On the Shoulders of Giants: My Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance

On the Shoulders of Giants: My Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance #1-4

by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Raymond Obstfeld

From 1920 to 1940, the Harlem Renaissance produced a bright beacon of light that paved the way for African-Americans all over the country. The unapologetic writings of W. E. B. Du Bois and Marcus Garvey, the fervent fiction and poetry of Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes, the groundbreaking art of Aaron Douglas and William H. Johnson, and the triumphant music of Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong gave voice and expression to the thoughts and emotions that Jim Crow segregation laws had long sought to stifle.

In On the Shoulders of Giants, indomitable basketball star and bestselling author and historian Kareem Abdul-Jabbar invites the reader on an extraordinarily personal journey back to his birthplace, through one of the greatest political, cultural, literary, and artistic movements in our history, revealing the tremendous impact the Harlem Renaissance had on both American culture and his own life. Beginning with the rise of the Harlem Rens as pioneers of professional basketball, Kareem traces the many streams of historical influence that converged to create the man he is today -- the NBA's all-time leading scorer and a veritable African-American icon.

Travel deep into the soul of the Renaissance -- to the night clubs, restaurants, basketball games, and fabulous parties that have made footprints in Harlem's history. Meet the athletes, jazz musicians, comedians, actors, politicians, entrepreneurs, and writers who not only inspired Kareem's rise to greatness but an entire nation's.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was born in the midst of a cultural reawakening, carried on the shoulders of athletes trying to prove there was a lot more at stake than a ball game, men and women who made music that could break your heart, and writers and intellectuals who gave voice to not just the ideals of a movement but the raw emotions. Kareem tells what it took to get these revolutionaries to Harlem and how they changed the world. A world that is still riding on the shoulders of giants.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Sports, Memoir, Biography, Basketball, African American

308 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 30, 2007

About the author

As a center for the Los Angeles Lakers from 1975 to 1989, American basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, originally Lew Alcindor, led the all-time scores in history of national basketball association in 1984.

This former professional player current serves as assistant coach. Typically referred to as Lew Alcindor in his younger days, he changed his name when he converted to Islam.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kareem_...

Reviews

[Brina · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a few years on goodreads, I tried to pick a timely theme for each month: classics in January, African American history in February, women authors only in March, etc. Sticking to the plan made reading a chore and not a leisurely activity, so my themed reading has all but fallen by the wayside other than reading women only in March, that is not negotiable. I’ve noticed though that sticking to a theme makes it easier to choose books during busy times and makes the reading year mirror the changing seasons. While I have hardly returned to my themed reading system, somehow this February I have been reading African American authors (see other reviews). I am a mood reader and have no other books lined up for this month but of course that is always subject to change.

As a moderator of the baseball book club here on goodreads, one of my roles is to facilitate occasional buddy reads with group members. That doesn’t happen much anymore because our core members have read most of the classic baseball books out there. About a week ago a discussion emerged in our non-baseball chat thread. My co-moderator pointed out that even though LeBron James has now surpassed Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s scoring mark, he respects Kareem more as a player and a person. And by the way he went on to author many books since hanging up the sneakers. Kareem is a little before my time, having retired from playing the year before the Bulls met the Lakers in the NBA finals. I only knew him from highlight videos and announcing; history writer was not something I attributed to him, so I had my interest piqued for a good reason. Before baseball takes over our lives for the next six months, a few of us chose to read Kareem’s exploration of the Harlem Renaissance.

Kareem Abdul Jabbar was born in Harlem and grew up in the Inwood neighbor of Manhattan. His first love was baseball and at first that was his sport. By the time he was seven, he had seen Joe DiMaggio in his last season and Willie Mays in his first. His second love was jazz music because his father had been classically trained at the Juilliard School and never stopped playing. Kareem was exposed to all the great jazz musicians and had many opportunities to meet many of them. His favorite music as a child was not the new rock and roll of the 1950s but a jazz opera named Porgy and Bess. His parents were determined that their son stay off the streets and enrolled him in private and catholic schools, where he was often the only black student, and where he towered over everyone. Eventually Kareem discovered basketball, but it was not until he participated in a summer program in Harlem at age seventeen that he was able to explore his heritage and learn more about himself introspectively.

