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Randy Roberts

Joe Louis Kindle Edition

by Randy Roberts (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

67 ratings

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A “humbling, inspiring . . . deeply emotional” biography of the boxing legend who held the heavyweight world championship for more than eleven years (Kirkus Reviews, starred review).

Known as the Brown Bomber, Joe Louis defended his heavyweight title an astonishing twenty-five times. Through the 1930s, he got more column inches of newspaper coverage than President Roosevelt. At a time when the boxing ring was the only venue where black and white could meet on equal terms, Louis embodied Black America’s hope for dignity and equality. And in 1938, his politically charged defeat of German boxer Max Schmeling made Louis a national hero on the world stage.

Through meticulous research and first-hand interviews, acclaimed biographer Randy Roberts presents a complete portrait of Louis and his outsized impact on sport and country. Digging beneath the simplistic narratives of heroism and victimization, Roberts reveals an athlete who carefully managed his public image, and whose relationships with both the black and white communities—including his relationships with mobsters—were deeply complex.

“Roberts is a fine match with his subject. He supports with powerful evidence his contention that Louis’s impact was enormous and profound.” —The Boston Globe

Print length

332 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publisher

Yale University Press
Publication date

October 26, 2010
File size

2015 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"The author of superb studies of the boxers Jack Johnson and Jack Dempsey, Mr. Roberts spins a graceful and reliable narrative of Louis's life. [He] also gets into the ring with the question: Why did Joe Louis matter so much to so many?"—Wall Street Journal (Wall Street Journal 2010-10-23)

"Roberts is a fine match with his subject. He supports with powerful evidence his contention that Louis's impact was enormous and profound."—Bill Littlefield, Boston Globe (Bill Littlefield Boston Globe 2011-01-09)

"Well-researched, intelligent, and insightful. . . . [Roberts is] able to capture the drama, brutality, and pathos of Louis's epic battles."—Glenn Altschuler, Philadelphia Inquirer (Glenn Altschuler Philadelphia Inquirer 2011-12-26)

"[This] new biography by Randy Roberts restores Louis to his proper place in the pantheon, both as an athlete and as a cultural icon."—Allen St. John, Dallas Morning News (Allen St. John Dallas Morning News 2011-01-02)

“A sympathetic, moving life of the Brown Bomber by veteran cultural historian and biographer Roberts. . . . All legendary athletes should hope for treatment by such capable, compassionate hands.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

(Kirkus Reviews)

"A biography to be savored. . . . Roberts' narrative of the pugilist and the man is gripping. . . . He captures the spirit of the age, when boxing on radio fed the national imagination. . . . Roberts recovers a great story and makes it sing for him."—Andrew Burstein, Baton Rouge Advocate (Andrew Burstein Baton Rouge Advocate)

"It's a thrilling account of an extraordinary life, one that needed to be retold to a generation tow hom Joe Louis is no more than an occasional face on ESPN Classic. There was a giant in those days, and Roberts has reclaimed him for us."—Allen Barra, St. Petersburg Times (Allen Barra St. Petersburg Times)

"[An] exciting account of the great champ's life. . . . [The book] isn't so much a biography as a cultural history of its subject's life and times. . . . It's a thrilling account of an extraordinary life, one that needed to be retold to a generation to whom Joe Louis is no more than an occasional face on ESPN Classic. He was a giant in those days, and Randy Roberts has reclaimed him for us."—Allen Barra, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Allen Barra Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2011-06-07)

"Louis's story ghad been told by sportwriters and historians many times, but Roberts is a fine match with his subject. He suppports with powerful evidence his contention that Louis's impact was enormous and profound. His explorations of the shameful social conditions and smug hyporcrisy poisoning the landscape over which Louis loomed for a time are incisive and convincing."—Bill Littlefield, New York Post (Bill Littlefield New York Post)

"Roberts has written a thoroughly researched, engaging book on African American heavyweight boxer Joe Louis. . . . This excellent book has much to say about race, nationalism, and identity."—A. Ejikeme, CHOICE (A. Ejikeme CHOICE)

"Roberts's book is a thoroughly researched beginner's guide to boxing as well as an introductory course in 20th century politics that contains, at the heart of it, a stoic enigma of a fighter who wasn't afraid to go toe-to-toe with the world."—Lance Hicks, Bama Escapes (Lance Hicks Bama Escapes)

"[In this] concise, judicious biography, . . . Roberts vividly re-creates a bygone time when boxing enjoyed enormous popularity. . . . Roberts is superb at conveying the excitement that surrounded Louis' exploits."—Richmond Times-Dispatch (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Selected as a Choice Outstanding Academic Title for 2011 in the Sports and Recreation category. (Choice Outstanding Academic Title Choice 2012-03-12) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Randy Roberts is Distinguished Professor of History at Purdue University. His previous books include biographies of Jack Dempsey, Jack Johnson, and John Wayne (all nominated for Pulitzer Prizes); a history of American sports since 1945; and books on Charles Lindbergh, the Mike Tyson trial, and the Vietnam War. He lives in Lafayette, Indiana. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0048EJW44
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Yale University Press (October 26, 2010)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 26, 2010
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2015 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 332 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0300177631

Best Sellers Rank: #726,765 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #60 in Boxing Biographies
- #146 in Boxing (Kindle Store)
- #199 in Boxer Biographies

Customer Reviews:
67 ratings

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Randy Roberts

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I write books that I would like to read, stories about sports and film icons who had an impact on American history. People like John Wayne, Joe Louis, and Muhammad Ali. My most recent book, "Blood Brothers: The Fatal Friendship Between Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X" combines my interests in sports, politics, and race. It looks at two men, Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X, and how they changed the sports and political landscape in America.

