Jim Brown: The Fierce Life of an American Hero

Description

The first, definitive biography of one of the most important, controversial, and outspoken athletes of the 20th century. He intimidated people on and off the football field. He was brutal yet brilliant, narcissistic yet magnanimous, relentless yet unyielding. Most of all, he was the greatest football player of all time. He was Jim Brown. A legend in his own time, Jim Brown was revered as an athlete, actor, and unflinching symbol of black pride and self-reliance. In this moving book, Mike Freeman offers the first definitive portrait of the sports star. Based on interviews with Brown, his family, friends, and colleagues, Jim Brown is an honest, complete picture of the man and his turbulent times. Part biography, part cultural history, it is a quintessential American tale-a story of adversity, adulation, tenacity, inspiration, and pride.

Mike Freeman is a national columnist for CBS SportsLine.com. Previously, he covered the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, and college sports and was an investigative and enterprise reporter for the New York Times and a columnist for the Florida Times-Union. He has also previously been a sports reporter, features writer, and investigative writer for the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, and the Dallas Morning News. Freeman is also the author of three critically acclaimed books: ESPN: The Uncensored History; Bloody Sundays: Inside the Rough-and-Tumble World of the NFL; and Jim Brown: The Fierce Life of an American Hero.

"Definitive...a fascinating look at a culture in transition...Freeman captures the life of a legend with grace and passion." -- Publishers Weekly "[Freeman is] an excellent storyteller...what resonates most is Brown's fierce determination to do things his way." -- Sports Illustrated