IGX

"He was looking for a miracle, he found a barbell" is the tag line on the back cover of this very entertaining, easy to read book. It successfully puts flesh on the bones of the 30's era York Barbell crowd...in the historical fiction genre let's say. I don't know whether the dialogue is intentionally or unintentionally corny...but it may very well be representative of the "aw shucks, you bet" innocence of that era.

Kubik's thoughts about writing the book:

In writing Legacy of Iron, I worked hard to capture the personalities of the different champs of the era, using all of the written and oral history gained over the years. Whenever possible, I used contemporaneous accounts of lifting contests to "set the scene." Sometimes I described things that you could only learn from old photos of contests back in the 1938-1940 period. Bob Hoffman's books, and articles by Hoffman, Harry Paschall and others, provided much useful information.

Even if you dial back 90% of Kubik's intensity in his representation of Hoffman's importance to barbell lifting in general and Olympic weightlifting in particular, you are left with a figure of unparalleled importance to the American Iron Game. Kubik's portrayal of Hoffman's dedication to John Davis in pre-civil rights/segregated America is one of the best sections of the book. Maybe the color barrier wasn't broken, but at least it was seriously dented by Hoffman's (and Sig Klein's) color blind sportsmanship on John Davis' behalf.

For what it is, this is a very fine book. If you are interested in the history of the iron game at all it is a must read. The plot is a little corny but it is charming nonetheless. After it is all said and done, Kubik's best character study may be of Gracie Hoffman, Bob Hoffman's wife...you don't have a pulse if you don't wish you could somehow have known her.

Are you fucking nuts?

Fat Cat wrote:Are you fucking nuts?

Probably...
I take it you didn't like the book. Obviously the guy is no Larry McMurtry.

Publicuss wrote:

Fat Cat wrote:Are you fucking nuts?

Probably...
I take it you didn't like the book. Obviously the guy is no Larry McMurtry.

Larry McMurtry is no (longer) Larry McMurtry

This is a complete joke review right? Right? We are all going to pile up on you, and then the "ha ha ha guys I was only trollin" is going to come out?

I seriously think I have only barely and recently recovered the full use of my intelligence since reading that book. It almost singlehandedly drove me from barbell training for the rest of my life. I regret ever moment I gave to that pile of drivel. Reading that book was reading the ramblings of a man drunk on a false sense of self worth and nostalgia.

I cannot in any way shape or form believe any grown man could read that and say "yes. this is it."

The ONLY, ONLY reason, I think, that my brain did not melt from SHAME the minute it ended in a CLIFFHANGER! was that a small, inner part of my consciousness said to itself "maybe this was meant for fifth graders?" And then I fondly remember some of the fictional sports books I read in third through fifth grade. O.K my consciousness said - it is a nice little throwback to the middle school sports books revolving around weightlifting and you just HAPPENED to read it.

YOU CANNOT HAVE SERIOUSLY THOUGHT THIS "book" HAS ANY VALUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

newguy wrote:..."maybe this was meant for fifth graders?" And then I fondly remember some of the fictional sports books I read in third through fifth grade. O.K my consciousness said - it is a nice little throwback to the middle school sports books revolving around weightlifting and you just HAPPENED to read it.

YOU CANNOT HAVE SERIOUSLY THOUGHT THIS "book" HAS ANY VALUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Easy to read", "for what it is" and "corny but...charming" are, in my circle, withering commentary.

I haven't read the book nor do I intend to. What you may wish to do is go to York, PA. Go to the York Barbell Museum. Many pictures and icons from the era. No admission price. I spent a good hour in the place. One pic that stood out to me was a pic of Hoffman and Ronald Regan.

Say what you want about the guy, but Kubik makes a hell of a YumYum in the Kentucky Philharmonic's staging of the Mikado.

If you were alive and conscious during the 30s, 40s, and 50s, you would have observed that weight lifters were seen as a bunch of dorky queers to be shunned and ridiculed kinda like they are today.

Andy75 wrote:If you were alive and conscious during the 30s, 40s, and 50s, you would have observed that weight lifters were seen as a bunch of dorky queers to be shunned and ridiculed kinda like they are today.

^^^This. Most guys who lift weights wear their insecurity in a tight sleeved shirt.