Tyson: Nurture of the Beast

by Ellis Cashmore

Beast. Monster. Savage. Psycho. The glowering menace of Mike Tyson has spooked us for almost two decades. And still we remain fascinated. Why? Ellis Cashmore's answer is white society has created Tyson as vengeance for the loss of privilege produced by civil rights.
Cashmore's eviscerating analysis of Tyson's life and the culture in which he grew up, rose to prominence and descended into disgrace provokes the reader into re-thinking the role of one of the most controversial and infamous figures of recent history. Told as an odyssey-style homeward journey to Tyson's multi-pathological origins in the racially-explosive ghettos of the 1960s, Tyson's story is part biography, part tragedy and part exposition. His associations with people like Al Sharpton, Don King and Tupac Shakur shaped his life; and events, such as the O J Simpson trial and the Rodney King riots, formed a turbulent background for the Tyson psychodrama.
Over the course of an epic boxing career, Tyson was transformed from the most celebrated athlete on earth to a primal, malevolent hate-figure. Yet, even after being condemned as a brute, Tyson retained a power - a power to captivate. Cashmore reveals that the sources of that power lie as much in us as in Tyson himself.

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 14, 2005

About the author

Professor Ellis Cashmore is visiting professor of sociology at Aston University, in Birmingham, England. He was formerly a professor of culture, media and sport at Staffordshire University’s Faculty of Health Sciences, which he joined in 1993. Before this, he was professor of sociology at the University of Tampa, Florida; and, before this, lecturer in sociology at the University of Hong Kong.

Cashmore’s Elizabeth Taylor: A Private Life for Public Consumption is published by Bloomsbury. Among his other recent books are Beyond Black: Celebrity and race in Obama’s America, and Martin Scorsese’s America. His Celebrity/Culture is in its second edition.

Reviews

[Marc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably the best sports-related book I have ever read. This is a deep analysis of Tyson and his perception by the public with some surprising conclusions.
Cashmore is not an ordinary sports journalist, but a professor in sociology and sports and it shows throughout his scientific apporach.

[Minh Ho · Rating 5 out of 5]

Firstly, if you've studied Sport Sociology, then you should already be familiar with Ellis Cashmore and how reputable his work is. It's key reading along with the likes of Coakley and Houlihan at university level. This book is a brilliant and well researched sociological perspective of Mike Tyson, from the impact of growing up in an impoverished society during the time of the civil rights movement in the 60's, to the media's portrayal of him throughout his controversial career. Cashmore argues that certain key events and factors were more significant in creating the 'figure' of Iron Mike, and presents it in his book from a non boxing perspective. If you're a Tyson fan and you think you know all there is, then I urge you to read this then reevaluate what you thought. I'm sure this book will be a go-to for students along with the rest of Ellis Cashmore's work.