Berlin 1936

<p><strong>WINNER OF THE<em> TELEGRAPH</em> SPORTS BOOK AWARD FOR GENERAL OUTSTANDING SPORTS WRITING </strong><br /><br /><strong>A captivating account of the Nazi Olympics&mdash;told through the voices and stories of those who were there.</strong><br /><br /><strong>'Compelling, suspenseful and beautifully done' Anna Funder, author of <em>STASILAND</em></strong><br /><br />For sixteen days in the summer of 1936, the world's attention turned to the German capital as it hosted the Olympic Games. <br />Seen through the eyes of a cast of characters&mdash;Nazi leaders and foreign diplomats, athletes and journalists, nightclub owners and jazz musicians&mdash;Berlin 1936 plunges us into the high tension of this unfolding scene.<br /><br />Alongside the drama in the Olympic Stadium&mdash;from the triumph of Jesse Owens to the scandal when an American tourist breaks through the security and manages to kiss Hitler&mdash;Oliver Hilmes takes us behind the scenes and into the lives of ordinary Berliners: the woman with a dark secret who steps in front of a train, the transsexual waiting for the Gestapo's knock on the door, and the Jewish boy hoping that Germany may lose in the sporting arena. <br /><br />During the sporting events the dictatorship was partially put on hold; here then, is a last glimpse of the vibrant and diverse life in Berlin in the 1920s and 30s that the Nazis aimed to destroy.</p>