Papa Jack: Jack Johnson And The Era Of White Hopes (Paperback)

~ (Author) "NO ONE THOUGHT MUCH about holding church services that Sunday, so the few churches left standing were empty..." (more)
Key Phrases: black champion, white fighter, black boxers, New York, Jack Johnson, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

When Jack Johnson defeated white heavyweight champion Jim Jeffries in 1910, it was America's notions of racial superiority that staggered under his blows. Amid riots and lynchings, the search began for the Great White Hope who could put the "uppity" new champion in his place.

Here is the startling true story of the most famous--and most hated--black American of his day. "Papa Jack" takes us into a violent and sordid world. It is an astonishing tale of black defiance--and white retribution--set against the dramatic canvas of sports and spectacle in Jim Crow America.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Free Press; First Edition edition (March 1, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0029269008
• ISBN-13: 978-0029269008
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #275,831 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Biography, January 22, 2005

By	Vaughn A. Carney (Vermont USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Papa Jack: Jack Johnson and the Era of White Hopes (Hardcover)

Randy Roberts absolutely nails it with this wonderful and thoughtful biography of the extraordinary Jack Johnson. A must-read for any student of U.S. history and the social impact of sport. The semi-literate, one-star review below says far more about its writer than it does about this book. Can this person even read? Ignore these idiotic blitherings.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting life, not well written, January 19, 2009

By	Thomas H. Mcconnell "Author of The Nature of ... (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I read this book while doing research on a novel. And it played to my interest in history and race relations, especially in Texas. Anyway, Johnson was a multi-dimensioned character who became the first black heavyweight boxing champion and dated white women when it was decidedly unusual for a black man to do so, and he was able to get away with it for a number of reasons, not the least being that he cared little for the opinions of others. His life was interesting enough that I wish his biographer had had more skill in bringing him to life.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Terrific, Well Researched Read ..., January 27, 2008

By	E. Grant "Book Maven" (NYC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

AS a boxing historian I really enjoyed Robert's book having reread it many times. I feel Robert's did a tremendous amount of research and is very well informed about his subject. You cannot study Johnson without discussing how he reflected his times and how thy effected him. My only criticism and it is a serious one is that I feel Robert's was extremely hard in judging his subject as a man. No athlete in American history had to live through the constant painful attacks that Jack Johnson did every day from 1908 on when he took the title from Tommy Burn's ... the pressures had to be exceptionally overwhelming and in hindsight I feel Johnson should not have been judged so harshly as a man. He deserved better ... he was decades ahead of his time, a highly intelligent, self-educated and cultured man and one of the greatest fighter that ever lived.