Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson Summary and Reviews

Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson
by Geoffrey C. Ward

Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson
List Price: $26.95
Our Price: $8.00
You Save: $18.95 (70%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $1.70 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


or

Book Summary Information

Author: Geoffrey C. Ward
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2004-10-26
ISBN: 0375415327
Number of pages: 512
Publisher: Knopf

Book Reviews of Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson

Book Review: Darkness overcome
Summary: 5 Stars

Jack Johnson was one of the early twentieth century's most controversial figures. He was the first black man to attain the world heavyweight championship title, an honor that had been the exclusive domain of white boxers since the sport began. His flashy personality, considerable wealth, and refusal to let his race limit his career and marital prospects belied the traditional concept of the servile, grovelling black. When Johnson beat up white men in the ring and consorted with white women in public, Caucasian America reacted violently. Blacks like Booker T. Washington worried that the hostile attention he attracted would reflect badly on them. "Just who do you think you are?" he was often asked- by both races. "Jack Johnson," he invariably replied.

The first half of `Unforgivable Blackness' traces Johnson's rise from Galveston street fighter to heavyweight champion of the world. It was hard going for years: white title holders refused to fight him, worried at the battering their legends would take if they lost to a black man. In what must be the epitome of persistence, Johnson chased the Canadian heavyweight champion Tommy Burns across the world, showing up in European cafes and Australian hotel lobbies to issue challenges. He finally defeated Burns in Sydney, Australia, in 1908, but hostile whites refused to acknowledge him as the new champion until 1910, when he beat the legendary Jim Jeffries, who had retired undefeated six years previously and only agreed to fight so he could show that "a white man is better than a negro."

In the second half of this fast-paced volume, white America crucifies Johnson for his boxing success and affinity for white women (all three of his wives were Caucasian). Congress banned prizefight films from being taken across state lines, sparing thousands of whites the demoralizing sight of Stanley Ketchel and Jim Jeffries being defeated by a Negro. Policemen wrote Johnson tickets for driving a car that they felt no black should be able to afford. He was accused of violating the Mann Act, which made it illegal to take a woman from state to state for immoral purposes. Found guilty of `transporting' Chicago prostitute Belle Schreiber, Johnson fled to Europe with his wife Lucille and wandered the globe for years. He lost the heavyweight championship to Jess Willard in Havana in 1915 and hoped that he might finally go home now that the title had been reclaimed by a white fighter. But when he did, Johnson was arrested and spent 10 months in Leavenworth prison for the Mann Act conviction. Upon his release, he was considered too old to box professionally again and therefore reduced to minor film roles and speaking engagements. He was killed in a car crash outside Raleigh, North Carolina, in 1946, after speeding furiously away from a restaurant that refused to serve him.

Geoffrey Ward has written Johnson's story in an highly readable style, combining sports history with popular biography. You don't have to be a boxing aficionado to enjoy `Unforgivable Blackness'. The entire book has an high-velocity undercurrent that keeps the reader turning the pages. Perhaps that's because Jack Johnson himself was an energetic, fascinating individual who only let himself be beaten in the ring.

Biographies & Memoirs Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in GIFTS ON THE C U T T I N G E D G E
Being Dead Is No Excuse: The Official Southern Ladies Guide To Hosting the Perfect Funeral ImageBeing Dead Is No Excuse: The Official Southern Ladies Guide To Hosting the Perfect Funeral
by Gayden Metcalfe
Miramax; Published: 2005-03-16; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $4.99
Price in other shops: $19.95
Deluxe Turntable Scrabble ImageDeluxe Turntable Scrabble
Hasbro; Hasbro; Release date: 2006-06-12; Toy
Best price: $87.49
A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America ImageA Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America
by Stacy Schiff
Henry Holt and Co.; Published: 2005-04-02; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $1.49
Price in other shops: $30.00
Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes ImageEveryday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes
by Giada De Laurentiis
Clarkson Potter; Published: 2005-02-22; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $19.96
Price in other shops: $32.50
Apple iPod 4 GB mini M9160LL/A (Silver) ImageApple iPod 4 GB mini M9160LL/ A (Silver)
Apple Computer; Macintosh; CE
Best price: $199.99
Apple iPod shuffle 512 MB White (1st Generation) ImageApple iPod shuffle 512 MB White (1st Generation)
Apple Computer; CE
Best price: $39.97
Price in other shops: $69.99
Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson ImageUnforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson
by Geoffrey C. Ward
Knopf; Published: 2004-10-26; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $7.93
Price in other shops: $26.95
Oldman's Guide to Outsmarting Wine: 108 Ingenious Shortcuts to Navigate the World of Wine with Confidence and Style ImageOldman's Guide to Outsmarting Wine: 108 Ingenious Shortcuts to Navigate the World of Wine with Confidence and Style
by Mark Oldman
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 2004-12-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.44
Price in other shops: $18.00
Santa Fe Quesadilla Maker ImageSanta Fe Quesadilla Maker
Santa Fe; Santa Fe; Kitchen
Price in other shops: $34.00
Salton YM9 1-Quart Yogurt Maker ImageSalton YM9 1-Quart Yogurt Maker
Salton; Salton; Kitchen
Best price: $17.14
Price in other shops: $25.99
Similar books summaries and other product reviews
Jack Johnson (They Didn't Know It Couldn't Be Done) ImageJack Johnson (They Didn't Know It Couldn't Be Done)
by Sal Fradella
Branden Books; Published: 1990-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.78
Price in other shops: $12.95
The Sweet Science ImageThe Sweet Science
by A.J. Liebling
North Point Press; Published: 2004-09-29; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.51
Price in other shops: $15.00
King of the World: Muhammed Ali and the Rise of an American Hero ImageKing of the World: Muhammed Ali and the Rise of an American Hero
by David Remnick
Vintage; Published: 1999-10-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.48
Price in other shops: $15.95
Jack Johnson: In The Ring And Out ImageJack Johnson: In The Ring And Out
by Jack Johnson
Kessinger Publishing, LLC; Published: 2008-06-13; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $29.27
Price in other shops: $43.95
Forty Million Dollar Slaves: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Black Athlete ImageForty Million Dollar Slaves: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Black Athlete
by William C. Rhoden
Three Rivers Press; Published: 2007-07-24; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.83
Price in other shops: $13.95
Cinderella Man: James J. Braddock, Max Baer, and the Greatest Upset in Boxing History ImageCinderella Man: James J. Braddock, Max Baer, and the Greatest Upset in Boxing History
by Jeremy Schaap
Mariner Books; Published: 2006-04-10; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.91
Price in other shops: $13.95
Beyond Glory: Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling, and a World on the Brink ImageBeyond Glory: Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling, and a World on the Brink
by David Margolick
Vintage; Published: 2006-10-10; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.99
Price in other shops: $15.95
My Life and Battles: By Jack Johnson ImageMy Life and Battles: By Jack Johnson
by Jack Johnson
Praeger Publishers; Published: 2007-09-30; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $27.96
Price in other shops: $39.95
Papa Jack: Jack Johnson And The Era Of White Hopes ImagePapa Jack: Jack Johnson And The Era Of White Hopes
by Randy Roberts
Free Press; Published: 1985-03-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $13.73
Price in other shops: $20.95
Unforgivable Blackness - The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson ImageUnforgivable Blackness - The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson
Paramount; Release date: 2005-01-11; DVD
Best price: $15.34
Price in other shops: $24.99