Go Up for Glory

by Bill Russell, William McSweeny

Back in print for the first time in decades, Go Up for Glory is the classic 1968 basketball memoir by NBA legend Bill Russell, with a new foreword from the author.

From NBA legend Bill Russell, Go Up for Glory is a basketball memoir that transcends time. First published in 1965, this narrative traces Russell's childhood in segregated America and details the challenges he faced as a Black man, even when he was a celebrated NBA star. And while some progress has been made, this book serves as an urgent reminder of how far we still have to go in the fight for human rights and equality.

Genres: Sports, Basketball, Biography, Memoir, Nonfiction, Autobiography, History

238 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1966

About the author

William Felton Russell (born February 12, 1934) was an American former professional basketball player who played center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969.

Bill^^^^Russell

Reviews

[Gary Brisco · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most thought provoking books I've ever read. I thought I was picking up this book to read about the great Bill Russell's life through growing up and playing sports, but it was so much more. Russell is one of the most socially conscious thinkers I've ever read. Not only addressing sports and athletics, Russell addresses many of the issues that African Americans face in the United States. This book was published in the 60's, but it is very relevant to the present society. I read this book and was taken back by how the things he expressed are so prevalent today.

[Rylan Ridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, I love Bill Russell.

[Ab · Rating 5 out of 5]

Legendary basketball player or not, Bill Russell had a beautiful, loving, curious, and ever critical mind. This book is so raw and vulnerable it felt like Bill was an old friend. Go C’s baby

[David Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first encountered Go Up For Glory as a beat-up paperback in my parent's house as a basketball crazy 11 year old back in the 70s. I'd glance over it from time to time, trying to glean some playing tips from one of the best, some say, The best to ever play the game. Never read the whole book. Never got into the weightier matters in this excellent work. I'm 60 now. No longer a basketball fan, but that doesn't matter.... Bill Russell, and what he has to say, transcends sport.
If what you are looking for is an insight into what the life and work of the big time professional athlete is like, the book certainly offers that. However, if you want a slice of the reality of Jim Crow America, and how pervasive it was, not just in the bastion of the South, but in places as diverse as Massachusetts, read this book. One thing that I found particularly appealing, was Mr. Russell's emphasis on Black male strength....Black manhood. Strong boys and men are the Backbone of any people.... We're not going anywhere without it, and we're fooling ourselves if we think that we can. In the 21st Century, strength means conviction, boldness in attitude and speech, and Uncommon Sense... Real education. We need more men like Mr. Russell. His life has been ruled by his insistence that he be respected. Get that fire back. We have to.
Mr. Russell hoped that Go Up For Glory would still be relevant 20 years from the time he wrote it. He needn't worry. Over 40 years later, it still is. And it will continue to be.
From a beat-up old paperback to the age of e-books, I'm glad I found Go Up For Glory again. Unfortunately, many of the societal problems that Mr. Russell wrote about in the early 60s still exist today. Just in a different form... Too bad that our desire to advance our treatment of our fellow human beings hasn't been as great as the drive to advance our technology.

[Trevor Seigler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bil Russell was a man. That's what he wanted on his tombstone, and it was exactly who he was. A man who played for one of the all-time dynasties of sports history (the 1957-1969 Boston Celtics), but he was more than that, as this book helps demonstrate. Bill Russell was a champion for his people.

"Go Up for Glory" is Russell's memoir, originally published in 1966 and updated here for republication in 2020. Russell writes candidly about his (up to that point) run of championships in the NBA, his relationships with fellow players on the Celtics and throughout the league, and his activism on behalf of the Civil Rights movement and beyond. Russell does not hold back in giving his opinions, and I understand from historical context that he wasn't always well-received for doing so. But "Go Up for Glory" has the kind of brutal honesty that many sports memoirs of the time lacked (and which only a fee have surpassed since, like "Ball Four" by Jim Bouton"I Never Had It Made" by Jackie Robinson, and "West by West" by Jerry West).

Russell is candid about the bigotry he encounters in his everyday life, away from the court. Whatever battles he engages in there (most notably against West, Elgin Baylor, and Wilt Chamberlain), Russell faces more pressing concerns off of it. In a time when he is the leader of a multi-championship team, he is unable to eat and stay with his white teammates, and his children's tears when told that they cannot stop to eat at a whites-only restaurant haunt him. Bill Russell had the reputation at the time of being unwelcoming to fans, but I can't say that I blame him. Many of the fan interactions presented in the book show the levels of prejudice and bigotry that Russell (eventually an eleven-time champion, two of those coming as player-manager of the Celtics) had to deal with on a daily basis.

