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Jack Johnson: In The Ring And Out
Autobiography of the first black heavyweight boxing champion of the world
300 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1927
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67 people want to read
About the author
Jack Johnson
7 books3 followersAs the first African American world heavyweight boxing champion from 1908–to 1915. For more than thirteen years, Jack Johnson was the most famous and the most notorious African-American on Earth. Johnson attests that his success in boxing came from the coaching he received from Joe Choynski, who became his cellmate after the pair were arrested for fighting in Texas, where boxing was illegal at the time.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 7, 2018
Making it on my list of heroes is no easy task. Men like Martin Luther King, and Malcolm X or women like Anna Politkovskaya and Higuchi Ichiyo make my list, as does Jack Johnson. Johnson not only bore the abuse and constant death threats of being the world’s black heavyweight champion, he did it in fur coat wearing, gold teeth sporting, fast car driving, white women loving style. He was not an ambassador for the plight of black men and women and he rarely spoke out on politics. But what made him special is how he reached the pinnacle of his profession despite every possible obstacle set in his way.
“My Life in the Ring and Out” is his autobiography where he leads us on the journey from poverty in Galveston, Texas to one the most celebrated men in the world. He does so without any pretensions of modesty or for lack of a better way of saying it, truth. Johnson’s autobiography is an outsized humble brag to match the larger than life character Johnson himself was. It is riddled with inaccuracies, boasts, and farfetched, if not humorous exaggerations.
To list them all would exceed the scope of this review but to name a few:
Johnson claims to have beaten a kangaroo in a footrace after which the kangaroo promptly dropped dead.
Johnson claims that during his time in Russia at the outbreak of WW1 he was the single most in the know person on Russian political affairs.
Johnson claims that after bullfighting he was told he could’ve been a professional if he had chosen so.
Johnson claims that he is such a skilled musician that he could have played for an orchestra if he so chose.
Johnson lists multiple examples of his anonymous and charitable donations, not to brag of course, but to show he isn’t a bad guy.
Johnson claims to have been a spy for the US government in Spain monitoring the movements of German submarines.
One could ask with all these extracurricular activities how Johnson found time for boxing but down that road madness lay. Johnson was a bullshitter but if you are going to be a bullshitter, at least be an entertaining one, and Johnson surely was.
Most of the book is devoted to Johnson’s rise to success and his later years in retirement. Perhaps the most interesting chapters however are at the end, where Johnson shares his views on women.
Johnson is unhappy about the increased liberties women began seeing in the early parts of the 21st century and isn’t shy about sharing his opinions. He believes that women pursuing careers are ruining the fabric of society as there is nobody there to raise children properly. The possibility of men sharing this role with their wives is perhaps unsurprisingly not explored. He elaborates further with quotes that can only be described as….well…read them for yourself:
Whatever a woman’s talents or rights may be, her natural place is the home.
I am not seeking to destroy woman’s liberties, but even if the moral foundation of the home and of the family is not threatened by the attitudes which present-day women are taking, there is one thing that is certain, namely, that she is doing things that are detracting from her feminine charm. She is coming down from the pedestal upon which man has placed her. She is losing the respect and admiration of man. She is no longer the ideal she once was, and in losing these qualities, her loss is infinitely more than she can ever expect to gain by the exercise of her equal rights.
Women should be the inspiration of men; they should be the symbol of higher attainment; they should preserve those characteristics that have always made them better than men. Woman should content herself by letting men do things for her, not with her.
Petting and drinking parties, in which women participate extensively, are numerous. They defend themselves by citing their right to do these things, but granting them their right, does the exercise of this right by any stretch of the imagination suggest anything that will redound to the credit of the home? And if our young women of today do not take their home life more seriously and train to become homemakers, what will the home of the future be?
Woman’s highest purpose in the world is to be loved and honored by man. It is well enough that she should have mental ability and varied talents, but these talents should be devoted to her home and to the demonstration of her superiority over man in moral perfection and high ideals. Part of her mission in life is to develop her charm and beauty, and in that she becomes the greatest glory in the world.
Jack Johnson, not a fan of women having petting parties, presumably unless he’s included. It’s easy to dismiss Johnson’s views as just a product of his time but in truth, this is just intellectual laziness. There were plenty of men who joined women in trying to obtain quality. Johnson’s views were regressive and ant-women and should not be seen as anything but that.
In short, I still respect many of the achievements of Jack Johnson. He was far from a perfect human being as he perhaps unwittingly allows posterity to remember, and yet I believe that one can still respect the best of Johnson while remaining critical of the worst. This is a fascinating look at the man as well as his times. It remains so whether we agree with his opinions or not.
“My Life in the Ring and Out” is his autobiography where he leads us on the journey from poverty in Galveston, Texas to one the most celebrated men in the world. He does so without any pretensions of modesty or for lack of a better way of saying it, truth. Johnson’s autobiography is an outsized humble brag to match the larger than life character Johnson himself was. It is riddled with inaccuracies, boasts, and farfetched, if not humorous exaggerations.
To list them all would exceed the scope of this review but to name a few:
Johnson claims to have beaten a kangaroo in a footrace after which the kangaroo promptly dropped dead.
Johnson claims that during his time in Russia at the outbreak of WW1 he was the single most in the know person on Russian political affairs.
Johnson claims that after bullfighting he was told he could’ve been a professional if he had chosen so.
Johnson claims that he is such a skilled musician that he could have played for an orchestra if he so chose.
