From the author of the critically acclaimed "In Black and White" "The Life of Sammy Davis, Jr.," comes another illuminating socio-historical narrat...
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Dec 09, 2009
80 pages in and I'm already feeling like putting the book down. Torn--torn!--because Sugar Ray's life and times are interesting. But the author's prose is dampening my momentum He wants to be evocative, he heaps on adverbs, adjectives, additives, superlatives, bluesatives, negrotives, Americatives--yeesh! My man! As the children used to say: "CHILL!"
I had picked up Haygood's biography of Sammy Davis, but I read this first ('cuz that's how I do) and now I'm wondering if that More...
I had picked up Haygood's biography of Sammy Davis, but I read this first ('cuz that's how I do) and now I'm wondering if that More...
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Jan 23, 2011
Duskyliterati
rated it: 
If you had actually told me I would read a book about a boxer, let alone enjoy it, I wouldn’t have believed you but Wil Haygood has written a very readable biography of professional boxer Sugar Ray Robinson. I decided to read this book as it was a finalist for the 2010 Hurston/Wright Legacy Award for non-fiction. One of my personal reading challenges is to read books that have won or been short-listed for this award. While the book probably won’t satisfy the die-hard boxing fan, I found it quite
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Jul 31, 2011
Ivan
rated it: 
"And let thy blows, doubly redoubled, fall like amazing thunder on the casque of thy adverse pernicious enemy" King Richard II, Act I Scene iii
Two ancient bits of personal history came flooding back to me when I read Wil Haygood's "Sweet Thunder: The Life and Times of Sugar Ray Robinson".
First, when I was growing up in the late 50s and early 60s a big group of kids in my neighborhood used to gather into one tiny apartment to watch the boxing on Frida More...
Two ancient bits of personal history came flooding back to me when I read Wil Haygood's "Sweet Thunder: The Life and Times of Sugar Ray Robinson".
First, when I was growing up in the late 50s and early 60s a big group of kids in my neighborhood used to gather into one tiny apartment to watch the boxing on Frida More...
Jan 24, 2010
Will
rated it: 
Enjoyable biography of one of the all-time greats. I particularly liked how the author attempted to place Sugar Ray in his milieu; I found the details about midcentury Harlem, Miles, Lena Horne, Langston Hughes etc. to add depth to the biography, rather than distracting. The chapter on the rivalry with Jake LaMotta was fascinating.
Dec 23, 2010
Robert
rated it:
I'd only read one other book on boxing and I liked this one better. The story is completely linear and there are times when you wish it wasn't so, but Haygood does a good job of capturing motivation and reward in the world of boxing at the time when it was one of the top two or three sports in America.
Nov 29, 2010
Read this for a thoughtful look at the life of the greatest fighter of all time as well as the intersections of politics, music, art, and sport in mid 20th century America. - Randolph N. Stone
Dec 07, 2011
Tahari
rated it:
this is a great book. it really shows the life of the boxing legend ray robinson. it shows his trials and tribulations inside and outside of the ring. this book is very exciting and full of emotion. i just love how it take the reader into his life and help everyone understand his troubles.
i can relate to this book as a boxer. it gives me such inspiration to read about sugar ray robinson. after reading this book i can proudly say that i look up to sugar ray robinson. i recommend this More...
i can relate to this book as a boxer. it gives me such inspiration to read about sugar ray robinson. after reading this book i can proudly say that i look up to sugar ray robinson. i recommend this More...
Dec 29, 2009
Althea
rated it: 
Despite the exciting life that Sugar Ray Robinson led both inside and outside the boxing ring, the author never seems to make the story or his personality come completely alive. There were interesting but scattered references to the vibrant cultural scene that was Harlem in the 30's, 40's and 50's. I think I need to read another biography about Sugar Ray to complete the picture.
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