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What: “The Best That I Can Be”

Author: Rafer Johnson, with Philip

Goldberg

Price: $23.95

From Olympic decathlon champion to Hollywood personality, from loyal friend of Robert F. Kennedy to dedicated supporter of the Special Olympics, Rafer Johnson has left his mark in a life filled with remarkable achievements. He is, as his good friend Tom Brokaw writes in an introduction, “an icon of dignity and determination.”

Johnson grew up admiring Jackie Robinson and Ralph Bunche, followed them to UCLA and became one of the greatest athletes the world has produced. His experiences serve as a history lesson for the baby boomer generation and others.

In a 262-page autobiography that he had been urged to write for years, Johnson reviews the many momentous moments of his life: His dramatic victory over his friend and UCLA teammate, C.K. Yang, in the 1960 Olympic decathlon in Rome; his friendship with the Kennedy family and horror of being at the side of Robert Kennedy the night Kennedy was assassinated at the Ambassador Hotel in 1968; his lighting of the Olympic flame at the opening ceremony of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

Even more extraordinary is Johnson navigating through turbulent times in athletics, politics, race and family life without losing his faith. “Being in the spotlight entails responsibility, not just glory,” he said.

As a competitor, few wanted to win more than Johnson, but he always remained a true sportsman. “We make friends and leave as friends,” he said about international track competition.