I read this book over the course of one afternoon. Once I picked it up I could not stop reading it. The book is well written as a piece of investigative journalism and provides tremendous insight into what can be described as no less than the seedy underbelly of professional sports. The most shocking revelation in the book is that athletes will commonly use insulin as part of their performance-enhancing drug routines. Insulin can be lethal if inappropriately dosed and it is terrifying to think that athlete's worth millions of dollars are using this drugs and others without a physician's supervision.

This slightly overly detailed book tells the story of how steroids invaded professional sports, including the Olympics. Beginning in the late 1970s, steroids and other drugs were being tested and researched by personal trainers and body builders on how to bulk up, increase speed, and fine tune athletic performance. The "steroid story" is told here, including the negative physical and mental side effects. This book also delves into the tabloid fodder of the mistakes made by Barry Bonds and Marion Jones, as well as sadly, so many other revered professional athletes. This book pulled away the proverbial curtain on how drugs have infiltrated sports and so many "heroes." Redemption is not included secondary to many athletes did not admit to using (or if they did, justifying why they cheated) drugs. A little depressing to me, a sports fan, yet important to know and be aware of when watching these phenoms in the stadium, on the track, on the field, and in the dugout.

I picked up this book thinking it would be more about baseball and sports in general, but it turned out to be focusing on steroids involved with BALCO, not just baseball. It covered many athletes in several sporting events, focusing on many Olympic runners. I found it hard to finish this book, but glad that I did. It was very dry at times and took time to read. If you are into steroids, this is the inside scoop for you.

3.6 ★ Growing up in the Bay Area in the early 2000’s, I intuited that Barry Bonds’ use of performance-enhancing substances cast a long shadow. But it wasn’t until picking up this book that I could grasp the true dimensions of the controversy. Game of Shadows is extensively researched and reads like the investigative works of other longtime journalists. In the beginning, I found the pacing slow and meandering, and I struggled to keep all of the names straight — but it was worth sticking with for the dramatic conclusion.

Barry Bonds was on the way to a Hall-of-Fame season by the end of 1998 – one of the greatest outfielders of his generation who hit for power and showed both great defensive acumen and skills at the plate. Easily one of the best players of the game and he knew there were few his equal. Yet when he saw his own skills and talent eclipsed by Mark McGwire and Tommy Sosa, these heroes who saved baseball after the calamitous strike of 1994, Bonds seethed. He took a mix of synthetic steroids and human growth hormones provided by Victor Conte and the BALCO lab and saw an immediate transformation in his game but at a cost to his reputation, the game itself, and his health.

The BALCO scandal did not just implicate Bonds – McGwire and Sosa, along with many other players were all found to be juicing. But it didn’t stop there. Conte’s top-of-the-line drug mixture was the catalyst for countless athletic records falling throughout the late 90s and early 2000s. These reporters for the San Francisco Chronicle follow the BALCO story as it impacts both baseball and track and field. Track and Field come out looking far better as the US anti-doping agency handed out punishments right before the 2004 Olympics while Bud Selig and Major League Baseball really did very little. The anti-doping policies of MLB were mocked by the other major sports.

The authors reported this story for the SF Chronicle and this narrative is well-researched, comprehensive, and follows the story from every angle. It does feel like a collection of newspaper articles at times, lacking that final synthesis and conclusion that proper treatment of the scandal would merit. Still, this is the main record for one MLB’s most shameful scandals and the failure of the League to properly deal with it. Selig is no Kennesaw Mountain Landis and his failure here stands testament to his weaknesses as commissar.

A good book that delves into the steroid era as well as players that were allegedly using.

More so than speaking about steroids, this books gives a light history of baseball leading up to this steroids scandal.

Learning about BALCO as a laboratory and the doctor we began to develop the drug of the cream, working to conceal drugs so they would not show up on tests, this read helps the reader to become more informed on what how they were able to hide it, what went, wrong, and the fall out from that time period.

I played baseball growing up and in high school. I later went to college on a football scholarship and played in the NFL. I know how much of an advantage it can be when players are taking performance enhancing drugs. Considering Barry was later in his years, what he was able to do was phenomenal and brought excitement back to baseball.

Barry was already putting up hall of fame numbers before he began taking steroids, but finding out he needed extra supplements in order to keep up with other players in the MLB makes me look at his story a little differently.

Informative read for a sports junkie and baseball fan.