People ask Kareem what he would have done if he was not a basketball player. His answer has always been history teacher. See, I knew he is better than LeBron because I’m a history teacher, too. Before I get off track, he shares a view with me in that it is important to study history to know about the past so that people can take both the good and bad and act on it. One’s roots are important as are role models who look like oneself. One of Kareem’s role models as a teenager: Miles Davis. His impetus for writing this book is that when he was a teenager many moons ago at Power Memorial High School, there were no people who looked like him and no mention of African Americans in history or literature books. He wanted to know why and researched extensively the history of the Harlem Renaissance. If he could pass on his love of the jazz and literature (and basketball) of the time period to youth of today, then he would leave the world a better place. Although Kareem perfected the sky hook, the history student me would have loved to have had him as a high school or college teacher. My history teachers were great, but a 7’2” ball player who knows that history is happening; he would have been the ultimate teacher.

On the Shoulders of Giants is a survey of the literature, basketball, and jazz that infused Harlem during the the Renaissance period at the dawn of the Great Migration. Having read many books on the time period (1880-1920 is my favorite period to study), I was familiar with many of the names and dates. I even knew of the ragtime opera Treenisha from reading Tyemba Kidd’s Pulitzer winning poetry Olio, which gets its name from minstrel shows of the period as well. The one area I was not familiar with ironically is the Harlem Renaissance Five basketball team and their rivalry with the Harlem Globetrotters who really started in Chicago. I found this section interesting enough as well as Kareem’s relationship with the giants of the period and how they gave him a shoulder to stand on. That he got to meet the jazz musicians including Thelonious Monk and Miles Davis give this book and his life an added oomph. For those unfamiliar with the Great Migration or Roaring Twenties, On the Shoulders of Giants is more than a survey book and provides key names and dates of the time period. It is oozing with jazz, the art form that gave Harlem its identity and the New Negro credence.

It’s only six and a half weeks until baseball season is upon us. Until then, I will watch some hockey, basketball, and European football, but those don’t pique my interest much. Mainly I’ll read. I always find it fascinating when celebrities branch out and write about subjects other than what they are famous for. Kareem Abdul Jabbar is an exception: not only has he written at ease about the history of Harlem Renaissance but he has inserted himself into the text to facilitate reading for those who might not know of the movement. Since the publication of this book, Kareem has since produced a jazz documentary of the same name to further allow history students exposure to the time period. Kareem Abdul Jabbar should add another title to his professions: Renaissance man.

🎺 4 stars 🏀

[Cyndi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve always been a huge fan of Kareem Abdul Jabbar, and not just for his talent on the court. He is a brilliant writer.
This compilation has the history of Harlem told with the voices of artists who lived there. Also other people including my number one hero, Maya Angelou. She was such a huge gift to us!
There is wonderful music and historically accurate stories. Apparently Kareem was a reporter while in school and interviewed Martin Luther King. Wow!

[Alessia Scurati · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mi hanno regalato questo libro. Mossa audacissima: quando c’è di mezzo un personaggio sportivo parto un po’ prevenuta. Anche se KA-J è KA-J, ovvero un personaggio che persino una persona abbastanza digiuna di basket come me (vabbè: può essere che io non sia così digiuna e che abbia una foto da qualche parte di me con Kevin Durant prima che diventasse così famosissimo) conosce per quello che ha fatto.
In realtà, questo libro parla di Harlem, mica di Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Più precisamente della Harlem Reinassance, attraverso tutti i suoi aspetti: gli aspetti sociologici che hanno fatto sì che Harlem diventasse quello che è dagli olandesi in poi, il basket come rinascita sociale, la letteratura come rinascita sociale, il jazz come rinascita sociale. Dei neri americani.
Tra un capitolo e l’altro c’è una riflessione di KA-J su come lui personalmente ha vissuto ognuno di questi aspetti, da persona nata e cresciuta ad Harlem e poi consacratasi come icona del basket che viene mano a mano in contatto con questi aspetti della cultura.