Previously I published books that have explored the role that college football players and coaches have played during times of national crisis. In 2013, I published "Rising Tide: Bear Bryant, Joe Namath, and Dixie's Last Quarter" (co-authored with Ed Krzemienski). It details the relationship between Bear Bryant and Joe Namath during the early 1960s, a time of Civil Rights struggles, a violent backlash, and the emergence of Alabama as the finest football team in the nation. It features two iconic personalities fighting for victories on the field and their careers off the field.

In 2011 I published "A Team for America: The Army-Navy Game That Rallied a Nation." It's the story of a West Point football team during World War II, striving to win a national championship before they shipped off to the battle front. It was their last chance to be boys before the nation demanded that they be men. During the months between D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge the team gave the millions of American soldiers around the world something to celebrate. After their last game General Douglas MacArthur wired Coach Red Blaik, "THE GREATEST OF ALL ARMY TEAMS. WE HAVE STOPPED THE WAR TO CELEBRATE YOUR MAGNIFICENT SUCCESS."

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5

67 global ratings

5 star		67%
4 star		19%
3 star		9%
2 star		2%
1 star		3%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Eric R. Futterman

Surprisingly Truncated but Worth It

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 14, 2020

Verified Purchase

As much of a boxing fan as I was through the Tyson-Holyfield era I knew little about Joe Louis. In many ways this book does a great job of revealing Louis the man but more importantly his effect on Americans' views of African Americans in that time. Joe Louis rarely talked about race but convinced millions of Americans through his outright greatness as the best fighter of his era by far, but through his demeanor and presence.

So there's real value in reading this book.

The author could have used another edit or two as there are quite a few errors. Organizations like the NAACP are displayed as naacp. FDR as fdr, etc.

Lots of those examples.

But the biggest problem I have is the depiction of the post life career of Joe Louis. We got from his last fight to his death too quickly. We never heard what this quiet, soft spoken man thought of the brash Cassius Clay. We never heard about his relationship with his son. We never saw how he resolved his massive debt with the IRS. There's a lot to learn about Joe Louis post boxing. But not much of it is in this book.

Still I enjoyed the meat of it, learning about Louis the great fighter who enlightened millions of Americans to realize there is no superior race.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Red Fox

The full bottle?

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 22, 2014

Verified Purchase

A very interesting and detailed tale of Joe's life and his significance in racially oppressive America. Randy writes with quite authority and the book seems quite complete... except that he skipped two of the very few things I knew about Joe Louis before buying this book. I had heard a bit about his late meeting with his father. I had also heard that he became firm friends with Max S later in life. I was looking forward to hearing more detail about those two episodes but they did not appear in the book. I am now wondering if there are some holes in it. But it was a good read and a good insight into a period of US history with some quite nasty racism.

2 people found this helpful

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Eric F.

Find a more informative biography

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 20, 2019

Verified Purchase

Everything arrived on time and as advertised. It wasn’t a bad book but I could have used a whole lot less political commentary from the biographer. I wanted to read about the life of Joe Louis not a bunch of “the past was horrible and I am so much better than them” drivel. Joe Louis biography not another empty protester.

4 people found this helpful

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Plain Bob

Comprehensive

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 5, 2019

Verified Purchase

A thorough look at the man, and his times. The race issues, and his calling to defeat Schmeling. Sadly forgotten by so many. Probably created a bigger splash the Muhammed Ali.

One person found this helpful

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Dave Molesworth

It's not easy being a legend...

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 19, 2018

Verified Purchase

A great read about a great champion and the times when he reigned supreme. It's a wonderful, insightful, and in many ways, tragic story. Really enjoyed this book!

One person found this helpful

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Philio Stoane

Joe Louis and Randy Roberts - Two Champs!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 12, 2011

Verified Purchase

The story of one of America's greatest icons by one of our best chroncilers of
American sports history.

Told in fascinating detail, "Joe Louis: Hard Times Man", recounts the rise and fall of Joe Louis. Roberts, who is probably the greatest living boxing writer, places
the story of Louis in the context of Jim Crow America. Sure to please any boxing fan and any student of 20th Century America.

2 people found this helpful

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Lonnie Piper

Great book at an outstanding price.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 19, 2016

Verified Purchase

Outstanding book on the Greatest HW Champion of all time. He did not have to keep winning the title back like Ali, he is the only one with 25 defenses. The arrived in great shape, actually better than described.

2 people found this helpful

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Chad Guilford

Good Book

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 9, 2013

Verified Purchase

Read this for a class I took taught by the author. Interesting perspective on how the boxing profession affected many aspects of America.

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

John Brendan

Excellent read.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on June 1, 2020

Verified Purchase

A very good read about a fascinating and conflicted man and gives excellent detail into the America of the time, that made the man.

Happy A

Really interesting book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on February 21, 2013

Verified Purchase

Bought this book for my husband and daughter and both have praised it to the hilt. Some really interesting and shocking facts about the colour bar in America at that time, plus of course the Joe Louis fights and his life.

2 people found this helpful

Angus/malcolmnews.

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on March 21, 2018

Verified Purchase

A Great Read.