A full report on the book Little Big Men by Alan M. Klein. Covers an overview as well as a critique of the book. Teacher said the report could use a bit more critique.

Essay by jilliams8University, Master'sA-, April 2004

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The book Little Big Men follows the path of its author, Alan M. Klein, through his study conducted of competitive bodybuilders on the West Coast. Klein visited some of the best gyms in California in order to gain a full understanding of competitive bodybuilder's traits, culture, background and desires. A summary of Alan M. Klein's Little Big Men, will demonstrate the extent of his research and knowledge of competitive bodybuilding and its participants.

Little Big Men takes place in the fictional Olympic Gym. Olympic Gym is where the most competitive and dedicated bodybuilders spend their time hardening their bodies. This gym served as a professional place for serious bodybuilders to work and be seen by awestruck passerbys. Attention and respect that bodybuilders received inside Olympic Gym is just what they desired because most of them suffered from a low self-esteem stemming from childhood as being either scrawny or having a serious illness.

Thus having people gawk at the size and mass of their muscles gave them a sense of importance like never before. Not only does Little Big Men portray competitive bodybuilders to be people with a low self-esteem, but it also portrays them as being nonsocial. Various men in Olympic Gym say they chose the sport of bodybuilding simply because it was not a team sport where you had to interact with others to succeed. The only area of team work in bodybuilding comes from those who use partners to train. However, many men and woman would rather work-out alone because working-out with a partner requires one to exert energy in order to push their partner to their max. The book claims that competitive bodybuilders often work alone so all their energy can be used for their own good.

Along with leading a nonsocial lifestyle, competitive bodybuilders at...