Johnson lists multiple examples of his anonymous and charitable donations, not to brag of course, but to show he isn’t a bad guy.
Johnson claims to have been a spy for the US government in Spain monitoring the movements of German submarines.
One could ask with all these extracurricular activities how Johnson found time for boxing but down that road madness lay. Johnson was a bullshitter but if you are going to be a bullshitter, at least be an entertaining one, and Johnson surely was.
Most of the book is devoted to Johnson’s rise to success and his later years in retirement. Perhaps the most interesting chapters however are at the end, where Johnson shares his views on women.
Johnson is unhappy about the increased liberties women began seeing in the early parts of the 21st century and isn’t shy about sharing his opinions. He believes that women pursuing careers are ruining the fabric of society as there is nobody there to raise children properly. The possibility of men sharing this role with their wives is perhaps unsurprisingly not explored. He elaborates further with quotes that can only be described as….well…read them for yourself:
Whatever a woman’s talents or rights may be, her natural place is the home.
I am not seeking to destroy woman’s liberties, but even if the moral foundation of the home and of the family is not threatened by the attitudes which present-day women are taking, there is one thing that is certain, namely, that she is doing things that are detracting from her feminine charm. She is coming down from the pedestal upon which man has placed her. She is losing the respect and admiration of man. She is no longer the ideal she once was, and in losing these qualities, her loss is infinitely more than she can ever expect to gain by the exercise of her equal rights.
Women should be the inspiration of men; they should be the symbol of higher attainment; they should preserve those characteristics that have always made them better than men. Woman should content herself by letting men do things for her, not with her.
Petting and drinking parties, in which women participate extensively, are numerous. They defend themselves by citing their right to do these things, but granting them their right, does the exercise of this right by any stretch of the imagination suggest anything that will redound to the credit of the home? And if our young women of today do not take their home life more seriously and train to become homemakers, what will the home of the future be?
Woman’s highest purpose in the world is to be loved and honored by man. It is well enough that she should have mental ability and varied talents, but these talents should be devoted to her home and to the demonstration of her superiority over man in moral perfection and high ideals. Part of her mission in life is to develop her charm and beauty, and in that she becomes the greatest glory in the world.
Jack Johnson, not a fan of women having petting parties, presumably unless he’s included. It’s easy to dismiss Johnson’s views as just a product of his time but in truth, this is just intellectual laziness. There were plenty of men who joined women in trying to obtain quality. Johnson’s views were regressive and ant-women and should not be seen as anything but that.
In short, I still respect many of the achievements of Jack Johnson. He was far from a perfect human being as he perhaps unwittingly allows posterity to remember, and yet I believe that one can still respect the best of Johnson while remaining critical of the worst. This is a fascinating look at the man as well as his times. It remains so whether we agree with his opinions or not.
November 25, 2017
Jack Johnson was a fantastic storyteller; his autobiographies/memoirs read like novels. He told his life story the way that he wanted to tell it with his flowery english. I could not put this book down and read it in about two days. It was a very informative and entertaining book from an interesting and important person in history. You also get a feel of how it was for Black men in Mr. Johnson's era, and also feel as if you are there going through his struggles with him. I highly recommend this book to anybody who wants to read a great autobiography! I would also recommend Jack Johnson is a Dandy, which is his second autobiography.
January 8, 2019
Jack Johnson sure seemed to enjoy life despite so many people trying to hinder him.
February 22, 2024
Oh, this is a wonderful book. Jack Johnson in his own words! If all you know of him is the movie The Great White Hope (as was the case for me) you will learn of his great intelligence, great business savvy (though a spendthrift), his excellent boxing skill and science, his ahead of his times race attitude, his service to his country despite his treatment, and his matches with the greats of boxing. He was certainly robbed of his championship but he was not bitter. He was treated as a second class citizen but rose above it with real class. Perhaps the greatest of all time in his prime! And don't miss the excellent writing and summary in Gilbert Odd's afterward.
December 6, 2022
Can’t believe this doesn’t have more reviews and ratings. Such an inspirational and special human who seemed to defy all limitations and live as a truly free man. Without him there would probably be no Muhammad Ali. Real life superheroes.
October 23, 2018
Good job
This is great book on the art of fisticuffs Jack Johnson stands head over the other champions good read excellent work
This is great book on the art of fisticuffs Jack Johnson stands head over the other champions good read excellent work
September 21, 2020
Good read.
I know alot more about jack johnson than I did before i read this book. I knew very little before this read.
I know alot more about jack johnson than I did before i read this book. I knew very little before this read.
April 26, 2023
Very informative
Enjoyed this book and now think Jack Johnson was a great and interesting man and would be world champion even in this day and age
Enjoyed this book and now think Jack Johnson was a great and interesting man and would be world champion even in this day and age
December 19, 2023
This book aged well, first published in 1927 and then republished in 1977. Jack Johnson writes with a style similar to Jack London. I loved the forword by Gilbert Odd. Also liked the twenty pages of newspaper clippings in the appendix.
There is a long essay in the back by Gilbert Odd, where he makes a case for JJ being the greatest boxer of all time, comparing in detail Johnson to the fighters Joe Louis and Muhammed Ali.
There is a long essay in the back by Gilbert Odd, where he makes a case for JJ being the greatest boxer of all time, comparing in detail Johnson to the fighters Joe Louis and Muhammed Ali.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews