Shaul LadanyCritiques

Shaul Ladany, an Israeli scientist, is mostly known for his world records as a race walker. This amazing man set record after record for his phenomenal endurance in race walking, distances up to 100 miles. Can you image walking 100 miles?!!! But having survived the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, he was a survivalist. However, this is not a Holocaust survival book as very little of the book actually focuses on his time in the camp.

If you love the details of race walking, you will love this book. I, however, was not that interested in the details – how he trained, how he wanted his drinks handed to him as he passed by stations, the difficulties of getting recognition from Israel for his successes. I admit I skimmed through most of the book. I was not interested in the nitty-gritty details.

What caught my interest was when I realized he was part of the Israeli Olympic team in Munich. So here was a man that not only survived a concentration camp but also survived the massacre in Munich. I wanted to know how he survived that. For me, that was the most interesting part of the book.

[This review also appears on FingerFlow.com, a site for review and discussion of creative works.]

Shaul Ladany was certainly an inspiring man, having survived the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp to become a record-holding race walker and distinguished industrial engineer.

My interest in the book was Ladany's experience during World War II and the Holocaust, but only a small portion of the book was devoted to this (less than half a chapter). The main focus of the book is on the sport of race walking.

I couldn't muster the interest to do more than skim and flip through the book, but that's just my personal preference; I'm not very interested in sports and I was expecting more about the author's Holocaust experience. The tone of the writing is conversational, like someone relating a story to a friend. It's definitely serviceable for the content. For someone interested in race walking, and sports competition in general, I'm sure this book would be an enjoyable read.

I should add that the section about the massacre of Israeli Olympic athletes in Munich was fascinating. Ladany makes it a point to correct some details that had been previously reported about his escape. Mainly, he describes following the lead of other Israeli athletes and escaping through the back door of his hotel room (no jumping off a second floor balcony, as most reports, including Wikipedia, state). Of additional interest are his thoughts on why the terrorists didn't take his roommates and himself hostage (there were two Israeli marksmen among them), his opinion of the German military of the '70s (inept and clumsy, a far cry from the German military of the last World War), his anger at the Israeli government for recalling their athletes home, the mistaken reports of his death in the massacre and his lawsuit against an author who fabricated details of the events of that tragic night. I wasn't at all familiar with this incident and Ladany's report was as good as any to learn about it.

Inspiring story. The book draws you in with interesting facts weaving history and personal commentary. A great book for anyone interested in sports. His determined spirit live through his words.

This an interesting book about a sport that I know nothing about.
Race-walking is a very small circle, I did not know that this sport was still an Olympic sport.
I would have been innterested in what some of his other patents were.
I know nothing about the terrain of Israel or where cities are located. Accompaning maps would have been a huge benefit for those of us unfamilar with the state of Israel.½

This is a chatty book that I appreciated getting as part of the Early Reviewer program. Race walking is a small sport, so I recognize a number of the people that Ladany encountered. As a race walker myself, I understand many of the dynamics of the sport, although I have never had a desire to do a 50 km race, which Ladany did set a wrold record for. He was at the Munich Olympics, in which a number of Israeli athletes and others were killed, a real tragic affair.

A great book, that tells of courage and to continue and to push forward, even if it is not for a race, but for life in general. As a triathlete, I could relate to Landany as an athlete, but not to his life. In this way, I was excited to read on and compare our similarities and differences. This was a great book that everyone should read, not just for athletes.

Ladany has seen many trials and victories in his lifetime, but the central theme to all of them is the race. From the symbolic race in his childhood from the Nazi's, his experience in Bergen-Belsen, his athletics in the Army, the race from the hotel after the Israeli Massacre in Munich, to the last long-distance race he walked, racing has clearly been an important part of Ladany's life. The book begins with the most current race at that time, the Tour de Var in France. From there, Ladany reflects to the earliest memories of his life, his time in the Army, his education, work and every race he ever partook in from that point forward. The chase of the race has taken him to several Olympics as well as to the presige of World Record-Holder. This is a very inspiring book as the reader detects his dream early on and watches his dream unfold in the pages of the book, experiencing sorrows for his defeats and cheers his victories. Ladany clearly learns from his mistakes that cause him to experience defeat in his races while the reader has an opportunity to learn his tricks for success: pace yourself, take care of yourself and don't lose the drive. This is a man driven by his earliest passion, a man with a lesson to teach to those who will lend an ear. This is not just a book for readers interested in sports. It is a book for readers interested in realizing thier dreams and goals. Ladany's drive and endurance will inspire the reader in any situation, in any dream.