Discover A Smoldering Cauldron Of Sports, Politics, Espionage And Courage In Played: The Games Of The 1936 Berlin Olympics By Glenn Allen And Richard Kaufman

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On The Table Read Magazine, “the best book magazine in the UK“, Played: The Games Of The 1936 Berlin Olympics by Glenn Allen and Richard Kaufman is fictionalized account of the insanity and hysteria that unfolded from 1931 through 1936.

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Played: The Games Of The 1936 Berlin Olympics

A world on the cusp of the celebratory 2024 Paris Games casts a stark light on the dark underbelly of the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Writers Glenn Allen and Richard Kaufman pull back the curtain on this controversial chapter in their gripping, cinematic saga, PLAYED: The Games of the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Their 25 years of meticulous research expose the event’s complexities and the fight against Nazi propaganda.

PLAYED isn’t just a story; it’s a journey through history. Inspired by true events and figures surrounding the 1936 Berlin Olympics, this gripping novel plunges readers into the heart of a tumultuous period. From 1931 to 1936, witness the rising tide of insanity and global hysteria firsthand as it unfolds across Germany, the United States, and the world.

It is a sweeping, historical epic, sprinkled with high drama, comedy, espionage, tragedy and triumph; and sex, drugs and oompah bands! It is also a prescient warning of today’s current events.
-Richard Kaufman

Richard Kaufman on The Table Read Magazine — Richard Kaufman

The 1936 Berlin Olympics loomed, a dark cloud over the international sporting scene. At the heart of the American controversy stood Avery Brundage, President of the US Olympic Committee. Unfazed by the Nazi regime’s anti-Semitism, Brundage championed participation, a decision fueled by his own ambition for a coveted position on the International Olympic Committee.

Undeterred by the boycott movement, Brundage secured American participation. Enter AP Sports Editor Alan J. Gould, a staunch advocate for athletes. Witnessing the “games” played beyond the field, Gould exposes Brundage’s unsettling complicity with the Nazis.

Gould’s narrative unveils the resilience of American athletes amidst Nazi pressure, and the heartbreaking stories of German athletes caught in a political maelstrom. Yet, courage emerges from tragedy, forging tales of heroism that transcend the playing field.

Along the way readers meet some of the most famous people of the time: Mae West, Charlie Chaplin, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Joseph Goebbels, Leni Riefenstahl, Eva Braun and the madman himself, who vowed to “make Germany great again,” Adolf Hitler.

Of course, we can’t go back in time and change history insomuch as we can change the outcome of a sporting event. But we’re obligated to study history because it teaches us how to move forward. At least we hope it does.
-Glenn Allen and Richard Kaufman

Glenn Allen on The Table Read Magazine — Glenn Allen

Glenn Allen and Richard Kaufman

Richard Kaufman and Glenn Allen have been writing together for over 25 years. They have numerous projects in development, including scripted feature films, docuseries, television series, and have co-written and produced two award-winning independent films, all under the banner Green Bandana, a TV/film development company the two co-created in 2015.