Ora, io quando scelgo di leggere un libro vado abbastanza a caso nelle mie scelte, uno dei criteri che seguo di solito sono il colore della copertina (mai 2 bianche o 2 nere di seguito) e l'altro è l’editore (di solito cerco di mettere 15 libri di editori diversi tra 2 di uno stesso, come minimo).
Curiosamente mi sono resa conto che in modo inconscio sono riuscita a mettere insieme negli ultimi tempi: Baldwin, Bambara, Morrison e adesso pure Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Conto sul fatto che nessuno di voi lo vada a spifferare al presidente Trump. Comunque: la cosa interessante di questo libro messo in prospettiva con gli altri letti, è che in questo caso c’è il punto di vista di una riscoperta identitaria, quella di KA-J.
Un ragazzo nero che vive la riscoperta culturale della propria minoranza, bistrattata per tutta la storia degli Usa, e se ne fa una bandiera. Cambia religione, cambia nome dopo questa sorta di riappropriazione identitaria che passa anche per tante letture e tanta musica. Oltre che, ovviamente, per il basket. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar diventerà un’icona planetaria. Pensateci, a questo marcantonio di 2 metri e passa ancora oggi è legata l’immagine delle Adidas Superstar, a mio modesto parere il terzo miglior modello di scarpa di sempre, secondo se parliamo di sneakers (dopo le Stan Smith, ça va sans dire). Una condizione di testimonial che solo per la generazione precedente era una cosa impensabile. Impensabile e punto.
Ho gradito anche per questo la lettura, in prospettiva messa dopo le altre: una specie di saggio - comunque non fiction - che compensa e completa il resto del percorso messo insieme a caso finora. Super interessante, come dico quando leggo qualcosa che mi apre le porte su qualcosa di cui, fondamentalmente, prima di aprire quel libro, ero abbastanza ignorante.

P.S.: a pagina 264 si parla della mia casa adottiva, bella distesa in riva al Guadalquivir... mi è salita subito la nostalgia.

[Ashley Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

A bit repetitive but I loved the way Kareem delved into and talked about history.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I generally hate it when authors insert themselves as subjects of histories and other people's biographies. But this mix of memoir and history of the Harlem Renaissance was actually quite interesting. I guess, when the author is as accomplished in their own right as the subjects of the book, I can give said author a bit of license. Sometimes I found the links Abdul-Jabbar was trying to make between himself and the Harlem Renaissance a bit tenuous. Other than that, though, the book is incredibly well-researched. I knew absolutely nothing about the Harlem Rens basketball team; there were more than a few things I learned about the writers of the Renaissance; and Kareem's story is interesting as well.

[Jay French · Rating 4 out of 5]

A history of the Harlem Renaissance. You expect to read about how the Harlem area became the home to many Black Americans, and here you get a history of the circumstances and the landlords who made this possible. You expect to read about the culture, and here you read at length about the writers and the musicians who were center stage at this time. And you don’t expect to read about basketball. But it ends up Abdul-Jabbar makes a good case that basketball should be part of that story. He tells of the beginnings of professional basketball in Harlem, sponsored by large ballrooms and often played on the slick ballroom floors between band sets. He tells of the Rens and the Original Celtics, and the Chicago team called the “Harlem Globetrotters”. I found the basketball stories to be very interesting, and mostly new to me. As a pop history book, covering a lot of areas I am interested in, I enjoyed this.

Abdul-Jabbar also interleaves his own story, growing up years after the events portrayed as the Harlem Renaissance, and in a nearby neighborhood. He tells how the people and events of the Renaissance impacted him, often through meeting some of the people mentioned later on. Abdul-Jabbar also claims to be a historian based on writing prior books about his playing days. Seems like a bit of a reach, but OK. I picked this up expecting it to be mostly about jazz music, based on earlier reviews I had read. The discussion of jazz was actually a small part of the book, but still well done. I enjoyed this book more than I expected, and will look for more of the same type by Kareem for light reads.

[Booknblues · Rating 4 out of 5]

In his book On the Shoulders of Giants: My Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar looks at the history of Harlem and what is known about the Harlem Renaissance and examines the three facets of the Renaissance, the writers, the basketball and the music of blues and jazz and how it effected him.

I found the interplay of these elements interesting and was curious to learn more about the history of Harlem.

[Kenneth L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the perfect blend of Harlem Renaissance history and KAJ biography with music sprinkled all through the listening experience as an audiobook. As an astute historian, there were some things that even I learned about the period and how it affected Kareem. Reading this book during this time in our country’s history made the experience that much more purposeful.

[Bilahari · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I am the dream and the hope of the slave
I rise
I rise
I rise."

