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Racehoss: Big Emma's Boy
Hell for Albert Race Sample was the Retrieve, a branch of the Texas State prison system reserved for the most incorrigible prisoners. A cotton plantation where men slaved from dawn to dusk under the cruel leadership of "Boss Band," it cracked the spirits of the weak and hardened the souls of the strong.
For "Racehoss," as Sample was called, the Retrieve was a place to witness unbearable brutality -- which he recounts in awesome detail in the pages of this stunning book. It is the classic story of the son of a troubled mother, of a young man gone bad, and of his first tentative then tremendous steps toward reclaiming his own destiny.
His ability to understand the forces that drove him to prison, and his devotion to helping others also see the light of change, earned Sample his release in 1972 and a full pardon in 1976. His story is gripping, powerful, and utterly real -- true testament to the strength of the human spirit.
For "Racehoss," as Sample was called, the Retrieve was a place to witness unbearable brutality -- which he recounts in awesome detail in the pages of this stunning book. It is the classic story of the son of a troubled mother, of a young man gone bad, and of his first tentative then tremendous steps toward reclaiming his own destiny.
His ability to understand the forces that drove him to prison, and his devotion to helping others also see the light of change, earned Sample his release in 1972 and a full pardon in 1976. His story is gripping, powerful, and utterly real -- true testament to the strength of the human spirit.
Mass Market Paperback
First published March 1, 1984
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
October 12, 2014
I ordered the book after hearing the author on "The Diane Rehm Show" (NPR) in the mid-80's. It was Diane's interview with Race that made me a life-long fan of her show. There was obviously no Amazon.com at that time so acquiring the book in a small south Georgia town took some effort, but hearing Albert "Racehoss" Sample read portions of it during that hour-long program gave me all of the motivation that I needed.
When it finally arrived I hardly did anything else but read in my spare time and having heard Race speak and read from it himself, it was his voice that I continued to hear in my head as I read it. It was a remarkable story and he told it just as well. I've re-read it many times over the years.
A documentary was produced more than two decades later (by Sean Hepburn Ferrer, the son of Audrey Hepburn and Miguel Ferrer), but I've always said that this story would make a fantastic feature film. I still believe that. If you can find a copy, used or new, of "Racehoss: Big Emma's Boy," I HIGHLY recommend it. It has everything that you would want from a great story... It is exciting, historical and heartbreaking, but most of all it is uplifting. Now excuse me while I write a letter to Denzel.
When it finally arrived I hardly did anything else but read in my spare time and having heard Race speak and read from it himself, it was his voice that I continued to hear in my head as I read it. It was a remarkable story and he told it just as well. I've re-read it many times over the years.
A documentary was produced more than two decades later (by Sean Hepburn Ferrer, the son of Audrey Hepburn and Miguel Ferrer), but I've always said that this story would make a fantastic feature film. I still believe that. If you can find a copy, used or new, of "Racehoss: Big Emma's Boy," I HIGHLY recommend it. It has everything that you would want from a great story... It is exciting, historical and heartbreaking, but most of all it is uplifting. Now excuse me while I write a letter to Denzel.
November 6, 2010
David S. rated it: Racehoss was a very good read. Being a past Warden in the TDC prison system I found the book relevent to my career. I enjoyed the manner in which the book was written, just as Racehoss and others no doubt talked. Having worked the Retrieve Unit during my career the descriptions in the book jumped off the pages.
August 8, 2011
One of the most amazing books I have ever read - someone who got a really raw deal, made mistakes and ended up making a huge contribution to society despite everything. Totally inspirational.
August 24, 2009
Brutal gritty story of survival, perseverance, and ultimately redemption. Well worth reading!
February 19, 2023
I didn’t like the religious stuff towards the end, I could take it or leave it. Besides that it’s a great book👍
June 28, 2020
Just finished reading the book “RACEHOSS: BIG EMMA’S BOY” by ALBERT RACE SAMPLE. I read this book while listening to the audible version narrated by MIRRON WILLIS. It is #38 in my AROUND THE YEAR IN 52 BOOKS CLUB (a book with the major theme of survival ). First published in 1984, Racehoss: Big Emma’s Boy is Albert Race Sample’s “unforgettable” (The Dallas Morning News) tale of resilience, revelation, and redemption. Born in 1930, the mixed-race son of a hard-drinking black prostitute and a white cotton broker, Sample was raised in the Jim Crow South by an abusive mother who refused to let her son—who could pass for white—call her Mama. He watched for the police while she worked, whether as a prostitute, bootlegger, or running the best dice game in town. He loved his mother deeply but could no longer take her abuse and ran away from home at the age of twelve. In his early twenties, Sample was arrested for burglary, robbery, and robbery by assault and was sentenced to nearly twenty years in the Texas prison system in the 1950s and 60s. His light complexion made him stand out in the all-black prison plantation known as the “burnin’ hell,” where he and over four hundred prisoners picked cotton and worked the land while white shotgun-carrying guards followed on horseback. Sample earned the moniker “Racehoss” for his ability to hoe cotton faster than anyone else in his squad. A profound spiritual awakening in solitary confinement was a decisive moment for him, and he became determined to turn his life around. When he was finally released in 1972, he did just that. Though Sample was incarcerated in the twentieth century, his memoir reads like it came from the nineteenth. With new stories that had been edited out of the first edition, a foreword by Texas attorney and writer David R. Dow, and an afterword by Sample’s widow, Carol, this new edition of Racehoss: Big Emma’s Boy offers a more complete picture of this extraordinary time in America’s recent past. This remarkable book was especially interesting to me as it took place in my hometown of Longview, Texas.
