The 2002 Winter Olympics!

At last, the 2002 Winter Olympics have arrived, allowing us all to experience the awe-inspiring moves of figure skaters, the gravity-mocking stunts of snowboarders, and the death-defying speed of skeleton-riders … all from the comforts of our own armchairs, of course!

If you care to learn more about the Olympics (whether the current Games, with sports ranging from curling to snowboarding…or Games past, when the opening ceremonies contained a lot less pomp) then check out a few of the books below:

The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics 2002
by David Wallechinsky
A must-read for Winter Olympics buffs, Wallechinsky's compendium of facts, photographs, highlights, and histories will give you a run-down of each sport in this year's Games. More than just a collection of trivia, The Complete Book is destined to give readers a much better understanding of the Olympics. The ultimate Winter Olympics primer.

Little Girls in Pretty Boxes: The Making and Breaking of Elite Gymnasts and Figure Skaters
by Joan Ryan
We've all heard sob stories of childhood torment at the hands of ruthless stage-parents, and go-get-em football-dads and soccer-moms, but the trials of Olympic hopefuls are truly heartrending. While Ryan depicts figure skating as brutal -- many skaters become bulimic, for example -- it's gymnastics that's the real battleground. By the time you finished this revealing shocker, you'll be glad you never mastered the somersault.

Mormon Country
by Wallace Stegner
With the spotlight on Utah, there's sure to be a resurgence in interest in the state's history, and this volume of Stegner's essays will more than satisfy the curious. Literary legend Stegner, often considered the "dean of the American West," reveals how different the morally upright Mormons were from other reckless denizens of the stark mountains and deserts of Utah as he chronicles the and lively founding of the Mormon's close-knit communities and spins Wild-West tales of mining towns and outlaws. Throughout, his love of the hardscrabble Utah terrain comes through in his distinct prose.

The Ancient Greek Olympics
by Richard Woff
On every fourth year for more than 1,000 years (from 775 B.C. to 395 A.D.), the ancient Olympics were held -- even war was suspended for the festivities. If you're looking for a captivating behind-the-scenes glimpse into the festival, this book should more than satisfy. Comparing our modern games to the ancient ones is great fun and provides a fascinating historical perspective. Filled with juicy information and illustrated with classical art, The Ancient Greek Olympics is a delight.

Inside the Olympic Industry: Power, Politics, and Activism
by Helen Jefferson Lenskyj
The bribery scandal that sullied this year's Games is certainly on the minds of many, and this expose of the Olympics reveals that such corruption is unfortunately endemic when it comes to the famed festival. Looking into the site-selection process, the media's portrayal of the events, and at current activism for reforming the festival, Lenskyj provides an eye-opening view of the darker side of the Games that will have you casting a far more critical eye towards this year's events.