Russell is also candid about less fraught topics, like his rivalry with Chamberlain and his appreciation of refs. He also honestly talks about Red Auerbach, a coach who dominates the Celtics and who, for a white man at the time, is less openly prejudiced than many of his peers in America. Russell has a gift of punctuating some tense moments with humor, but when he's passionate about righting wrongs he is no pushover. The Bill Russell of this memoir, and of everything else I've read about him, is a man to admire.

Bill Russll passed away two years ago, and his legacy of social activism was taken up by the likes of LeBron James and Steph Curry in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement (which gets Russell's stamp of approval in the updated acknowledgments page). "Go Up for Glory" is an honest, entertaining, and enlightening memoir not just about sports but about race, injustice, and America. It is essential reading. Bill Russell was a man worth emulating, and this book is part of his legacy.

[Augusto Rojas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bill Russell’s thoughts, stories, anecdotes, hopes and dreams come off these pages rapidly, as if he were sitting across from you. You must respect the life lived, and the journey taken by this man.

Throughout the pages he recognizes the racism he has experienced and his willingness to stand up to the social injustices he faced. He encourages men and women of all races, colors and creeds to fight for their rights and freedoms and not settle for compromise.

While this book was written several decades ago, it seems that many injustices remain to this day.

If there is one critique it is that there are times he goes off topic, goes on tangents and has to come back to his original thought. But who am I to have critique a man with his life experiences.

[Charles McGonigal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clear snapshot of what Bill Russell was thinking in 1965, with fun basketball anecdotes and less-fun anecdotes about being a famous Black man at the time. There's several moments to remind us that athletes aren't selected for their introspection (although actor memoirs have generally performed worse in this regard) and he carries the biases of his time (women remain invisible, language that mocks or disparages disability and weight issues), but worth a read for anyone interested in the civil rights or basketball of Russell's era. He was a man.

[Chiara Pignanelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, che vita. E non si fa certo problemi a raccontarla. Il razzismo negli anni in cui portava campionati ai Celtics ma allo stesso tempo non poteva alloggiare nello stesso hotel, la decisione di non scendere più a compromessi e di conseguenza le critiche al movimento per i diritti civili. Un bellissimo libro, schietto e senza fronzoli, sul basket ma anche e soprattutto su un uomo gigantesco. Bill Russell.

[Ben Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book as a Celtics fan and a basketball fan, and it gives great insight to the experience of black Americans through segregation

[Allison Chanin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed it! Gave me insight into his basketball days and some of his teammates as well as his early life.

Particularly enjoyed the parts of his book where he talked about his view and contributions on/to the civil rights movement.

[Neil · Rating 2 out of 5]

“three emotions have always been very real to me- fear, prejudice, and bitterness. It is the reactions to the emotions that make a man.”

As a basketball fan I was excited to read this book and learn about the legendary Bill Russell, the man who holds the most NBA championships as a player, 11 rings. I got through the first few chapters pretty quick but I soon realized that the book is all over the place and the timeline starts skipping ahead and then going back a few years and then skipping ahead again which made things hard to follow. While there were some behind the scenes stories there really wasn’t anything all that interesting or memorable, just your basic stories about meeting new teammates and playing card games on planes and stuff like that. This book was definitely more about social justice issues than basketball and it shares more about Bills thoughts regarding certain situations rather than him telling the story of his career and all the behind the scenes stories. Just because of how hard it was to follow and how repetitive it started to get I just had lots of trouble getting through the last half of the book.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Admittedly I have a strong bias for athletes. And lives told through an athlete’s mind. Excellent read. Even 50 years later. Enjoyed the lessons, the perspective, and the basketball IQ from Bill Russell, the man.

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could read and listen to Bill Russell's stories forever.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published in 1966 with co-author William McSweeny, Bill Russell’s autobiography Go up for Glory (GG) is more interesting to me in contrast with his second autobiography, Second Wind (SW).

I read SW a few years ago and was taken by Russell’s insights both on and off the court. SW was published in 1979 when Russell was 45. The maturity and cohesion of the work is stark in my recollection. Some of that could be part and parcel with the editor and co-authors (Taylor Branch co-wrote SW), but whatever the case, if I had to pick one on Russell, SW is the easy choice.

It’s not just that 13 years of stories, experiences and world events accumulated between the two books, it’s that GG is scattered and imprecise.

There are compelling and detailed narratives, such as Russell’s telling of the near strike at the All-Star game in 1964 where players demanded a pension plan and benefits. This story’s been told and retold in the 60 years since, but it’s no less of a watershed moment and Russell does well to capture it.