Best yet from Kareem and Raymond. 💙

[Dung · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit misleading. It’s more of a history of African American history in America and the influence it has. There was very little mentioned about Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and his background.

[Paul Vandenberghe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the call-and-response approach Kareem Abdul-Jabbar used to tell the story of the Harlem Renaissance.

[Daniel Cornwall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note: On readability alone I'd give this book five stars. I take back one star for the lack of specific footnotes or citations - just as I did for "The Library Book."

I've read several books by Kareem Abdul-Jabber and I continued to be amazed at how successful he is in both providing an unflinching view of past and present racism while appearing confident that the United States will eventually deliver on its promise of liberty, justice and freedom for ALL. He doesn't sugarcoat the past and doesn't destroy hope in the future.

On the Shoulders of Giants is written in this vein. It also highlights writers, basketball players and musicians of the Harlem Renaissance, a period that peaked in the 1920s and 1930s but had roots earlier and influence later. Mr. Abdul-Jabber spends parts of the book detailing how the Harlem Renaissance influenced him in particular to be more than he thought he could be as a teenager. Part of this the influence came from people around him, but much of it came through his personal studies at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture (https://www.nypl.org/locations/schomburg). Where he learned about many figures he had not been told about in school or in American popular culture or sports history.

Mr Abdul-Jabbar never once used the term "ethnic studies" in his book, but one takeaway for me after reading about these persevering giants in literature, basketball and music and how having these role models shaped the author's life for the better is that banning ethnic studies is unhelpful. I felt banning ethnic studies was a mistake before, but this book explains why without having to use the term. Though the best practice probably would be to integrate these heroes of color, along with heroes of other colors into our regular subject curricula. But anything would be better than the practice of banning the study of non-White groups while only providing the standard White-centric story of history and culture in this country, conveniently leaving out the large swaths of intense hatred and suppression of African Americans.

Another takeaway I had was to try some writers and Jazz musicians. This last is making me give Jazz another try. I've tended to see jazz as something I can take if i'm in the mode for it, but Mr. Abdul-Jabbar's descriptions of the emotional and technical complexity combined with an innate sense of joy put me in the mood to try. He suggested Fats Waller, Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong as three standouts.

A benefit of living in the 21st Century and being an Amazon Prime customer is that much of the world's music is at your fingertips. So I started my jazz journey with 75 Original Great Performances Remastered by Fats Waller. I'm impressed so far and look forward to checking Ellington and Armstrong.

So much for my reactions to the book. The book itself is readable. The author makes sure we understand that Harlem was not a monolith. There were disagreements as to what was and was not appropriate to a modern African-American. There were writers who only advanced the positives of the black community, others wrote about the whole of society, scorning the hand-wringing of the academics. Additionally, by Mr. Abdul-Jabbar's account, most folks in Harlem were just trying to get by with dignity and were not consciously engaged with the renaissance. Though they felt its effects, particularly through basketball and jazz.

I feel the author does a great job of scene setting and providing details about the people he mentions. The book comes with a general bibliography that will be a good springboard for people wanting to know more. There is a good index as well. My only criticism of the book is that it would have been desirable to have footnotes or a chapter by chapter bibliography. Otherwise this is a great engaging read about an important topic that will likely impel readers to explore further. I can't ask more of a non-fiction book.

[JaNel · Rating 5 out of 5]

P. 88 it would be a mistake to think that just because these talented writers shared the same skin color they also shared the same ideals and beliefs. Nor were they above criticizing each other for reasons both intellectual and petty. Like any large family, (or group of humans) there was a lot of competing for attention. Nor were their targets only the injustices of the white society. They also attacked the complacent upper class African-Americans… And they pointed out the rampant racism within their own community, as light skinned blacks looked down on those with dark skins.

