Mr. America: The Tragic History of a Bodybuilding Icon

"Map[s] the shifting definitions of gender and masculinity . . . provides the rare insight into the world of bodybuilding that only an insider could offer." —Sport in American History

For most of the twentieth century, the "Mr. America" image epitomized muscular manhood. From humble beginnings in 1939 at a small gym in Schenectady, New York, the Mr. America Contest became the world's premier bodybuilding event over the next thirty years. Rooted in ancient Greek virtues of health, fitness,...