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Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson Paperback – January 3, 2006

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Geoffrey C. Ward (Author)
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4.5 out of 5 stars 37 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 546 pages
  • Publisher: Vintage; Reprint edition (January 3, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0375710043
  • ISBN-13: 978-0375710049
  • Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 1.3 x 8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #128,248 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Top Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 starsThe Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson
By C. Baker VINE VOICE on March 26, 2005
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
In the introduction to his biography of Jack Johnson, Geoffrey C. Ward indicates that his primary source was newspaper articles. And indeed, this biography reads much like a very long newspaper account of the life of Jack Johnson. This isn't good or bad, but an apt description of what it is like reading this biography. In fact, Ward has done a commendable job in weaving what he had to work with into a very readable, informative, and enjoyable work.

Jack Johnson was the boxing world heavyweight champion from 1908-1915. And he was the first black heavyweight champion, which dominates the story of his life inside the ring and out. Johnson became heavyweight champion at a time when boxing was just barely out of the bare knuckle era, and while more organized as a sport, was still a rough and tumble and often illegal activity. Boxing, even as it is today, was often surround by unsavory characters. During that era throwing fights for money or to set up matches wasn't uncommon. Johnson learned his craft literally starting from the bottom up in local tough man or boxing contests and his skills eventually lead him to the top of his sport.

What make Johnson's story so interesting are two things - race and his profligate lifestyle. Race played a key role in his life even though he himself ignored race and didn't let it interfere with how he behaved or what he did. He often sported white women on his arm and eventually married a white woman, and did not defer to anyone, black or white. This made him an even more incendiary figure for the race conscious press and America at the time. Many white heavyweights wouldn't fight Johnson - most notably Jim Jefferies who held the title at a time when Johnson was the obvious deserving opponent for a shot at the champion.Read more ›
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5.0 out of 5 starsInsightful and rich
By G. P. Keim on December 1, 2004
Format: Hardcover
Admittedly I'm a bit of a boxing fan so the life of Jack Johnson holds some interest for me. And while Johnson's career and his fights are well-presented, the real genius of Ward's book comes in the way he eloquently fills in the blanks of an amazing man who lived the life he wanted with all of society trying to prevent him from doing just that. I'd hate to see this book get relegated to sports sections in book stores when it so clearly is a well-written, remarkable biography about a groundbreaking man that everyohne should read.
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5.0 out of 5 starsThe Title Says It All
By John Matlock on December 2, 2004
Format: Hardcover
The title, all by itself, sums up Jack Johnson's life. Born in Texas in 1878, only 13 years after the end of the Civil War, in the heyday of the Klu Klux Klan he emerged as an early day Mohammed Ali. As a fighter he was probably the best of his time. As a flamboyant character outside the ring he seemed deliberately out to tweak the noses of the white (and some of the black) establishment.

And if he excelled in the ring, he truly triumphed at nose tweaking. He told outlandish stories. He attracted women of all races as he traveled from city to city and country to country. And as he took on all comers in the prize ring, he took on all comers among the ladies as well. This was enough, at that time in the South, to get him lynched.

One of his episodes with a young lady resulted in him being convicted of the Mann act. This act made it illegal to transport womes across state lines for amoral purposes. Originally intended as a way to stop prostitution (who were they kidding), it was also applied in mixed race situations against the negro man. Eventually this gave him nearly a year in federal prison.

Extensively researched, this is a brilliant biography of a most colorful character, who if he'd been white would have been a hero.
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5.0 out of 5 starsMan without color
By lordhoot on April 14, 2006
Format: Hardcover
This book proves to be an interesting biography about a man who choose to lived his life as he see fit and not the way society saw fit. He became a heavyweight champion of the boxing world, showed off his wealth and proves to be most unapologic about his lifestyle. He was a non-conformist in a world that demanded conformity. This man was Jack Johnson, considered as one of the finest heavyweight boxing champions and he was also black man ignoring the rules of white America. This biography make it clear that by ignoring the rules of white America, Johnson had to fight, not only in the ring but outside of it as well. In some ways, Jack Johnson was a combination of Muhammad Ali and Barry Bond of his era. Unlike those two gentlemen, Johnson lived in a period of extreme low tolerance for any black man not conforming to the social standard. Johnson's taste for white women, his affuent lifestyle and his brash words made him one of the most hated black man among white America and caused of discord among black America. His disrespect for Joe Louis toward the end of his life also caused him many black supporters. He seem to be a man without color, doing what he want regardless of what white or black people thought about it.

Geoffrey C. Ward managed to write a highly interesting biography on this individual. He separate Johnson from his myths, legends and lies to create a honest picture. This was probably somewhat difficult since Johnson, his friends and his infinite enemies were behind the myths, legends and lies. What comes out is a highly readable, very informative and pretty interesting biography of a man who simply refused boxed himself in.

Book come highly recommended and an excellent study of racial relationship between black and white America.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsAMAZING STORY.

AMAZING STORY THAT HELD MY INTEREST FROM THE VERY FIRST PAGE.BOOK ARRIVED IN EXCELLENT CONDITION.

Published 2 months ago by Art Perry
5.0 out of 5 starsGreat read. Jack Johnson is one of my all ...

Great read. Jack Johnson is one of my all time favorites.

Published 2 months ago by Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 starsJack Johnson the free man.

Great book! I often wondered what made The Champ a champion. It was, he was taught, by his mother, that he could be and do anything he would work deligent towards!! Read more

Published 5 months ago by James Claiborne
3.0 out of 5 starsThree Stars

Interesting but not sure if accurate....

Published 9 months ago by JB
5.0 out of 5 starsexcellent

Excellent book. A must read for any lover of history. Boxing or otherwise. It makes a man who has been dead 60 + years now come alive before your eyes.

Published 13 months ago by mj
2.0 out of 5 starsrambling

Rambling. Don't like the historical unrelated excerpts. Was sure what style the Arthur was using. I enjoy learning
About Jack Johnson

Published 14 months ago by not wort the money
5.0 out of 5 starsA Marvelous Book

As other reviews attest, saying this work is 'Great' or using other superlatives will understate the reality. Read more

Published 14 months ago by Drstatz
4.0 out of 5 starsMeticulously Researched

This is an amazingly researched work. It was not a quick read because the information presented is very dense. Read more

Published 15 months ago by T.
5.0 out of 5 starsUnforgettable

Excellent bio on Jack Johnson. I didn't know much about him as I wasn't even born when he was alive. Very, very good read.

Published 23 months ago by Carol L. Samuels
5.0 out of 5 starsAn amazing character!

Mr. Ward brings to life the incredible journey of Jack Johnson. This book is an excellent time capsule for the early 1900`s

Published on January 21, 2014 by jeff morris

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