I bought this in the one dollar bin simply because I've always hated Barry Bonds but wanted more dirt on him. I was a little surprised to read about the other athletes that are using performance enhancers in other sports. I knew "everybody did it" but the reality is that we are no longer watching pure athletes perform. It is a little disheartening as a sports fan but I'm glad that I am now more informed about the true impact of drugs. (Wow, I sound like such a naive idiot...I can no longer turn my back to this travesty.)

The writing is a little slow in parts but it serves the purpose of informing the reader. It was, after all, written by newspaper reporters. Give it a shot..if you can find it for a buck!

When I began reading this book knew it would reference Barry Bonds and his steroid abuse. I was not expecting all of the other interesting information about BALCO and the Barry Bonds trial. In the book, Game of Shadows , by Mark Fainaru-Wada, it goes in depth into the BALCO scandal and how it affected not only Barry Bonds but the world of sports as a whole. It begins by talking about Barry Bonds. It begins the story at a very logical point, before the scandal. The San Francisco Giants were in Saint Louis playing a series against the Cardinals. This series ends up being one of the most critical ones in Bonds's life. He broke no records that day but made a decision that would change his life and the sport of baseball entirely. Bonds was used to being the star and as a three time MVP he deserved this fame, however he was out shadowed by the up and coming home run king ,Mark McGwire. Bonds witnessed firsthand the sheer power McGwire. It was witnessing this series and McGwires record breaking 1998 season that influenced Bonds's decision to take performance enhancing drugs. Another focus of the book is on the BALCO, or Bay Area Laboratories Cooperative. It talks about how Victor Conte, the head of BALCO, ran a steroid dealing business. Conte developed new anabolic steroids that were so discrete they were invisible to drug testing. The book explains how Conte and his associates approached athletes and convinced them to use their revolutionary product. The last focus is on Bonds's trial. Bonds went through two trials. One was an investigation into his steroid use. In this case, he claims that he unknowingly took steroids. This seemed like a far fetched argument, so he had a second trial, however this time was fighting criminal charges. Bonds was charged with lying under oath and faced prison time and large fines. Bonds was later acquitted, although it is widely believed he took them knowingly. Bonds was able to keep his record and awards because he claimed he unknowingly took steroids. The book also looks into other Olympic athletes use of drugs but the main focus is on Bonds.
Bonds changes quite a bit throughout the book. He stars as a confident athlete but keeps his ego in check. After he starts taking steroids a huge change is witnessed. He is performing at record breaking levels and becomes extremely muscular, but his attitude also changes. He becomes cocky and his ego is inflated by his success, also the steroids affect his behavior and mood. He becomes so cocky that when asked about his performance he says, "I can't tell you why. Call God. Ask him. It's like wow.I can't understand it either". Bonds goes through another significant phase during the trial. He becomes quieter and less cocky. This is due to the fact that he was being exposed and was either ashamed at what he had done, or afraid to say anything that could get him into more trouble.

I would be skeptical about recommending this book. While it contains lost of interesting information it can be rather dry. This book presents information in a boring way which can make it difficult to read. I would recommend this book to people interested in sports and crime genres. I would not recommend this book to an action fan because they will be quickly bored. This book was very interesting, but the information could have been presented in a better way.

Exemplarily researched history of the BALCO steroids scandal, bravely outing the egotistical Olympians, stuffed-shirt ballplayers, enterprising dealers, and blind-eye bureaucrats who conspired to corrupt their respective sports in the name of personal and corporate advantage. Barry Bonds is the biggest bad guy, and deservedly so; the case the authors amass against him is as beefy as the muscle he applied to the baseball.

The authors did meticulous research and presented a fast-moving account of the people and events of the book's subtitle. I came away from it thinking even less of Barry Bonds than I already did and incredulous that Major League Baseball and the players' union didn't move more quickly and aggressively on the steroid issue. My only mild criticism is that the quick-change nature of the storytelling could be a bit disorienting at times, and I would have liked more information about the labs, men, and women who do their best behind the scenes in an attempt to keep sport ahead of the cheaters.

Really a very good read - it is a bit misleading as much of the book is about the BALCO story and its impact on Track and Field. If you are only interested as a baseball fan, it is worth the read but be prepared for the balance. The book is very well written and it truly demonstrates what a scumbag Barry Bonds is and why he should never be in the Hall of Fame.

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JUNE. 6/26.