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Title details for On the Shoulders of Giants by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - Available

On the Shoulders of Giants

My Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance

by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Raymond Obstfeld
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
From 1920 to 1940, the Harlem Renaissance produced a bright beacon of light that paved the way for African Americans all over the country. The unapologetic writings of W. E. B. Du Bois and Marcus Garvey, the fervent fiction and poetry of Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes, the groundbreaking art of Aaron Douglas and William H. Johnson, and the triumphant music of Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong gave voice and expression to the thoughts and emotions that Jim Crow segregation laws had long sought to stifle.


In On the Shoulders of Giants, indomitable basketball star and bestselling author and historian Kareem Abdul-Jabbar invites readers on an extraordinarily personal journey back to his birthplace, through one of the greatest political, cultural, literary, and artistic movements in our history, revealing the tremendous impact the Harlem Renaissance had on both American culture and his own life. Beginning with the rise of the Harlem Rens as pioneers of professional basketball, Kareem traces the many streams of historical influence that converged to create the man he is today—the NBA's all-time leading scorer and a veritable African American icon.


Travel deep into the soul of the Renaissance—to the night clubs, restaurants, basketball games, and fabulous parties that have made footprints in Harlem's history. Meet the athletes, jazz musicians, comedians, actors, politicians, entrepreneurs, and writers who not only inspired Kareem's rise to greatness but an entire nation's.


Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was born in the midst of a cultural reawakening, carried on the shoulders of athletes trying to prove there was a lot more at stake than a ball game, men and women who made music that could break your heart, and writers and intellectuals who gave voice to not just the ideals of a movement but the raw emotions. Kareem tells what it took to get these revolutionaries to Harlem and how they changed the world. A world that is still riding on the shoulders of giants.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    April 15, 2007

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781400124282
      • File size: 308640 KB
      • Duration: 10:42:59

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • Lexile® Measure: 1250
    • Text Difficulty: 9-12

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      If Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hadn't been a basketball star, he would have been a history teacher, he says. The NBA's top scorer honors the "giants" of the Harlem Renaissance and shares the lessons he has learned from their accomplishments. Richard Allen's voice has both gravitas and a conversational quality, matching the "call-and-response" style of the book well. Allen's voice also reflects the love Abdul-Jabbar has for his subject. That love comes through most when Abdul-Jabbar discusses his favorite topic, jazz, and its greats. Abdul-Jabbar relates the past giants of this seminal historical era to today's headliners and entertainers, as well as to his own life. J.A.S. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      January 1, 2007
      Former NBA superstar Abdul-Jabbar continues to pursue his inner historian (Brothers in Arms, A Season on the Reservation, etc.), using his childhood in the late 1940s to bring an engaging personal perspective to this cultural examination. Abdul-Jabbar does a fine job celebrating the already well-celebrated legacies of musicians like Bessie Smith and writers like Langston Hughes; what sets this book apart is Abdul-Jabbar's vantage from the waning edge of Harlem's cultural revolution, at a time when "white America ... was looking around for some other in vogue ethnic group" to excite their repressed urges. In a "call-and-response" format, Abdul-Jabbar alternates between straightforward history lessons and his personal take on them; thus, a chapter on "Master Intellects and Creative Giants" is followed by "How Harlem Writers Influenced My Life." Basketball fans will most enjoy Abdul-Jabbar's chronicle of Harlem's basketball team, the New York Renaissance Big Five, which in 1939 became the first black team to win a world professional title in any sport, paving the way for the integration of the ABL (forerunner to the NBA). Abdul-Jabbar's passion for history, literature and jazz, however, prove just as fundamental to the legendary Laker's journey, and this accessible, passionate account presents each "giant" as a vital part of Abdul-Jabbar's development and rise to fame.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Former Harlemite Kareem Abdul-Jabbar explores the Harlem Renaissance (1920-1940), touching on social history, literature, music, art, and, of course, basketball. In the introduction the author says, "History is a living road map. It allows us to learn from the mistakes of others and be inspired by what others have done well." The main narrator is Avery Brooks, whose delivery sounds like jazz. He varies the pacing and gravity of his tone depending on the material. Abdul-Jabbar reads his own reflections. This work sounds more like an audio documentary than a reading of a book. Instead of have Brooks read extended quotations, the producers use clips from archival interviews. Jazz is used to bridge segments. R.C.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      The Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s was not just a cultural phenomenon that influenced the arts. That is one of many facts brought to bear in this fascinating study of basketball, written by superstar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and delivered by the well-known sports commentator Bob Costas. The audiobook covers one spectacular event in basketball history, the first professional championship in which an all-black team, from Harlem, played against white teams. The beauty of the work is how it intertwines its written words, musical interludes, and interviews within a fascinating historical context. Not surprisingly, Costas is an able narrator. His voice, already associated with American sports, gives authority and integrity to this gem of a work on sports history. P.R. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      NBA great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar presides over this informative and inspiring collection of accounts that highlight both the Harlem Renaissance era and defining moments in the author's own life. Using Harlem's unique and tumultuous history as his backdrop, Abdul-Jabbar showcases the many brilliant thinkers, innovators, artists, and athletes who influenced a nation while persevering through extreme hardships. Abdul-Jabbar's narration is assisted by a wide assortment of famous modern-day stars from all corners of popular culture who step in to share stories of influential mentors and introduce excerpts from famous works in African-American history. Speeches and ruminations from W.E.B Du Bois, Langston Hughes, and Martin Luther King, Jr., among many others, share space with timeless musical recordings, making this a truly multimedia experience. A.P.C. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      For those who love jazz, this audiobook provides valuable historical information on its development and influence on the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s. Unfortunately, what one doesn't hear is a lot of music, only descriptions of different styles and musicians. The main narrator is critic Stanley Crouch, but Abdul-Jabbar, Quincy Jones, will.i.am, and other celebrities also take part. Crouch has a voice that sounds as if he has a mouthful of molasses, only scratchier, and he tells tales of musicians with gusto. He's understandable, and his pacing is fine, but it takes a few moments to get used to him. Abdul-Jabbar asks questions and talks about his jazz-infused home in a conversational, genial manner. R.I.G. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:1250
  • Text Difficulty:9-12

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