Book cover of Winters of Discontent

Book description

Every four years, the Winter Olympics become a focal point for activism and resistance. But in the modern era, mere bids to host the Games have sparked fierce opposition from groups motivated by local or global concerns. Russell Field edits a collection that charts the evolution of protest around the…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Winters of Discontent as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

In this edited collection, Russell Field assembles a capable slate of writers who offer ground-eye explanations of how various Winter Olympics affected everyday working people, generating local dissent. Perhaps because the Winter Olympics are smaller than their splashy Summer cousin—today, the Winter Games feature around 2,900 athletes while the Summer Olympics have upwards of 10,500—they have spawned less scholarly and media attention.

This book addresses that deficit with riveting chapters, including one on the Denver 1976 Olympics that never happened after locals torpedoed the event through a public referendum, another on the Sochi 2014 Games in Putin’s Russia, and yet…

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