In the same vein, his whirlwind stretch from winning the NCAA championship in the final game of his college career (March 1956) to winning a gold medal at the Australian Olympics (December 1956) to winning an NBA championship as a rookie (April 1957 – Russell 19p and 32r in championship-clinching game-7) is about as impressive a stretch as has ever been achieved by a basketball player.

GG definitely landed in a much more tumultuous time than SW in 1979 and was much more outspoken for its day. To that end, it’s a more courageous book which hit a reading audience different than his later work. That said, while Russell matured between ’66 and ’79, I don’t believe or get the sense that courage was something that ever waned in him. It’s an attribute deeply ingrained in his core and one that is directly and indirectly explored across both books though the background of how he developed the admirable resolve is more clearly told in SW.

Russell transcended being a basketball player or athlete and does well to show how and why his impact stretched well beyond the court. That he excelled as one of the greatest basketball players ever and possibly the greatest winner in all of team sports adds a massive weight behind his social awareness and outspokenness. Like several athletes of his time, he was an original counter to the “shut up and dribble” crowd.

[Ethan Woods]

The “seven lonely months” section here, where he takes you through his basketball day to day in first person, is one of the most vivid, impactful and haunting stretches I’ve ever read.

“… and sit there for a while and stare at the walls. They close in … and get in the plane and the seats are too small and your legs hurt and the arthritis in them makes you want to scream and cut them off.”

I of course also appreciate his frankness in regard to human rights (“only through candor does understanding come about”) and philosophical views (“a man cannot be against a name. He cannot just be anti-Muslim or anti-communist”. He must be against the philosophy, having understood it”).
And it’s brilliant as a basketball book as well, sharing kind of shocking insights on the state of the NBA in the 50s and 60s where “losing an eye is a prevalent hazard of the league, where teams were worth 5 nickels, where it seems like every owner was near broke and were robbing Peter to pay Paul and every plane was arriving flaming out of the sky. And it’ll never not be shocking to hear how horrifically black players were treated in the towns they traveled to, shoved into lesser, gross motels instead of their teammates hotels, where just to find somewhere you’d be served something to eat was a miracle. But also in his beautiful descriptions of the game “he’s always looking over his shoulder for me. He often finds me there” or “Baylor is power personified. He just sweats power”. Some of his views I don’t agree with and some of it is maybe a bit antiquated, but this is precisely what he set it out to be, “right or wrong”, it gives us a “broader perspective of a segment of a life in the world at this time”. And I’m thankful for it. Bill Russell. He was a man

“I made up my mind then that I had been wrong. It is not enough to go along, to try to do the gentlemanly thing. Far better to accept the disputes of the world, the harassments, the arguments, the tensions, the slanders, the violence. Raise the question. Confront the blameless ones. We are all to blame. We all must be confronted.”

[Michael Gutierrez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 4 of 24 for the year. Whoa. So much to say about one of the best basketball players to ever have done it. Bill Russell had lived a LIFE. I was pleasantly surprised about how candid he was about his experiences with racism in America but specifically in Boston playing for @celtics. The city, and this country, didn’t appreciate Bill for what he did as a player or as a man. His perspective on how the Civil Rights Movement became too soft when they “compromised” far too much and therefore gave up any real progress that may have been made for African-Americans in this country. I have a much deeper respect for Bill as a man because he did not suffer fools at any point in his life, back in the 50s and 60s when it could’ve been detrimental to a Black man’s life and career for not “falling in line” and being a “good Negro”. Of course, he discusses his rivalry with Wilt and I found his perspective on his relationship with Red particularly interesting. According to Russell, Red wasn’t a Civil Rights leader per se, he just wanted the best players on his team and expected Russell, KC Jones, and other Black players to accept staying in separate hotels while on the road to make it “easier” on everyone and there “wasn’t anything he could do” (loved that Russell just went home when those situations occurred and Elgin Baylor and other Black players followed suit). This was an elegant tale of one Black man’s lived experience in America while being on the best basketball team in the world while being its best player and treated as a second-class citizen in the city and country he represented. Even being called “militant” when going on a Good Will tour and visiting several countries in Africa. This man has historically been misrepresented because he would never compromise or mince words when it became to his personal truth and life experience. The edition I read was from 2020 and it’s bookended with a new forward and acknowledgments where Russell briefly discusses the status of current race relations and how much has not changed but we may be going in the right direction. Loved this book.

