Knockout!

A Photobiography of Boxer Joe Louis

By Sullivan, George

Publishers Summary:
Knockout! is a quintessential American story—a humble but hardworking man overcomes poverty and prejudice to become world champion—and an inspiration to millions around the world. George Sullivan’s photobiography tells the powerful story of boxer Joe Louis with evocative period photography and a stirring narrative. This profile of one of America’s favorite sportsmen offers boys a perfect choice for biography assignments and is a stunning addition to the award-winning Photobiographies series.Joe Louis was the first African-American to achieve a position of national prominence in 20th century America. His success and his dignified public persona as champion were a source of great pride to African-Americans, whose heroes were rarely accorded recognition or respect. Knockout! sets the story of The Brown Bomber’s rise to fame against the background of his time. Blacks were not permitted to play major league baseball or football, and as the nation struggled through the depression in the 1930s and World War II in the 1940s, Louis became a symbol of hope to all facing hardship. Louis’s series of fights against Max Schmeling of Germany became the defining acts of his career. The reluctant Schmeling was promoted by Hitler’s regime as the symbol of Aryan supremacy, but Louis’s stunning victory in 1938 punctured the Nazi propaganda. Louis’s sensational first-round TKO win at Yankee Stadium also established the Alabama fighter as one of the most popular figures for Americans of all races.

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ISBN
978-1-42630-328-9
Publisher
National Geographic Children's Books


REVIEWS

School Library Journal

Reviewed on February 1, 2009

Gr 4-8 Born in 1914, Louis had a talent that offered him a means to succeed despite the economic hardships and racial discrimination of the 1930s. His early managers cautioned him to avoid the example of Jack Johnson, boxing's first African-American heavyweight, so Louis adopted a guarded stance for press and cameras. Throughout the highs and lows of his career, he carried himself with dignity, realizing that he held the hope of many on his shoulders. In 1938, he fought a ...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

Horn Book Guide

Reviewed on January 1, 2008

This book recounts the life of African American boxing legend Joe Louis. The text follows Louis from his birth into poverty in 1914, ...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

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