June 28, 2020
Just finished reading the book “RACEHOSS: BIG EMMA’S BOY” by ALBERT RACE SAMPLE. I read this book while listening to the audible version narrated by MIRRON WILLIS. It is #38 in my AROUND THE YEAR IN 52 BOOKS CLUB (a book with the major theme of survival ). First published in 1984, Racehoss: Big Emma’s Boy is Albert Race Sample’s “unforgettable” (The Dallas Morning News) tale of resilience, revelation, and redemption. Born in 1930, the mixed-race son of a hard-drinking black prostitute and a white cotton broker, Sample was raised in the Jim Crow South by an abusive mother who refused to let her son—who could pass for white—call her Mama. He watched for the police while she worked, whether as a prostitute, bootlegger, or running the best dice game in town. He loved his mother deeply but could no longer take her abuse and ran away from home at the age of twelve. In his early twenties, Sample was arrested for burglary, robbery, and robbery by assault and was sentenced to nearly twenty years in the Texas prison system in the 1950s and 60s. His light complexion made him stand out in the all-black prison plantation known as the “burnin’ hell,” where he and over four hundred prisoners picked cotton and worked the land while white shotgun-carrying guards followed on horseback. Sample earned the moniker “Racehoss” for his ability to hoe cotton faster than anyone else in his squad. A profound spiritual awakening in solitary confinement was a decisive moment for him, and he became determined to turn his life around. When he was finally released in 1972, he did just that. Though Sample was incarcerated in the twentieth century, his memoir reads like it came from the nineteenth. With new stories that had been edited out of the first edition, a foreword by Texas attorney and writer David R. Dow, and an afterword by Sample’s widow, Carol, this new edition of Racehoss: Big Emma’s Boy offers a more complete picture of this extraordinary time in America’s recent past. This remarkable book was especially interesting to me as it took place in my hometown of Longview, Texas.
March 3, 2020
Disappointed with the much too lengthy commentary on this prison life and all too scant commentary on his life after meeting God and having a changed life. It took me over a year to finish as I lost interest in the excessive focus on a harsh prison existence. Most stories could have been left out. With just a couple of chapters on his incarceration he could have left the reader well appraised of the inhumanity for which prison life is, what he endured, and how great freedom is. More on his remarkable later years as a reformed and elevated ex-con would have more appreciated by me making it a far better read.
July 15, 2019
I heard about this book from an NPR interview done with Mr. Sample in 1986 and was intrigued. Much to my surprise, this autobiography was extremely well executed and is one of the best I have ever read. Life in the 1940's in the South for African Americans was tough enough, but Sample's life was even harder serving a 30-year prison sentence in Texas. The honesty and truth of his experience shines through and it was a pleasure reading this account, rough as it was. I highly recommend this book!
January 19, 2017
Once I got past the language, which I understand was necessary to tell the story, it was a book that was hard to put down. The redemption part of the story was truly amazing.
November 6, 2018
I loved this book.
October 31, 2020
What a story ..that is hard to read but also whole you're reading it you get that this is the actual story most black people from 1920s south raised in america could tell..
September 16, 2021
Stunning. The language is poetic, and an attention to haunting, and sometimes funny details in this story of resilience through pain is what makes it most memorable.
December 9, 2021
i only rated this 3 stars because i read it for school but otherwise it was a good book.
March 14, 2017
This was intense. Just when I thought life couldn't get any worse for him, it did.
March 29, 2020
If Albert Sample's life had been written as a fictional tale, the reader would find it far-fetched. From a dirt-poor hustler living by his wits, in and out of trouble (mostly in) and living his childhood in the large shadow of his prostitute mother -- "Racehoss" ended a 17-year prison sentence a changed man. That he ended up working in the governor's office, heading up a successful ex-con relocation program was a sweet, poetic turn.
This read is not for the faint-of-heart. Sample's account of 1940's life in rural Texas, as well his description of the "under-the-radar" state prison system of the 60's, sheds light on the horrific treatment of African-Americans throughout this period. I found myself almost sickened at some of the dehumanizing accounts Racehoss and his prison mates suffered. However, the backdrop of that horror made it even more amazing that the author triumphed over these evils to find meaning and purpose in life.
