Inside Track: Autobiography of Carl Lewis

Carl Lewis seems to have been intent on rehabilitating his image (which I didn't realize was all that bad) when he set out to write his autobiography with Jeffrey Marx.The book moves along quite easily and effortlessly, and is tailor made for a plane ride or poolside, but the fact of the matter is...Carl Lewis doesn't come across as a great guy.He is possibly the greatest athlete that has competed during most of our lifetimes, with his accomplishments rivaling those of Gretzky, Jordan, and company. But he just seems kind of petty and extremely insecure.For a guy who, among other things, sets out to prove he is not gay, he just comes across as... ... ... catty?That said, his anecdotes of life behind the scenes on the burgeoning track circuit of the 1980s are interesting from a sports history perspective and in terms of how Carl Lewis himself rose to prominence.He (and Marx) definitely took the wrong approach as far as I'm concerned when they opened with a chapter where Lewis complains nonstop about that "bastard" Ben Johnson cheating and getting away with it. It's years later Carl, Ben Johnson DIDN'T get away with it, and you got the gold medal. It is not the only time Carl comes across as a sore winner.In reading the book, I also found it pretty easy to picture where Carl put his foot down about keeping something, and where the professional writer Marx reached in and touched up the final passage of a chapter or two to give it a writer's touch.I would have preferred to just let Carl loose with a pen and a typewriter. Chances are I would find him even more insecure, but hey...I would be insecure too if I had released the video for "Break it Up."

As a child of the eighties, I grew up seeing Carl Lewis' achievements on the track. As I got older I appreciated just how successful an athlete he was to not only win so much in track and field, but to have longevity in a sport that is so physically and mentally punishing. I finally got around to tracking a copy of this book down, and I was not disappointed.The book takes us from Carl's assignment with Houston, his developing years, and his initial success at the 1984 Olympics. It also touches in detail on the Jesse Owens comparisons, and in later years, his rivalry with Ben Johnson and the successes of Lewis' Santa Monica team-mates; as well as the ever-present question of drugs in athletics.Combined with Jeffrey Marx's prose, this book does a great job in detailing Lewis' struggles, and not just on the track. It is to my knowledge the most complete book (possibly the only one?!) written by any track and field competitor, and it does a great job in not only examining Lewis' career, but also the state of US (and European) athletics in its 'professional amateur' era.Excellently written and structured, with a fair bit of humour as well, the only reason I don't give this 5 stars is because of the date it was written. Intially completed in 1991, it was then expanded to include Lewis' phenomenal 1991 World Championships. Even then however, it obviously does not include Lewis' career post 1991; missing the 1992 Olympics (of which were extremely testing for Lewis, in that he failed to qualify for the 100m and his later confessed feeling of being burnt out after those games) and anything thereafter. As far as the book goes, I have nothing to criticise, and it is a fantastic read for casual and hardocre sports fans alike.Lewis did release a second book, again with Jeffrey Marx, detailing his year prior to Atlanta 1996 and his Long Jump medal won there. I also recommend that book. However, I feel a more complete overview of this great athlete is required, to encompass his entire career.