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Loading... Last On His Feet: Jack Johnson and the Battle of the Centuryby Youssef Daoudi
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. “All we’ve gotten from the whites is THE WHIP, THE BIBLE and a FIST FULL OF PLATITUDES!” This extraordinary graphic bio looks at the life of Jack Johnson, a black heavyweight champion, around the turn of the last century. Of course, I have heard about this man over the years and saw the film the Great White Hope but I did not know many of the details about this towering figure and the astounding amount of racial abuse that he dealt with all of his life. It truly is painful to read, but one everyone should read, just to remind us what we are capable of doing as a race. I highly recommend it. It will be one of my top reads of the year. A big shout-out to Joe for recommending this gem. Johnson vs Jeffries July 4, 1910 in Reno, Nevada. Review of the Liveright (W.W. Norton & Company) hardcover edition (February 21, 2023) TW: This book includes the use of many racial slurs used to attack Johnson, especially as ringside taunts by spectators. There are also mockups of racist newspaper editorials and cartoons from the early 20th century period. I came across this book while researching the background to Michael Winkler's Grimmish (2021) which centred around boxer Joe Grim's 1908/09 tour of Australia where he was a sparring partner to both Jack Johnson and Tommy Burns before their December 26, 1908 matchup in Rushcutters Bay, Sydney. I had previously enjoyed French artist Youssef Daoudi's graphic novel Monk!: Thelonious, Pannonica, and the Friendship Behind a Musical Revolution (2018) about the jazz musician Thelonius Monk and this is his 2nd ever book with an English language writer, in this case the poet Adrian Matejka. Matejka's earlier work The Big Smoke (2013) consisted of poems inspired by Jack Johnson. See panels at https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/kevGbIazBkbtoLgwloApFTzA9fI=/1000x750/filt... Two panels from "Last On His Feet" showing boxers Jack Johnson and James Jeffries. Image sourced from the Smithsonian magazine review (linked below). Last On His Feet is again a sweeping accomplishment which encompasses all of Johnson's life even while centering on the 15 rounds of the Johnson/Jeffries which are treated as chapters. The story leaps back and forth in time as Johnson is portrayed later in life performing as a standup at theatres while telling tales of his life and the Jeffries fight. The book does not hide the downsides to Johnson's character and actions with instances of domestic abuse and the criticism by prominent Black-Americans of his time such as W.E.B. Du Bois. See photograph at https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Johnson_jeff.jpg A colorized photograph from the original 1910 fight. Image sourced from Wikipedia Public Domain, Link. Soundtrack As with Grimmish I'm going to go again with the Miles Davis’ Jack Johnson (1971) album. This album was used as the soundtrack for the 1970 Jack Johnson documentary film by director William Cayton. Other Reviews Library Journal by Tom Batten, December 1, 2022. Publishers Weekly, February, 2023. Smithsonian Magazine by Brandon Tensley, April/May 2023. Trivia and Links The book Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson (2004) by Geoffrey C. Ward is referenced in the Last on His Feet bibliography. That book became the basis of the PBS documentary Unforgiveable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson by Ken Burns in 2004 for which you can see the trailer here. no reviews | add a review
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A groundbreaking graphic portrait of boxing legend Jack Johnson, Last On His Feet offers a front-row seat to the Battle of the Century. On the morning of July 4, 1910, thousands of boxing fans stormed a newly built stadium in Reno, Nevada, to witness an epic showdown. Jack Johnson, the world's first Black heavyweight champion--and most infamous athlete in the world because of his race--was paired against Jim Jeffries, a former heavyweight champion then heralded as the "great white hope." It was the height of the Jim Crow era, and spectators were eager for Jeffries to restore the racial hierarchy that Johnson had pummeled with his quick fists. Transporting readers directly into the ring, artist Youssef Daoudi and poet Adrian Matejka intersperse dramatic boxing action with vivid flashbacks to reveal how Johnson, the self-educated son of formerly enslaved parents, reached the pinnacle of sport--all while facing down a racist justice system. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)741.5The arts Graphic arts and decorative arts Drawing & drawings Cartoons, Caricatures, ComicsLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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