[Steven Spector · Rating 4 out of 5]

A true oddity. An extraordinarily intelligent sports figure sharing part of his life and his influences with you. An excellent survey which only encourages readers (without force) to seek out more on the topic.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An eloquently written tribute to those writers and poets who evolved from the Harlem Renaissance and influenced the arts and those who come after. A very scholarly and thorough look at the likes of all those standouts of the time labeled "extraordinary" by others and highly deserving of the label:
Charles S. Johnson a black sociologist referred to as the Dean of the Renaissance and ally of W. E. Du Bois, Marcus Garvey of the Back -to -Africa Movement, Alain Locke who through his creation The New Negro via revolutionized thinking about the black man in American society to name a few helping to comprise on The Talented Tenth as well as Abdul-Jabbar's referenced "Great Eight."
Though uplifting to hear of their rise to fame from their worthy accomplishments, unfortunately, few end their lives well secondary to rivalries within their community but more importantly role of racial discrimination in society at large regardless of the arena which they operated. The standout Black basketball players who rose to a height that enabled them to play against the all white Celtics of the time (1932-33) went into oblivion after they could play no more struggling for existence through menial jobs while their white counterparts were offered coaching jobs throughout. Zora Neale Hurston who dared to write during the Harlem Renaissance against the wishes of the whites and her male counterparts was forced to spend her last days in a county home following a stroke. Ab9ut 10 years earlier she was falsely accused of engaging in an immoral act with the ten year old of her landlady which she saw as punishment for not writing what others wanted her to. She would never write another novel after.

The stance of one of the original first leaders: Booker T. Washinton versus that of his predecessor: William Edward Burghardt Du Bois (popularly known as W. E. DuBois) is explained and why at odds one representing the Old Negro and the other the New Negro. Musicians and singers of the time are noted as well and the development of the Rens Basketball team. You have to admire the spirit and soul of all cited who chose to pursue their passions against all odds and take stands against the treatment of their fellow Southern Brothers and sisters as Louis Armstrong did when he publicly criticized President Dwight Eisenhower for failing to act in the desegregation conflict in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957.

American history at its finest that all of previous generations whose history classes did not include MUST read.

[Hendra Putra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not a basketball fan, neither a player. But what made me want to read this book is because of his legacy off the court. He was there when Dr. Martin Luther King gave a speech in Harlem, when Kareem was only 17 years old. Later in his life, he was there also when Malcolm X dan Muhammad Ali stood up for the racial injustice on the civil rights movement. He witnessed the legacy left by Harlem Reinassance because he was from Harlem. As an athlete, he is so literate, in fact after he's not playing basketball anymore, he wrote a lot of books and you can tell how literate he is by the type of books he wrote. He wrote history! In a very unique approach.

And in this book, I read the well-written history of Black Migration from the south due to the inhuman lynching, economic depression, world war I, and Jim Crow. All of that event contribute on the rise of black culture in New York. Can you imagine that the best athletes around the world nowadays are black? The race that suffered a lot of pain because white people enslave them and perpetuate the idea that white race is superior to any race? Against all odds, the African-American people also contributed significantly to music culture by their blues and jazz music. They found this music, although it was a cultivation of their music back there in Africa which affected by Islamic and African music at that time, still, the impact they brought to the music world is tremendous.

I write down all of the jazz musicians he mentioned in this book so that I could also understand the development of jazz genre in time. I think you don't have to be a basketball player to admire such a character like Kareem Abdul Jabbar.

[Margot · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read. I've never before read the history of the Harlem Renaissance, even though I've heard the term many times before. Understanding how a huge group of people, living in a small area of New York, chose to focus on uplifting themselves. I know it influenced my mother and my grandmother, but to realize that it panned out and changed the whole cultural sense of African-Americans... and then, even later, in Harlem, it was still bouncing around so that, even though, it was said to be over, in the '40's, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar felt it's essence in the '60's. That's powerful.

What's also amazing is how it affected so many areas. Sports, music, philosophy, theater, fine arts and so on. Also, it demonstrated how so many different ideas could work to the common good. From well educated people to construction workers.

Also, the book underscored the difficulty of being born black. It took a movement where people forced themselves to do their best work and to insist on being taken seriously by white people before they could benefit in the same way. Share the same stages, the same sports arenas and work at the same jobs. Then, to make things worse, the government would start to open doors, then, just as suddenly, shut them tightly closed. The question of why looms in my head, but, as the book suggests, people have a hard time shifting their attitudes. I call it having boxes over their heads... and it's still keeping people from looking, honestly and openly at one another. For a variety of reasons.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the things I enjoyed about this book is that Kareem Abdul Jabbar paid tribute to the past, and he highlighted the best that black culture had to offer him as a person and the overall American culture in the Harlem Renaissance. It's easy to recognize past and present atrocities of humanity and it's even easier to be angered by them to the point of rage and destruction. Conversely, it's hard to recognize the past and present achievements of humanity in spite of adversity and become inspired to continue a legacy of greatness. Kareem chronicles how he was influenced to achieve greatness in his field by studying the great philosophers, writers and entertainers of the Renaissance.

