preparation + sheer determination is what it takes. It's those same examples of effort, determination, and triumph that I know will move me most when I'm watching these next Olympics on TV. So, I think this book is very true to the spirit of the games and I'll bet that you will too!

For somebody who appreciates sports about as much as dental surgery, I found OLYMPIC ODYSSEY fascinating and quite moving, taking us back to the mythological and spiritual beginnings of sport in Western culture. It's all in Cousineau's deft weaving of past & present, returning often to the well to let us drink from the source, instead of the subsequent hype, smoke and mirrors.

In his ONCE AND FUTURE MYTHS, he was Odysseus keeping his journals; in this book he's become the dextrous Penelope, weaving, weaving the ancient stories into a tapestry that isn't destroyed each night. OLYMPIC ODYSSEY fuses two deep parts of the author, sport and myth, and he writes from the soul. He ends with a plea to return sport to its once sacred origins, and a blueprint for doing so. I can't think of a better reason to read a book than to have your perspective changed and your mind (and heart) expanded.

This book is an inspiring read. It offers a thorough history of the ultimate sporting venue, the Olympics, and explores the very nature of our fascination with and awe of athletic performance. It is as much about the human heart and spirit as it is about the Games.

A positive, uplifting, encouraging look at the world of international sports and its impact on the human spirit.