On the shoulders of giants
Subtitle: my journey through the Harlem Renaissance
By: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with Raymond Obstfeld
Contributors: Obstfeld, Raymond, 1952-
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published: 2007
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 274
ISBN-13: 9781416534884
Subjects: Harlem Renaissance; Influence
Description: 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, the fervent fiction and poetry, the groundbreaking art, and the triumphant music gave voice and expression to the thoughts and emotions that Jim Crow segregation laws had long sought to stifle. Here, basketball star and author Kareem Abdul-Jabbar invites the reader on a 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.--From publisher description.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 257-259) and index.
Table of contents: title: Our future or our fate; title: "Some technicolor bazaar": how Harlem became the center of the universe; title: "Mad medley": how Harlem influenced my life; title: "Master intellects and creative giants": the "talented tenth" paint the world black; title: "The gifts that my ancestors gave": how Harlem writers influenced my life; title: "Fairness creeps out of the soul": basketball comes to Harlem; title: "Hoping against hope": how the Rens basketball team influenced my life; title: "Musical fireworks": jazz lights up the heavens of Harlem; title: "Everything was mostly fun": how jazz influenced my life.