Description
Book SynopsisIf you thought the fitness craze was about being healthy, think again. In the first book to tell the full story of the American obsession with fitness and how we got to where we are today, Jonathan Black gives us a backstage look at an industry and the people that have left an indelible mark on the American body and the consciousness it houses.
Trade Review“
Making the American Body is a fascinating and informative sprint through the history of body worship from the classical Greeks to the present-day fanatics of fitness.”—Pat Jordan, author of
A False Spring"In
Making the American Body, Jonathan Black masterfully explores the many twists and evolutions of the fitness industry, from barbells to exercise machines to today's health clubs."—Jeff Friend,
Foreword Reviews"An interesting history of physical fitness in America."—Karen Sutherland,
Library Journal"An engrossing history of fitness in the United States. . . . A must-read for fitness buffs and beefy enough to whet the appetite of even the most inert couch potato."—
Kirkus Reviews"The antecedents of the American fitness industry are varied and fascinating, and journalist Black . . . does a superb job of chronicling them."—
Publishers Weekly"As a book for a popular audience, it will be of interest to diverse readers."—J. L. Croissant,
CHOICETable of ContentsIntroduction: A Night to Remember1. The Shape of History2. Selling the Body Beautiful, 19001930s3. America Shapes Up, 1930s1950s4. The Machine Age, 1960s1970s5. Gotta Move, 1960s1980s6. The Buff Culture, 1970s1990s7. Pumping Up Business, 1980s1990s8. Fitness Today9. Why Exercise?NotesIndex
