Berlin 1936

<p><b>WINNER OF THE<i> TELEGRAPH</i> SPORTS BOOK AWARD FOR GENERAL OUTSTANDING SPORTS WRITING </b><br><br><b>A captivating account of the Nazi Olympics &#150; told through the voices and stories of those who were there.</b><br><br><b>'Compelling suspenseful and beautifully done' Anna Funder author of <i>STASILAND</i></b><br><br>For sixteen days in the summer of 1936 the world&#146;s attention turned to the German capital as it hosted the Olympic Games. <br>Seen through the eyes of a cast of characters &#150; Nazi leaders and foreign diplomats athletes and journalists nightclub owners and jazz musicians &#150; Berlin 1936 plunges us into the high tension of this unfolding scene.<br><br>Alongside the drama in the Olympic Stadium &#150; from the triumph of Jesse Owens to the scandal when an American tourist breaks through the security and manages to kiss Hitler &#150; 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&#146;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.<br><br> <b>LONGLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2018</b></p>