[Giuseppe Lombardo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Prendete il basket e unitelo al jazz, aggiungete la letteratura e l'arte delle avanguardie di Harlem e avrete il mix alla base di questo libro.
Il racconto di Jabbar è la narrazione personale di chi ama la storia e di chi vuole intrecciare il vissuto col passato, per costruire una memoria collettiva.
Non sbaglia chi lo paragona a Spike Lee: da un lato Jabbar sembra usare gli eventi per costruire un cammino pedagogico a misura del lettore; dall'altro parla direttamente alla sua comunità, agli afroamericani, per emanciparli da qualunque modello "bianco" e perché possano rivendicare la propria identità, riscoprendo musicisti e letterati spesso trascurati.

[Ginger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really informative and entertaining book. I listened to the audio book and it was very well done for the most part, there were a few glitches but nothing major. The different narrators were great except for Bob Costas who I could’ve done without.
The information is fairly basic so if you know a lot about the Harlem Renaissance this will be repetitious. The section about basketball was my least favorite but informative and basketball fans will enjoy it I’m sure.
If you are looking for an intro to some basics about the time and some of the major players this is a great option.

[Brian The Red · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kareem's very appealing exploration of the Harlem Renaissance and its impact on his life, "On the Shoulders of Giants" details the progress of the Renaissance through its social leaders, writers, jazz musicians, and the nearly-forgotten Harlem Rens basketball team. While the direct connections between Harlem's influence and Kareem's life are sometimes a bit tenuous, the book is a thoroughly enjoyable read and a motivation for checking out more of his work.

[Manuel Vanni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, uno dei migliori giocatori della storia della pallacanestro, ci fa immergere nei mondi che lo hanno condizionato non solamente nella sua carriera cestistica, ma anche a livello intellettuale spirituale, passando dalla politica americana (in particolare la questione del popolo nero), il basket prima della nascita della NBA e della musica, in particolare del blues e del jazz. Tutto questo nel suo quartiere di nascita, ovvero Harlem

[Nancy Wagoner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever hear of the Harlem Rens?

You never heard of the Harlem Renaissance, the world champion, all-Black basketball team? If you are a sports fan or a music lover or both or neither, you will enjoy reading this book by Kareem Abdul Jabbar. You will learn of the accomplishments of Black people during the time of blatant racism, segregation, and discrimination. You will be enlightened and proud after you finish it. I am.

[Katharine]

I was expecting this book to be more of a memoir, sprinkled with history. And, it was the opposite. It was mostly a history of the important figures of the Harlem Renaissance, with little bits of memoir thrown in. It was interesting, but not what I was looking for at the time. I may come back to it later. I don't remember the exact dates because I really thought I typed this at the time, but I guess I didn't save it.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was mainly reading this for the 4th section which follows the symbiotic relationship that Harlem and Jazz had from the 20's through the 40's.

We hear from Kareem, Quincy Jones, Will.i.Am among others tracing the history of Jazz through it's early days in Harlem. Good stuff. Nothing revolutionary but a good read.

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

The style was definitely pop-history and the editing left quite a bit to be desired (for instance, using the same basic descriptors for historical figures time after time after time, rather than assuming the reader will remember who they are), but KA-J’s deep, intelligent passion for the subject really came through and made me want to know more.

[Kayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a nail biting story, but very informative, with tons of African-American history soaked into it. Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) truly digs deep into the roots of black history, with some sports history in it as well. Very well written.

[Rafael Aguirre · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has fascinate me. Kareem using a simple language and colorful. He has took me in his journey through the Harlem Renaissance. I Highly Respect to Kareem Abdul Jabbar as human beings, basketball player and writer.

[Giulio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Per saperne di più sulla Harlem Renaissance e sulla cultura afroamericana in generale, affidarsi a un uomo di enorme saggezza che è stato anche il più grande giocatore di basket della storia. In periodo di proteste, manifestazioni e Black Lives Matter questo libro è da leggere assolutamente.

[Linda Hanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook. The history and songs throughout are really interesting. Karem didn't do the entire audio (he was helped out by Bob Costas) which was good, because he often sounded like he was reading a script.