Out of Bounds

by Jim Brown

National Football League Hall of Fame player Jim Brown describes what it means to be an athlete and recounts behind-the-scenes stories involving sex, the Hollywood fast lane, and his encounters with the law

Genres: Sports, Biography, Football, Nonfiction

380 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1989

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

James Nathaniel Brown is a former American football player, sports analyst and actor.

Reviews

[Adrienna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found a copy in the discard box and decided to read it anyways. Once I am done, then I will let it be in the recycle.

It starts off with his football career with some trash talking and how he will outdo or beat his opponents in the game. He later goes into his girlfriend who got pregnant while he was on his way to college; sadly, he left her to pursue his studies and became a NFL athlete. Later, he shares about the movie industry, Hollywood, and meeting Hef (Playboy Bunnies), as well as other athletes in the NBA or movie stars like Fred Williamson. He shares briefly about women he prefers and not too keen on marriage even though he married and divorced once. Muhammad Ali. Malcolm. Richard Pryor to name a few people he mentions in the bio.

Some stories he goes deep or more info than what I knew during this time, and others seem surface level just getting a little insight of them. Overall, the bio was decent and I liked it. I took about a month or so to read it between breaks.

I found this copy in the library to be recycled or trashed. I decided to read it.

[Oliver · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book #7 in the shelf experiment

Really interesting book told directly from Jim Brown's mouth. I knew little about his life other than the occasional headline and had always been curious about whom many consider to be the best football player of all time. The parts I really enjoyed involved his time in the NFL, particularly his relationships with other football greats (Walter Payton, OJ, Paul Brown, etc) and the recounting of his achivements on the field. Also, the shooting of the Dirty Dozen with Charles Bronson, Lee Marvin & Ernest Borgnine was great to hear about as well as his relationships with Richard Pryor and Muhammed Ali. The stories involving his run ins with the law and various sexual escapades (a seemingly manditory section of every modern celebrity biography) were far less interesting but I'm sure have value to the tabloid crowd.

Side note: this bio was written in 1990 (prior to the OJ murders) and it's kind of incredible to see how OJ was once viewed as a wimpy sellout by others in the community.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's over thirty years old but still holds up pretty well (some things do not obviously). Sports figure, movie star, activist and controversial with a capital C. Also an ego with the biggest capital E you can imagine. I'm still unsure after reading this and some online articles whether he committed some of the violent acts he was accused of (but definitely think he wasn't an angel though). But typical of big egos, he oesn't own up to any of it; it's always someone elses fault or a big misunderstanding. Some of his thoughts on race and how minorities are treated, sadly, still hold true today. And he has done a lot for the black community over the decades. He's got a lot to talk about in this book and doesn't hold back that's for sure. (And still the greatest running back in football history in my opinion, even though I never saw him play)

[Justin Burick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book,but if you do not like sports, violence, drug and alcohol abuse this book is not for you. Out of Bounds takes you through Jim Browns life since he was born. He had to face many challenges through his years of getting older. He had to face the challenge of poverty and extreme racism. He faced adversity which helped him be so successful throughout his life. He is a hard worker who is always humble and never showboating about his achievements. He talks about his rivals and his best friends, but some rivals were both enemies and friends at the same time. I gave this book 5 stars because it is a very interesting read and gives you a behind the scenes look at what really goes on in these professional sports industries. Which in this case is the NFL and the NBA.

[I.D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don’t get me wrong Jim Brown is a total badass and this book comes across as having a conversation with him BUT it does occasionally get bogged down in his thoughts on football and football players AND treads close to the TMI level with his talking about all his orgies and opinion that 19 is the ideal age for a women to date him. It’s a quick and interesting read and the man deserves respect and admiration but my eyes glazed over a bit at all the nfl in the 80s rants.

[Jeff Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The man spoke his mine. He was great as the sheriff of Colusa County in the movie Tick, Tick, Tick, to bad he didn`t make it in The Dirty Dozen.

[Carol Storm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Greatest sports autobiography ever written.

Ranks with MY BONDAGE AND MY FREEDOM by Frederick Douglass and AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MALCOLM X as an unforgettable celebration of black manhood and self-respect.

All that and there are some great stories about Raquel Welch, Elvis Presley, Richard Nixon and Mohammed Ali!

[Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you want an autobiography of a badass, a guy who starred in college football and for the Cleveland Browns, became a Black Nationalist, and kicked the drugs out of Richard Pryor, this is a good one.

[Haven Ayres · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jim Brown is randomly hilarious and all around an interesting figure in the US in the 60's. One of the greatest athletes to ever live if you didn't recognize.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable book with great stories about his life. However, not being a writer, it wasn't written very well.

[Ishmael Gipson sr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it, although it has been years since i read this intriguing autobiography.