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The Life and Crimes of Don King: The Shame of Boxing in America [Paperback]

Jack Newfield (Author)
3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

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Book Description

May 1, 2003
Here is a new, updated edition of award-winning columnist Jack Newfield’s best-selling biography of America’s boxing mogul, the source for the Emmy-winning movie Don King: Only in America.

When Jack Newfield’s unauthorized biography of Don King first appeared in 1995 it was hailed as one of the most important pieces of sports journalism of the decade. The HBO movie based on the book continues to be a television favorite. Now, for the first time, The Life and Crimes of Don King is available in paperback.

Jack Newfield has provided a new introduction and an extensive epilogue—”The Shame of Boxing in America”—for this new edition.

Here’s what critics had to say about the earlier edition:

“Jack Newfield is a writer who understands how to celebrate the rich complexity of American life while pulling the covers off of those monsters who threaten its very essence. In The Life and Crimes of Don King, he provides us with a book that stings in every direction—across class, race, profession, gender, religion, national boundaries, media, and law enforcement. We learn that Don King is an American so purely made of charisma and con that no one could have invented him.”
—STANLEY CROUCH, New York Daily News columnist

“It is difficult to imagine anyone better suited to tell the fascinating tale of Don King’s life than Jack Newfield. In The Life and Crimes of Don King Newfield has brilliantly captured the complex man beneath the flamboyant image and in the process produced an absolutely fabulous story,”
—DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian

“Jack Newfield brings a reporter’s craft and fan’s love of boxing to this study of the complex, brilliant promoter Don King. Newfield continues the tradition of great writers like A. J. Liebling, Budd Schulberg, and Norman Mailer who have brought their sharp focus to the world of boxing.”
—CHARLIE ROSE, PBS host

“Jack Newfield has captured Don King’s larger-than-life character with both fairness and passion. A brilliant investigative job!”
—NICK PILEGGI, co-author of Goodfellas and Casino

“Jack Newfield presents us with this first finely detailed portrait. For all those with a taste for robber barons and invincible chutzpah, this book is a must.”
—PETE HAMILL, author of A Drinking Life

About the author:

Veteran journalist Jack Newfield was a founder of the “New Journalism” in the 1960s as a columnist for The Village Voice. He was later a columnist for The New York Daily News and The New York Post. He was a fellow of The Nation Institute. He is the author of 10 books, has collaborated on numerous documentaries, and is the recipient of the George Polk Award for Investigative Journalism (1980), an Emmy for his documentary on Don King (1991), and numerous other awards.
--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"For all those with a taste for robber barons and invincible chutzpah, this book is a must." -- PETE HAMILL, author of A Drinking Life

"Newfield brings a reporter’s craft and fan’s love of boxing to this study of the complex, brilliant promoter." -- CHARLIE ROSE, PBS host

"Newfield has brilliantly captured the complex man beneath the flamboyant image and in the process produced an absolutely fabulous story." -- DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian

About the Author

Veteran journalist Jack Newfield was a founder of the "New Journalism" in the 1960s as a columnist for The Village Voice. He was later a columnist for The New York Daily News and The New York Post. He is currently a fellow of The Nation Institute. He is the author of 10 books, has collaborated on numerous documentaries, and is the recipient of the George Polk Award for Investigative Journalism (1980), an Emmy for his documentary on Don King (1991), and numerous other awards

Product Details

  • Paperback: 344 pages
  • Publisher: Harbor Electronic Publishing (May 1, 2003)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0974020109
  • ISBN-13: 978-0974020105
  • Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #785,930 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

 

Customer Reviews

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Average Customer Review
3.3 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars More than a book about Don King, March 10, 2007
By 
Square Eyes (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Life and Crimes of Don King: The Shame of Boxing in America (Paperback)
A superb, meticulously-researched book by an author who truly loves boxing. The career of Don King is well documented here and is as fascinating as you would have imagined. Yet it's more than a biography - an account of how the collective talents of what should have been boxing's Golden Age were squandered through corruption, er...fight engineering (shall we say) and a ratings system based on money not ability. Don King's rise is vividly described - he arrives at a Frazier-Foreman fight with Frazier, but as the fight progresses creeps closer to the Foreman camp and inevitably leaves with the victor. A pattern repeated again and again. The experiences of Tim Witherspoon, Larry Homes and Muhammad Ali make grim yet compelling reading. Finally, we see the Tyson years as yet another athletic talent wasted.

One of the best sports books I have ever read - and deserves a wider readership: So, Amazon, why isn't it available on your UK site?
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Terrific Writing, Terrible Formatting, May 19, 2011
By 
Dean Fenton (Rolling Meadows, IL United States) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
An excellent look into the dark world of Don King and Boxing in general. The writing is superb and the level of research is obvious. However, the Kindle edition is the worst formatted book I have downloaded since I bought the Kindle. The font size changes paragraph to paragraph and sometimes, sentence to sentence. It is distracting and, ultimately, disappointing that the publisher could not be bothered to put this into a more readable format.
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1 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars Only in America, April 3, 2007
This review is from: The Life and Crimes of Don King: The Shame of Boxing in America (Paperback)
Only in America, it is possible to have a Don King dominating the boxing scene. Newfield describes all the tricks of the trade King is using to his advantage and delivers recommendations what should be done. There is hope that one of these days boxing will be a respectable sport.
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
A loaded, unregistered .357 Magnum in his belt, $2,000 as usual in his pocket, Don King sauntered into the Manhattan Tap Room at 100th and Cedar in the Cleveland ghetto. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
exclusive promoter, cruelest sport, immediate rematch, promotional rights, sanction fees, boxing writers, boxing business, boxing commission, title defense, state athletic commission, live gate, boxing history, black fighters, blank contracts, title fight, training expenses
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Don King, New York, Mike Tyson, Larry Holmes, Muhammad Ali, Carl King, South Africa, Las Vegas, Buster Douglas, Uon King, Bob Arum, Tim Witherspoon, Madison Square Garden, Sun City, Los Angeles, Steve Wynn, George Foreman, Hank Schwartz, Herbert Muhammad, Lloyd Price, Atlantic City, Jose Torres, Greg Page, Deer Lake, United States
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