[Msimone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bill Russell died in 2022 at 88 years old; he co-wrote this autobiography at 31 in which he expressed hope that his epitaph one day would simply read: "he was a man." The epitaph sums up just how much of a righteous man Russell was to speak out against discrimination not only for his family and self but for the Negro community.
After his mother's death, Russell's father moved his family to California to escape the poverty and civil injustice of the Jim Crow South. His basketball playing begins in high school where although he is 6'10", his height is not a big advantage. He is clumsy and green at the game until he becomes passionate and determined to win. Russell's grit and explosive inner strength drives him become a star player. He earned an Olympic gold medal for basketball and won eight Celtic NBA championships. He recounts a journey from boy to man with many anecdotes about the professional athletes he played with , the fans who loved and hated him, and the politicians, and the media that treated him with praise and disdain. Some of hisanecdotes about Celtics plays, his relationship with coach Auerbach, and some inside dope on other players are humorous. His reflections about the bruising realities of his unequal treatment as a Negro player are sobering: such as frequent preferential treatment for white teammates who during away games rode in separate coaches , stayed at different hotels, and ate in different restaurants. What I liked most about the book is how Russell constantly sticks to his moral compass to stay true to his beliefs despite consequences. He is always moving forward , navigating through professional success, personal and physical challenges, fighting social discrimination against himself and his family. He was a man.

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like basketball (but not as much as baseball!), and I really like players with integrity stacked on top of their talent. This is a book from 1966, before Bill Russell even became the coach of the Celtics, when he was part of the record-setting championship teams, when the Celtics were kings.

But it's not really so much a book about basketball. While he did take us through some key plays in key games, most of what I got out of it was how suffocatingly lonely he was during the seven months of every season. What a dreadful life, to move every night to a different hotel, ride on rickety planes, eat in coffee shops.

But for Bill Russell, it was so much more. This is because he was a towering figure at a time when basketball was moving up in popularity through the 50's and 60's, but also at a time when American civil rights were in turmoil. Sometimes Russell couldn't stay in the same hotel with his white teammates. One time the team got the keys to the city from an Indiana mayor, and that very evening Russell was refused service in a local restaurant. He returned the keys, not very politely.

Russell is adamant that he is not a political man; he is a man. He "never worked to be well-liked or well-loved, but only to be respected." (loc 2579)

Even though there is a forward written in 2020, two years before Russell died, some lines from more than 50 years ago ring true today:
He is frustrated that "the responsibility is on us to undo within the next two or three years what it took three centuries to create". (loc 2484)
True equality "can only be created by giving the Negro man the same rights economically." (loc 2511)

This autobiography was as much a tale of a disciplined sports star as it was a commentary on racial politics in America, then and now.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is less a memoir and more of a treatise on racism in the US in the 50’s and 60’s, while Bill Russell was playing basketball in high school, at USF and for the Celtics in the NBA. Although the book bounces around a bit and is somewhat repetitive, it is a “from-the-heart and honest description of life as a Negro in the US and the racism that he faced and continued to face. It is a very thought-provoking book and Russell writes with candor, showing no real bias either way for blacks or whites.

I found a couple of inconsistencies in the book where Russell stated that the Civil Rights movement would have been more successful if it didn’t include Whites, “Negroes should have stood together alone-representing all Negroes.” “When you can consolidate a group into one single force, then you can locate the enemy and defeat it.” Yet he then quickly afterwards says, “as long as you have isolation unionism - a Black union and a White union - they can be played off each other and the result is a deprived people on both sides.” Resulting in economic deprivation for both poor whites and blacks. Also in his Acknowledgements at the end of the book Russell extols the BLM supporters and their marches, yet in his book he says that the fight for equality “is not a matter for violence, but a matter for confrontation and of asking the question.”

Overall I really enjoyed the book and agreed with much of what Bill Russell shared about the reasons for discrimination and how to confront injustices against humans of all races, gender, ethnicity and religion.

[Nancye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bill Russell was honored at the ESPYs over the summer. During the presentation I heard about this book and was able to have our campus library find a copy for me to read. This is not just a book about a star athlete. It is a book about his life, his career, the challenges he faced, and the issues he spoke up about. While it was published years ago, it is still relevant today. Russell was a strong man to speak up at a time when that was very unpopular. I learned a lot and was sad to see how far we still have to go in our country.

"Yet, this issue of human rights is the greatest problem ever faced by a nation. It is an American problem and it must be faced by Americans. And solved by Americans. I believe one of the problems is misinformation ... misunderstanding. Americans, oddly enough, are generally uninformed about each other. In the growth of our nation, the trite cliches have developed:
All Italians love lasagne.
The Irish drink.
Every Jew is rich.
The result is misunderstanding. Children hear these stories and and develop along these guidelines. Only when they break through barriers and come to understand on a person-to-person relationship are the false tales put to death."

