Black Profiles in Courage : A Legacy of African American Achievement [Mass Market Paperback]

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Author), Alan Steinberg (Author), Jr. Henry Louis Gates (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1997

The basketball star and black history scholar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar brings readers an ideal introduction to black history that focuses on the inspiring true stories of extraordinary men and women who typified the virtues of integrity, discipline, and self-respect. They include Peter Salem, volunteer soldier who turned the tide at Bunker Hill; Joseph Cinque, leader of a daring revolt on the slave ship Amistad; Frederick Douglass, one of the most notable black leaders of the 19th century; and Harriet Tubman, who led at least 300 slaves to freedom.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

With all the flair of his last-second game-winning sky hooks, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar delivers a well-written and important collection highlighting the lives of America's greatest black heroes. Taking his title cue from John Kennedy's Profiles in Courage, Abdul-Jabbar brings to life the exploits of a wide variety of African Americans, including Estevanico, a Moorish slave who discovered Arizona and New Mexico; Cinque, a kidnapped African slave who led a mutiny aboard the slave ship Amistad and later won his freedom in the U.S.; and Harriet Tubman, who brought hundreds of slaves to freedom on the Underground Railroad.

In a time when the media beams negative images of African Americans around the world, Black Profiles in Courage is indispensable for young adults of other races as well as African-American youth, showing that attributes like courage are not coded by color. For those young blacks who feel distant from America because of racism, books like this are a small but potent antidote against prejudice, reminding them of the important contributions African Americans have made to their country. --Eugene Holley, Jr.

From Publishers Weekly

To provide role models for African Americans, particularly young people, retired basketball star Abdul-Jabbar (Giant Steps) and Steinberg (Behind the Mask) have crafted here interesting and nuanced accounts of heroic African Americans whose accomplishments changed U.S. history. Among them are the lives of the 16th-century Moroccan explorer Estevanico, Revolutionary War patriot Crispus Attucks, slave liberator Harriet Tubman, anti-slavery author Frederick Douglass, Western frontier marshal Bass Reeves and a riveting description of West African rice farmer Joseph Cinque, who led a rebellion on the slave ship Amistad in 1839. Although Abdul-Jabbar is highly critical of past and present racism in the U.S., he gives credit to the abolitionist movement and leaders such as William Lloyd Garrison for their efforts toward ending slavery. Photos not seen by PW. Author tour.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Avon (November 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 038073060X
• ISBN-13: 978-0380730605
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,723,635 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring and Informative, May 22, 2000

By 

neolix - See all my reviews

This review is from: Black Profiles in Courage (Library Binding)

Simply put, I love this book. I like the fact that it summarizes the lives of so many African Americans including the famous and the still unknown. I highly recommend this book to any reader seeking information about the lives and consequent impact of some of our heroes.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars from a legend t legends in history, October 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Black Profiles in Courage : A Legacy of African American Achievement (Mass Market Paperback)

kareem is not only one of the greatest players of all-time but a very intelligent man.this book is a must for all.it's history that needed to be told.and i couldn't and wouldn't put it down.i recommend it for all.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellence, August 1, 2005

By 

Sundiata Piankhi "Sundiata Piankhi" (Empire of Mali - Africa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Black Profiles in Courage: A Legacy of African-American Achievement (Paperback)

What's more remarkable than the informative nature of this text is how it came to be...
An African American sport icon who gained success through one of the primary avenues African Americans have to reach affluence (sports and entertainment) just to use it as an avenue to actually uplift the intellectual level of his community. Well done!
I can't tell you how many tears it brings to my eyes to see a brother who achieve greatness through the stereotypical avenue of sports and actually use his greatness to do the truly great...uplift his people. Though there have been lists and books previous to his on the same subject, it has rarely been done by a person with such influence among youth, and for that I credit him unlike other past atheletes who simply use their stardom to sell grills, orange juice, or try and become rappers.

Peace to the God