From the critically acclaimed and best-selling author David Maraniss, here is the groundbreaking book that weaves sports, politics and history - the three major topics of his writing career - into a blockbuster narrative about the 1960 Rome Olympics.

The athletes competing in Rome included some of the most honored in Olympic history, from decathlete Rafer Johnson to sprinter Wilma Rudolph, from Ethiopian marathoner Abebe Bikila to Louisville boxer Cassius Clay, who at 18 seized the world stage for the first time, four years before he became Muhammad Ali. Maraniss draws compelling portraits of these and dozens of other athletes and evokes the tense drama of the Olympic events. But along with unforgettable characters and contests, there was a deeper meaning to what happened in Rome during those late summer days at the dawn of the 60s.

Change was apparent everywhere, for better and worse, and the world as we know it today was coming into view. Rome saw the first doping scandal, the first commercially televised Summer Games, the first athlete paid for wearing a certain brand of shoes. In the heat of the cold war, the Eternal City teemed with spies and rumors of defections. Every move was judged for its propaganda value. East and West Germany competed as a unified team less than a year before the Berlin Wall. There was a heated dispute in Rome over the two Chinas. An independence movement was sweeping black Africa, with 14 nations in the process of being born. New constituencies were being heard from, with increasing pressure to provide equal rights for blacks and women as they emerged from generations of discrimination.

Using meticulous research and the sweeping narrative style that have become his trademark, Maraniss reveals the rich palate of character, drama and meaning that gave Rome 1960 its singular essence.