[Z · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bill Russell's 1966 autobiography is profound and moving. He shares his wisdom from the perspective of an elite black athlete in the 1950s and 1960s, who moved through life with a chip on his shoulder, but remained humbled and balanced. He did not accept injustices of his time, even though he was recommended to remain "gentlemanly."

On many occasions, he refused to play in cities across America where he would not be served at the same restaurants as his white teammates. He carried himself in a way that matched his values, and he aimed to share that with his children and communities around him.

Russell is one of the greatest of all time. I enjoyed reading about his story, which echoes similarities to other elite athletes of the time, including Muhammad Ali and Jackie Robinson.

"Am I Foreigner in my own homeland?"

"For one of the most enjoyable, but frustrating, experiences in the history of man is to be an American Negro at this time. It is the first time in four centuries that the American Negro can create his own history. To be part of this is one of the most significant things that can happen."

[Stephen Durrant · Rating 4 out of 5]

In my pantheon of basketball stars, the recently deceased Bill Russell is the most noteworthy. Not only was he a complete player who always seems to have cared more about the team than his own "numbers," but he played a critical and, at times, uncompromising role in the integration of the game. He accomplished what he did because of unflinching pride. The small book, first written when Russell was thirty-one is full of juicy basketball tidbits, to be sure, but its importance is elsewhere. Few athletics have written so boldly and personally about the way race shaped the game and the careers of black athletes. A must read for those who care about the game of basketball and the way a single, bold personality changed it.

[Kevin Thang · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s clear from his books & documentaries that Bill Russell has had a conflicting relationship with basketball and basketball fans throughout his legendary career. He won basketball games & championships and was bigger than life on the court, but on and off the court he was treated like another black man in 1950s, 60s, 70s America, with blatant racism including the city he was playing for, Boston.

The book does an excellent job of mixing in his basketball career with race issues and Russell’s advocacy for progression, being one of the first big name athletes to speak out against the treatment of his people. Having read a few of Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s books, I couldn’t help but compare the many similarities between the two big men greats.

[Carolina Nuñez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this book was like sitting in on a conversation with Bill Russell. Not only was it in inside look into his life as a black man and athlete before and during the civil right movements, but as a basketball player. I don’t play but I love the sport - so it gave me a new understanding on how much the game has changed and the simple strategies to win. I love how Bill Russell had so much self respect and divinity that he never settled. He was unapologetically himself and fought for what he believed in unconditionally. It’s clear he wasn’t perfect, but was able to reflect on his flaws throughout his life.

[Liz McMillan · Rating 4 out of 5]

"It is not enough to go along, to try to do the gentlemanly thing.....Raise the question. Confront the blameless ones. We are all to blame."

My father has always been a huge Bill Russell fan, but I really knew nothing about him. There are quite a few books about Russell out there, but I learned about this one after seeing Kobe's introduction of Bill when he received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPY's a few months ago. This man was so much more than possibly one of the best basketball players of all time; I know try to carry his words with me wherever I go!

[M. Newman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting book by the recently deceased Hall of Fame basketball player for the Boston Celtics, arguably the greatest of all time. As a basketball fan of a certain age I found the stories about the old Celtics nostalgic. The book is about much more than basketball reminisce, however. It is about Russell’s memories and feelings about racism and human rights, as well. It also includes some eye-opening instances of bigotry among the powers - that - were of the fledgling NBA.

[Jaydan Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a book originally published in 1968, it’s astonishing how many themes are still relevant today. Bill Russell’s voice is so very powerful, and it will make you laugh, reconcile and hope. At moments, it illustrates how far we’ve come in America - in others, how little things have changed - and how far we have left to go. This book is so much more than the memoir of an athlete, and so, is worth reading even if you’re not a basketball fan.

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great insight into a great man. Russell won 11 championships rings with the Celtics and marched with Martin Luther King. Russell has very opinionated views on basketball, race relations and everything in between. The book is very well written and Russell’s narration definitely shines through. The only knock is the book would have been better if it was longer and went into his post playing career. Great read, I will definitely be looking for more books by Russell.

[David Barney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was written in 1965. In my opinion, there is plenty of race written. I feel bad of the negative experiences Russell has had in his life. I was hoping that he would have written more about his Olympic experience and experiences as a Celtic. I got tired of reading about his negative race experiences. He stated that he did not write this book in anger. Yet, there is an under tone of anger throughout the book.

[Davi Deck · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is not the easiest read as other reviews have mentioned. There is a good amount of jumping around that caught me off guard a few times.
With that being said. The content in this book is 10/10 and I feel everyone can benefit from reading. Jarring how relevant most of it still is nearly 60 years later.