I gave this book 3 stars instead of 4 because I felt its one weakness was its length. I feel like with a good editor, this book could easily have been 75-100 pages shorter. The sheer number of prison stories that Sample shared struck a monotonous tone about 2/3-way through the book. Again, perhaps this is just my personal preference -- the book was very compelling and Albert's story is inspirational, to say the least; but from solely a literary point of view, it could have used a good editor's pair of eyes.
I recommend this book. It definitely shows the resilience of the human spirit against all odds.
--Carey D
This read is not for the faint-of-heart. Sample's account of 1940's life in rural Texas, as well his description of the "under-the-radar" state prison system of the 60's, sheds light on the horrific treatment of African-Americans throughout this period. I found myself almost sickened at some of the dehumanizing accounts Racehoss and his prison mates suffered. However, the backdrop of that horror made it even more amazing that the author triumphed over these evils to find meaning and purpose in life.
I gave this book 3 stars instead of 4 because I felt its one weakness was its length. I feel like with a good editor, this book could easily have been 75-100 pages shorter. The sheer number of prison stories that Sample shared struck a monotonous tone about 2/3-way through the book. Again, perhaps this is just my personal preference -- the book was very compelling and Albert's story is inspirational, to say the least; but from solely a literary point of view, it could have used a good editor's pair of eyes.
I recommend this book. It definitely shows the resilience of the human spirit against all odds.
--Carey D
September 2, 2010
........this IS NOT appropriate for book club.......
Racehoss is the life story of a man who ended up serving 17 years in the Texas prison system. It is disturbing to read about the abuse of prisoners, prison rape, and the author's early life with his prostitute mother. I believe that it is important to read books like this because it chronicles things that happened recently in what we all thought was a land of laws and justice. It gave me a glimpse into another world and hopefully will help me to be more compassionate towards those less fortunate then myself.
The writing is very straightforward; like a man with a basic education would write. I read this because I heard an interview with the author on the Diane Rehm show a few years ago.
Racehoss is the life story of a man who ended up serving 17 years in the Texas prison system. It is disturbing to read about the abuse of prisoners, prison rape, and the author's early life with his prostitute mother. I believe that it is important to read books like this because it chronicles things that happened recently in what we all thought was a land of laws and justice. It gave me a glimpse into another world and hopefully will help me to be more compassionate towards those less fortunate then myself.
The writing is very straightforward; like a man with a basic education would write. I read this because I heard an interview with the author on the Diane Rehm show a few years ago.
July 13, 2008
Autobiography of a mixed race depression baby who spent the first part of his adult life in prision, and, perhaps not co-incidentally, ended up working for the governor's office.
This book is told in his current first person voice, looking back on the life and environment of his youth and young manhood. The book is simply written, simply told and simply memorable.
This book is told in his current first person voice, looking back on the life and environment of his youth and young manhood. The book is simply written, simply told and simply memorable.
August 30, 2016
One of the best books on incarceration
I read this book about 30 years ago and either lent or lost it. From time to time I wanted to reread it but it was out of print. I just recently googled it and found it released as an e-book. I would recommend it with the most favorable
accolades. I'm pleased that it is again available. It won't disappoint!
I read this book about 30 years ago and either lent or lost it. From time to time I wanted to reread it but it was out of print. I just recently googled it and found it released as an e-book. I would recommend it with the most favorable
accolades. I'm pleased that it is again available. It won't disappoint!
September 14, 2018
If you were as moved by this book as I was, be sure to listen to the Diane Rehm 1986 interview with Albert Sample at dianerehm.org. Hearing Mr. Sample’s voice tell his story will break your heart. Those who work for the current prison system MUST read and listen.
Update: Just watched the amazon video, Racehoss:The Life of Albert Race Sample. Add to your must watch list.
Update: Just watched the amazon video, Racehoss:The Life of Albert Race Sample. Add to your must watch list.
October 31, 2009
intense, complex and inspiring
June 14, 2020
I love this memoir .
One of my oldest favourite memoirs . A great personal story as well as an insight on the Old South prison system.
One of my oldest favourite memoirs . A great personal story as well as an insight on the Old South prison system.
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October 21, 2008story of ex-criminal in texas prison system in the 60s,70s
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December 20, 2018Very timely with the recent uncovering of mass graves in Sugarland TX. The system of using black convicts as laborers for farming started after the civil war. However, Racehoss' story tells about the later years (1950 to 1972) when the convicts were mostly real criminals. In the early days the blacks were targeted and arrested for petty crimes and trumped-up charges such as vagrancy and flirting with white women. Racehoss' story does give a very graphic picture of the harsh conditions the convicts had to endure even in these later years.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews