Steroid Nation: Juiced Home Run Totals, Anti-aging Miracles, and a Hercules in Every High School: The Secret History of America's True Drug Addiction

When science lets us fulfill our greatest desires, where do we stop? Should Barry Bondss startling achievements be listed in the record book with an asterisk because he has been accused of using steroids? Did performance-enhancing drugs play a role in Lance Armstrongs seven Tour de France victories? And what does Arnold Schwarzeneggers continued success say about the appeal of his steroid-fueled bodybuilding persona?In the tradition ofAnd the Band Played On, award-winning journalist Shaun Assael looks at Americas complicated love affair with steroids and how it has grown into the countrysand perhaps the worldsmost insidious drug addiction.

Steroid Nationpresents a chilling portrait of a nation enamored of artificially pumped-up success. Chronicling steroid use far beyond the headlines, it begins with the bodybuilders of Venice Beach in the 1970s and continues through to the NFLs Raiders of the 80s and 90s and the baseball scandals of today. Assael also reveals the dramatic story of the godfather of the steroid movement: Dan Duchaine, who wroteThe Original Underground Steroid Handbookin 1981.

Part detective story, part medical investigation, and part sociological examination,Steroid Nationis a groundbreaking work on the most compelling story in the sports world today.